Wine-savvy

[jediM]

this is cool...and to all wine afficionados or let's say beginners like me... we can learn a lot. i like wine but like the others is not an expert but would like to learn. drinking wine to me is like drinking any other alcoholic drink. i cannot distinguish between the good taste and the best. most of the time i drink merlot or cabernet (don't know the difference tho) and when i buy i just choose the cheapest bet the two.

[jediM]

ei bods, why don't you organize a wine drinking group. with all the response in this thread i'm sure a lot of mtc members will be interested.

we can have regular meetings discussing whats new and where we beginners can learn. also wine tasting ebs. what do you think guys?

[masi]

this is cool...and  to all wine afficionados or let's say beginners like me... we can learn a lot. i like wine but like the others is not an expert but would like to learn. drinking wine to me is like drinking any other alcoholic drink. i cannot distinguish between the good taste and the best. most of the time i drink merlot or cabernet (don't know the difference tho) and when i buy i just choose the cheapest bet the two.

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Welcome to the thread, jediM. I am no expert either but thanks to this thread, I am able to share my experiences with the wines I drink and learn from the others, as well. My advice to you is to continue what you are doing/drinking. I am sure by being more aware of what you are drinking, you will be particularly on the "structure" of the wine --- how it smells, how it looks, how it appeals to your palate and as you swallow, how it feels going down.

 

In time and when the opportunity presents itself, you will learn that, in general (and there are volume of exceptions to this rule), pricey wines tend to taste better. However, you may eventually find out that there are good, reasonably priced wines out in the market.

 

Enjoy your wines. Share your experiences.

[storm]

Went to Lito Carating's opening last night. Had a glass of a good cabernet (forgot the name though) and another glass of Tyrell shiraz. Santi's mixed deli for pulutan.

 

:thumbsupsmiley:

 

See you guys on the 18th. PM me so I can give the address.

Edited November 13, 2005 by storm

[bods1000]

Oh I would love to host a WEB!  You can finally sample my Prawns!  Sige my place next

Hehe and I thought I was the only lush around here.  

Hahaha then I must be a crab!   And that must also explain my crabby nature lately. Ha ha ha ha.  Hehe natawa sa sariling joke eh.  I reckon the wine gave you short term memory loss because your tongue was on the loose (so the speak )

I remember the drop of Tyrell's I had some 3months ago, it was a 1999 Shiraz-Cabernet-- chocolatey albeit lacking that dominant spicy character of a Shiraz (even if it was touted to be 65% Shiraz).

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Honestly I don't know why crab wormed in to my post as it was absent in your post which I referred to. Must be I put two and two together because of hermit - hermit crab which when you think about it is much worse than celibacy - being a hermit and being crabby.

Now speaking of crabs - does it pair well with any wine???? Crab is my favorite crustacean hehehe...

 

Well it didn't look like you were crabby when you showed up that night - on the contrary your presence always causes ripples because of your charm, ehermmmm......

 

I really don't remember being talky that time especially when art was being discussed

Now if what you say about the wine causing short-term memory loss is true, then by golly let's request pareng masi to serve it again

 

I can't recall the Tyrell I had before - all I remember is that it was a good value wine - cheap but nevertheless drinkable....

[bods1000]

i think there will be a revolution in Portugal and Spain once winemakers stop using corks.  I dread to see the day.  I have a variety of corkscrews!

 

I'll be well by Friday -- see you!  Pare, we all deserve to rest on every crossroad we reach.

Uh-oh!  Prawns and alcohol don't mix well!  Just like ika, tako, kani won't.  At any rate, if you are serving the prawns, who are we to refuse! :goatee:  That wouldn't be bad for that "white night" we been planning.

 

The blend of the Shiraz-Cabernet would temper those tannins.  Honestly, after abhoring tannins in the early goings, I now look for them.  This is the reason, I like Merlot!

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yes pare - it looks like cork is the last remaining empire of Portugal and Spain and before the last oak tree dies out those two will put up a mighty struggle to hold on to their jewel

 

yes prawns is a fauna non grata in a drinking session but I'd gladly get intoxicated if it would be on the premises of Ms. Lips' household

 

see you pare!

