Wine-savvy

[masi]

haven't been to Nanba in GB3 altho when it was in Polaris, we knew the guy manning the grill - he being a good friend of my brother-in-law  chef..

sige let's have a WEB where? in Nanba??? may wines din sila dun

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am not sure if they have wines but sigurado ako may socho, sake, beer and whiskey!!!

 

WEB? would this be the white night? i may be going out this friday with a balikbayan friend (who like bods and i, is in his mid 30s, sorry the guy is married but a player, heheheeh!!!). i will be at jill's at the fort, starting 10 or 1030 and we could meet up!... unless you all want to meet up early evening tomorrow, thursday.... dali na! uhaw na ako!!! :boo:

[masi]

You are definitely NOT a merlot chick, Lips! Lessee - racy, spicy, perhaps a bit floral, certainly a lot of depth, but still light and lively, and a touch of sweetness, and bubbly! bubbly! A lightly bubbly (pettilant) demi-sec Vouvray! I also have tried a bubbly syrah, and that would fit the bill as well, although that was a tiny bit weird.

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there you go, lipstick!!! you are truly Her Royal Winess of this thread!!! para ka Head of (drunken) State with your (reisling) kabinet and close-in security following and protecting you from dust, impurities and other contamination!!!!

[masi]

That is truly a tempting thought. I'll try to work my schedule so i'm done with work by end of day Wednesday so i can head over Thursday and still get home on Sunday.

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OK... hope it works out!!! That will be a win-win-win situation.. win for your company, win for you, and win for all winos this part of the world

[bods1000]

am not sure if they have wines but sigurado ako may socho, sake, beer and whiskey!!!

 

WEB? would this be the white night?  i may be going out this friday with a balikbayan friend (who like bods and i, is in his mid 30s, sorry the guy is married but a player, heheheeh!!!).  i will be at jill's at the fort, starting 10 or 1030 and we could meet up!... unless you all want to meet up early evening tomorrow, thursday.... dali na! uhaw na ako!!! :boo:

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well they had at Polaris since I supplied them once upon a long time ago. Really don't know at GB.

 

will check my sked pare but definitely hindi rin ako pwede Friday...you can meet up with the others hehehe

[masi]

well they had at Polaris since I supplied them once upon a long time ago. Really don't know at GB.

 

will check my sked pare but definitely hindi rin ako pwede Friday...you can meet up with the others hehehe

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whatever works for you works for me --- tonight, tomorrow or friday night, is a GO! just let me know what you can accommodate and i will work my time.

 

can't say no to a friend and a glass of wine.... life is a journey, which we all know will come to an end, so live the most out of it! :thumbsupsmiley:

[bods1000]

this is OT but what the heck!

People have been looking for Aventinus so here is a primer I found:

 

Aventinus was first brewed in 1907. The mash is 60% malted wheat and 40% Vienna and cara-pils malt, whatever that is hehehe. It is a weizenbock - again whatever that is. It is brewed by Privatbrauerie Schneider and Sohn and this brewery does best with wheat beers and they don't spend their time on bocks or pilsners. Its focus is on Schneider Weisse and other wheat beers.

 

It is a 7% alcohol beer and it has intense fruit and spice flavors and aromas - hmmmm could be a wine being described there. It has a noticeable banana scent and it's like walking through a banana plantation when you drink and savor its aroma.

 

Aventinus is unfiltered and it has a deep color and malt complexity and it has big body and sweetness. As such it can stand up to the richest of Christmas dinners and it tastes every bit as rich and flavorful as the biggest dish on the table.

 

It has a big rocky head which means it is definitely an aggresively carbonated beer. Lots of white yeast slurry in the bottom kicks up a huge haze in the beer.

 

The flavor is rich, smooth and utterly complex and sweet. A clove and banana flavor is unmistakeable adding to the complexity of the brew.

 

Overall, Aventinus is one of the biggest, boldest, baddest wheat beers ever to come out of Germany.

 

 

Now how do we find it here????? Where is it available?

