An introduction. Part 1 of the series.
The Rhône has always been a subject of great fascination for me because of my love for Syrah and Grenache as grape varietals and also that the wines of the South has had a long history with ancient grape varieties that originated from the Middle-east. I can think of no other region in France that has such diversity in grape varieties and except maybe in Languedoc-Roussillon. Bordeaux may be well-known for its wines but the roots of winemaking originate from the Mediterranean. During the 18th and 19th century, Bordeaux used to blend wines from Hermitage with those in Bordeaux to give the wines more structure and riper aromas. Read More >
Final Part of the Provence wine series. Many wines tasted with personal opinions.
I believe that to end the Provence series, it is worth mentioning about the Fréjus Appellation, which is another sub-appellation of the Côtes de Provence and an AOC 80km from Nice, a city that used to be under the Regent of Italy along with Savoie. I was told that Nice itself was founded by the Greeks who brought olive, figs and winemaking from Greece 2600 years ago. It is said that the first wines made were likely rosé as the wines are pressed straight away after picking. Read More >
Sainte-Victoire – a Gem of the Côte de Provence
Part 4 of the Provence wine series
There is no doubt in my mind that the Côte de Provence produces some of the best Rosés in the world especially this sub-appellation of Sainte-Victoire where the Mountain of Sainte-Victoire (over 1000m in height) provides a sort of rain shelter for the vines. Read More >
Part 3 of the Provence wine series
The history of Cassis goes back to 2600 years when the first vines were being planted by the Romans. Cassis is one of those AOCs in France that needs more promotion overseas from wine lovers. Read More >
Part 2 of the Provence wine series
Provence is a land with 300 days of sun, little rain, low humidity and a low Mediterranean climate with ocean influence.
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Thoughts about Rosé. An introduction to Provence. Part 1 of the series.
The south of France holds many surprises. Firstly, I must confess that I was a rosé skeptic. Throughout my nine years of wine tasting, I admit that I never considered rosé to be a wine style that should be taken seriously.
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Final Part of the Burgundy series
I have always been told in Asia that Pinot Noir goes well with duck and this is the dish Pinot Noir is being served with in France. I do not know where that started from but throughout my stay in Burgundy, searching for a duck dish in Burgundy is like looking for a needle in a haystack.
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Our intrepid Singapore Sommelier, Shalom Chin, travels in Burgundy is coming to the end and he shares his thoughts and summary on the communes of Burgundy. He heads to Provence next, and will sending in regular reports on his travels through the region.
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A Room with a View
Reflecting on our recent trip to Paris and the increasingly topical issue of whether Paris is losing the edge to London. I would suggest neither has lost its edge indeed both are becoming even edgier and it’s now more of a situation where you can do both, in one trip.
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Part 7 of the series
My time here in Burgundy has exposed me to many new ideas and debunked many of my initial beliefs about how wine should be done. Burgundy is indeed a land which does things contrary to most wineries I find in the new world.
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