[tentacle]

Overall, Aventinus is one of the biggest, boldest, baddest wheat beers ever to come out of Germany.

Now how do we find it here????? Where is it available?

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The last time I saw it was when I was in Bei Otto, a German resto in Bangkok.

[bods1000]

The last time I saw it was when I was in Bei Otto, a German resto in Bangkok.

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now that's a good piece of information - thanks a lot, ms. tentacle.

Did you get to taste it?

 

I think sbm is going back to BKK for some unfinished business

[boibastos]

Overall, Aventinus is one of the biggest, boldest, baddest wheat beers ever to come out of Germany.

Now how do we find it here????? Where is it available?

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Thanks for the info, bods.

 

Oh yeah, it's one bad mofo. A friend gave me a couple of bottles and I swear to God it was the best dark I've ever had. That beer, along with several german sausages we ate at the time, make up one of my best gastronomic memories.

 

It's not available in several outlets here. I've tried Fil-Austria.com, Schwartzwalder, Santi's, several bemused German acquaintances..............all nothing. Trust me, I've been looking --- that's my Holy Grail right there.

[bods1000]

Thanks for the info, bods.

 

Oh yeah, it's one bad mofo. A friend gave me a couple of bottles and I swear to God it was the best dark I've ever had. That beer, along with several german sausages we ate at the time, make up one of my best gastronomic memories.

 

It's not available in several outlets here. I've tried Fil-Austria.com, Schwartzwalder, Santi's, several bemused German acquaintances..............all nothing. Trust me, I've been looking --- that's my Holy Grail right there.

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it sure looks like it kicks ass

 

so when will you be converted to wine, amigo?

the wine world has several bloody rippers too

[floppydrive]

Here's an FR, so here goes nothing....

 

Was at a business meeting last night, and was in the presence of a very fine senorita, a Torres Gran Coronas Reserva 2000. She had nice sexy legs, nice aroma, with a deep red color and a little purple on the edges. Boy, she was a complex one that tickles the whole palate. Had tones of pepper with an oak finish. She's 85% cabernet sauvignon and 15% tempranillo. At 5 years old she's just at the right age for drinking.

 

She went very well with the corizo Pamplona and the cheese. Would you believe she even complemented the paella negra and arroz ala Gambas?

 

That was some great bottle! Had me smiling through dinner!

[masi]

Here's an FR, so here goes nothing....

 

Was at a business meeting last night, and was in the presence of a very fine senorita, a Torres Gran Coronas Reserva 2000.  She had nice sexy legs, nice aroma, with a deep red color and a little purple on the edges.  Boy, she was a complex one that tickles the whole palate.  Had tones of pepper with an oak finish.  She's 85% cabernet sauvignon and 15% tempranillo.  At 5 years old she's just at the right age for drinking.

 

She went very well with the corizo Pamplona and the cheese.  Would you believe she even complemented the paella negra and arroz ala Gambas?

 

That was some great bottle!  Had me smiling through dinner!

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great review!! it doesn't surprise me abit that you were smiling true and through! this fr also deserves to be in the spanish food thread.

 

keep it up!

[Lipstick]

Hahaha dahil wala akong FR eh ito ang contirbution ko for the day .... snatched it from Inquirer News Service. Sounds like a real interesting place!

 

Lovin’ a Vigne

First posted 11:56pm (Mla time) Aug 03, 2005

By Margaux Salcedo

Inquirer News Service

 

MASQUERADING as a wine cellar, La Vigne (lah-veén) Bistro at the end of Yakal Street in Makati has all the qualities of “that quaint little restaurant down the road” you will absolutely adore. (For the mall rats reading this, Yakal is parallel to Buendia after Malugay.)

 

The ambiance is obviously French, complete with faux finish walls and floors and dim lighting. The walls are adorned not with paintings but with shelves of wine, from which collection you may select a bottle for your meal. And the staff is impressively well-versed with vino lingo (owner Tita Trillo even sent her dining manager to France to acquire an appreciation and learn the language of wines). Ongoing is La Vigne’s version of the happy hour. On Mondays, Tuesdays and Saturdays, 6-8 p.m., guests can drink as much varietal wine as they can with free appetizer for only P495.

 

But more than the ambiance or the wine, I was loving La Vigne for its menu. Short and sweet (10 starters, 10 main dishes), it boasts of a selection where each dish was dreamed of, create and then lovingly (or shall we say La Vigne-ly?) prepared by New York-trained (Culinary Institute of American then Gotham Bar and Grill) chef Jose Sotto himself.

 

Mostly French

The menu is mostly French (foie gras for starters, bouillabaisse for the main course) with a Sotto twist. The foie gras, which oftentimes has a tendency to be too rich, was served with minted papaya to balance the salty and fatty richness of its taste. The cheese risotto, which would otherwise be a predictable dish (with many known fancy takes on it—blue cheese, three cheese, goat cheese, etc.), was mixed with lime, which made it pleasantly original. The duck was paired with apricot chutney. Indeed, Sotto seems to have mastered the art of balancing the deadly with the friendly to produce for the palate a heavenly aftertaste.

 

Another reason to love La Vigne is that the ingredients are handpicked by the chef himself, and so are of top quality and oftentimes hard to find. Instead of using common prawns, he uses, when available, ulang (giant freshwater prawn from the south); instead of portabello, he uses Cèpes mushrooms (aka boletes or porcini mushrooms) for his risotto, which are not your common table variety and have a strong musky taste perfect for pasta and rice dishes.

 

Inventive

Even the side dishes are inventive. Instead of rice or potato side dish, they serve pampano with a corn flan (yes, think leche flan in a rice cup but made instead with corn). I thoroughly enjoyed this concoction because it was soft and light and allowed my tongue to both concentrate on the fish and not tire of it easily (as opposed to downing rice and tasting the fish as an afterthought).

 

Dessert at La Vigne is an event of its own. Chef Sotto’s wife, fashion designer Michi Calica, discovered Kazzie Sy, a creative, young pastry chef who can hold her own against the ingenuity of chef Jose. Once almost tied down by a famous red bakeshop, she was convinced by the Sottos to take the road less traveled (in her case, Yakal) to have the space to explore her creativity in pastries.

 

Kazzie’s chocolate cake (they call it Devil’s Foodcake) is soft and moist as it should be, but what got my attention was a miniature banig-looking peanut brittle-like flat candy on its side. No, it wasn’t peanut brittle, but caramelized carrot! After learning that Kazzie carefully molded each strip of caramelized carrot to form the woven texture of a mat, it felt like sacrilege to take another bite. (But I gave in anyway!)

 

Another creative invention of Kazzie is her Bibingka Pot De Crème. Pot de crème’s traditional flavor is vanilla, with chocolate a favorite variety, but Kazzie got adventurous and used salted egg and coconut milk to achieve a unique bibingka-ish flavor. For those of you who care for dessert but nothing too sweet, this is the perfect alternative.

 

Overall, La Vigne is well worth the travel away from the action-packed mall. It’s a bistro for the cultured, the creative, the couples and the curious. The prices are competitive but not over the top (P160-P350 for starters; P395-P695 for main courses, with exceptions). I guarantee that it won’t even take five mouthfuls before you’re loving La Vigne.

 

La Vigne Bistro is at 7435 Yakal St., San Antonio Village, Makati. Call 8941373

[masi]

Is this in the same place where Anthony's is or was? or is it a new place? Last time I was at Anthony's was Nov/Dec 2004 when I bought a couple of cases for gifts and stock up my collection. Anthony's used to be a restaurant/wine bar like cork, magnum and ... i couldn't recall the name, in reposo. all owned by trillo, then . As I mentioned in earlier posts, I would go to Magnum for its wines but not its food.

 

I would like to try the foie gras then again, if it's not done right, I would knock myself in the head and say... "I told you so!"

 

Now, would it be another, "No guts, no glory!" or "too much, you'll be sorry!" situation?

Edited August 4, 2005 by masi

[pinoy_strigoi]

Is this in the same place where Anthony's is or was? or is it a new place?  Last time I was at Anthony's was Nov/Dec 2004 when I bought a couple of cases for gifts and stock up my collection. Anthony's used to be a restaurant/wine bar like cork, magnum and ... i couldn't recall the name, in reposo. all owned by trillo, then . As I mentioned in earlier posts, I would go to Magnum for its wines but not its food.

 

I would like to try the  foie gras then again, if it's not done right, I would knock myself in the head and say... "I told you so!"

 

Now, would it be another, "No guts, no glory!" or "too much, you'll be sorry!" situation?

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Yup. then if the foie gras is bad it should be called "foo grease".

[masi]

Yup.  then if the foie gras is bad it should be called "foo grease".

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more of "foo tris"!! what's up dude? are we or aren't we?

[boibastos]

it sure looks like it kicks ass

 

so when will you be converted to wine, amigo?

the wine world has several bloody rippers too

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Beer has always been the love of my alcohol life. Ever since that first bottle of San Miguel Super Dry swept me off my feet, (or was that a waiter throwing my drunk ass into a car?) it truly has been alcohol love.

 

I must confess however, that wine has served as an alcohol mistress to me recently. In fact, another quest of mine is to hunt down this excellent merlot I had back in '96. A friend served it at a dinner party and I forgot to ask about it till about a year later when he forgot. I've had the Gato Negro (passable but not what I'm looking for), Oxford Landing (crap), Jacob's Creek (their Shiraz is way better) Stimson Estates (good, but not great) and other some other French and Italian versions, but that merlot continues to elude me.

 

My search though, discovered a J.P. Chenet white semi-sweet wine which I enjoy. Thank God they serve it in Le Provencal in Shang.

[masi]

hmmm.... this thread is pretty quite.... must be PROHIBITION!!!!

[bods1000]

Beer has always been the love of my alcohol life. Ever since that first bottle of San Miguel Super Dry swept me off my feet, (or was that a waiter throwing my drunk ass into a car?) it truly has been alcohol love.       

 

I must confess however, that wine has served as an alcohol mistress to me recently. In fact, another quest of mine is to hunt down this excellent merlot I had back in '96. A friend served it at a dinner party and I forgot to ask about it till about a year later when he forgot. I've had the Gato Negro (passable but not what I'm looking for), Oxford Landing (crap), Jacob's Creek (their Shiraz is way better) Stimson Estates (good, but not great) and other some other French and Italian versions, but that merlot continues to elude me.

 

My search though, discovered a J.P. Chenet white semi-sweet wine which I enjoy. Thank God they serve it in Le Provencal in Shang.

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Most of us started with beer. I myself drink it when I'm with most other people. In fact with the interest in Aventinus, my interest in the brew has suddenly perked up again.

 

Well, your search for that merlot I guess is only a pipe dream now. Better stoke your interest further and look for other wines because believe me there's a whole universe of wine out there. One lifetime would not be enough to finish the search but I believe it's in searching that we get to fulfill the thirst in our soul.

 

cheers!

no problem if you keep plugging with beers here....after all, it's just a breath (or two or three bad breaths) away from wine.

[bods1000]

hmmm.... this thread is pretty quite.... must be PROHIBITION!!!!

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that's a SOBERING thought, pare.

cheers!

[tentacle]

now that's a good piece of information - thanks a lot, ms. tentacle.

Did you get to taste it?

 

I think sbm is going back to BKK for some unfinished business <hint hint>

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yup! i loved it. i so loved it that i bought 6 bottles and brought them to manila. i got the light aventinus which is fruity and really easy on the palate but gives a strong kick after you finish a bottle. i'm down to the last bottle, though. (obvious bang tinipid-tipid?)

[agxo3]

Beer has always been the love of my alcohol life. Ever since that first bottle of San Miguel Super Dry swept me off my feet, (or was that a waiter throwing my drunk ass into a car?) it truly has been alcohol love.       

 

I must confess however, that wine has served as an alcohol mistress to me recently. In fact, another quest of mine is to hunt down this excellent merlot I had back in '96. A friend served it at a dinner party and I forgot to ask about it till about a year later when he forgot. I've had the Gato Negro (passable but not what I'm looking for), Oxford Landing (crap), Jacob's Creek (their Shiraz is way better) Stimson Estates (good, but not great) and other some other French and Italian versions, but that merlot continues to elude me.

 

My search though, discovered a J.P. Chenet white semi-sweet wine which I enjoy. Thank God they serve it in Le Provencal in Shang.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Most of us started with beer. I myself drink it when I'm with most other people. In fact with the interest in Aventinus, my interest in the brew has suddenly perked up again.

 

Well, your search for that merlot I guess is only a pipe dream now. Better stoke your interest further and look for other wines because believe me there's a whole universe of wine out there. One lifetime would not be enough to finish the search but I believe it's in searching that we get to fulfill the thirst in our soul.

 

cheers!

no problem if you keep plugging with beers here....after all, it's just a breath (or two or three bad breaths) away from wine.

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I think we ALL started with beer! It was the ost accessible, and the most available, and certainly the cheapest! :cool:

 

Bods is right - that merlot is long gone and you will be extraordinarily lucky to find it again. And even if you do, it will likely taste different now. Wine changes with age, and can be radically diferrent vintage to vintage. Your best bet is ti find some wines that are consistently (year to year) in the range of what you like and make those your regulars.

 

Then you can go exploring - what I've found is that I continually find good wines to add to my list. When I find one that I think is extraordinary, I buy at minumu of 3 bottles - one to drink now, one to pop in a few years and one that will be opened at what I hope will be its peak. It's all a guessing game, however, and I have been wrong more times than I care to admit!

 

And some wines, I buy by the case - the better to have a stock to draw from over the hears.

[bods1000]

yup! i loved it. i so loved it that i bought 6 bottles and brought them to manila. i got the light aventinus which is fruity and really easy on the palate but  gives a strong kick after you finish a bottle. i'm down to the last bottle, though. (obvious bang tinipid-tipid?)

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hindi ka naman nang-iinggit nyan, ms. tentacle

well I will look for it here. Kung wala, wine na lang uli!

 

would you remember how much does a bottle cost?

[bods1000]

I think we ALL started with beer! It was the ost accessible, and the most available, and certainly the cheapest!  :cool:

 

Bods is right - that merlot is long gone and you will be extraordinarily lucky to find it again. And even if you do, it will likely taste different now. Wine changes with age, and can be radically diferrent vintage to vintage. Your best bet is ti find some wines that are consistently (year to year) in the range of what you like and make those your regulars.

 

Then you can go exploring - what I've found is that I continually find good wines to add to my list. When I find one that I think is extraordinary, I buy at minumu of 3 bottles - one to drink now, one to pop in a few years and one that will be opened at what I hope will be its peak. It's all a guessing game, however, and I have been wrong more times than I care to admit!

 

And some wines, I buy by the case - the better to have a stock to draw from over the hears.

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I think even if he finds that brand again, the tasting experience might be different now. Our palates and expectations change over the years. Much like a movie - the impressions you had with a film you saw 20 years ago would now be vastly different when you watch the same film today. Also with that label of wine you enjoyed some years back. The key as agxo observed is to continue exploring.

As the NOrth Face slogan said - NEVER STOP EXPLORING.

 

now that's truth well-told hehehe

cheers on this vastly rainy and wet morning!

[masi]

my orientation to alcohol was in high school; my father had a party at home and my brother and i were designated bartenders, essentially making sure there were glasses, ice, cola and the other stuff. we got curious and we mixed gin and 7up. that was a great mix buti broke into hives after. my initiation to beer was in college, i really found it too bitter to my liking. but i figured if i drank more of it, it might just take better. lo and behold, it did!!! lately, beer is not kind to me. i may have developed some form of allergy on some of it's ingredients and clogs my sinuses when i drink more than my usual 2. but a bottle or two would still be good. my beer of choice is draft, unfiltered, but since there is none, smb lite is my substitute.

Edited August 5, 2005 by masi