I bumped into storm last Monday and he all but confirmed that it is a go on Friday...

[bods1000]

this is cool...and  to all wine afficionados or let's say beginners like me... we can learn a lot. i like wine but like the others is not an expert but would like to learn. drinking wine to me is like drinking any other alcoholic drink. i cannot distinguish between the good taste and the best. most of the time i drink merlot or cabernet (don't know the difference tho) and when i buy i just choose the cheapest bet the two.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

all of us here learn as we drink along. We all started the same way, pare - I started out buying cheap (still does now ) but I've experimented buying on the high side and that's where I finally got to know what all the hype was about wine. There's a world of difference between wines on both ends of the price spectrum is this where all the fun is - trying out different wines and learning a lot of things along the way..

welcome to the thread and stick around...

 

ei bods, why don't you organize a wine drinking group. with all the response in this thread i'm sure a lot of mtc members will be interested.

we can have regular meetings discussing whats new and where we beginners can learn. also wine tasting ebs. what do you think guys?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

we do have impromptu gatherings every now and then when our crazy schedules allow and these sessions almost always go beyond wine talk which I think is better as it makes for a more closely-knit interaction...

hang around, pare, share with us your wine experiences and see you one of these days.

cheers!

[masi]

I really don't remember being talky that time especially when art was being discussed  

Now if what you say about the wine causing short-term memory loss is true, then by golly let's request pareng masi to serve it again

 

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What wine would that be? Now if you want real memory loss, we might as well drink whiskey or have some brownies ala Storm's one-man show opening night!!!! :boo: hehehehe :evil:

[masi]

AT ONE MINUTE PAST MIDNIGHT on the third Thursday of each November, from little villages and towns like Romanèche-Thorins, over a million cases of Beaujolais Nouveau begin their journey through a sleeping France to Paris for immediate shipment to all parts of the world. Banners proclaim the good news: Le Beaujolais Nouveau est arrivé! "The New Beaujolais has arrived!" One of the most frivolous and animated rituals in the wine world has begun.

 

By the time it is over, over 65 million bottles, nearly half of the region's total annual production, will be distributed and drunk around the world. It has become a worldwide race to be the first to serve to this new wine of the harvest. In doing so, it has been carried by motorcycle, balloon, truck, helicopter, Concorde jet, elephant, runners and rickshaws to get it to its final destination. It is amazing to realize that just weeks before this wine was a cluster of grapes in a growers vineyard. But by an expeditious harvest, a rapid fermentation, and a speedy bottling, all is ready at the midnight hour.

By French law, Beaujolais Nouveau is to be released no earlier than the third Thursday of November.

 

2005 Vintage Report

Georges Duboeuf says, "I am so bowled over by this marvelous crop that I am convinced of the exceptional quality of the fast approaching vintage." Beaujolais Nouveau began as a local phenomenon in the local bars, cafes, and bistros of Beaujolais and Lyons. Each fall the new Beaujolais would arrive with much fanfare. In pitchers filled from the growers barrels, wine was drunk by an eager population. It was wine made fast to drink while the better Beaujolais was taking a more leisurely course. Eventually, the government stepped into regulate the sale of all this quickly transported, free-flowing wine.

 

In 1938 regulations and restrictions were put in place to restrict the where, when, and how of all this carrying on. After the war years, in 1951, these regulations were revoked by the region's governing body—the Union Interprofessional des Vins de Beaujolais (UIVB)—and the Beaujolais Nouveau was officially recognized. The official release date was set for November 15th. Beaujolais Nouveau was officially born. By this time, what was just a local tradition had gained so much popularity that the news of it reached Paris. The race was born. It wasn't long thereafter that the word spilled out of France and around the world. In 1985, the date was again changed, this time to the third Thursday of November tying it to a weekend and making the celebration complete. But wherever the new Beaujolais went, importers had to agree not to sell it before midnight on the third Thursday of November.

 

Beaujolais Nouveau is about as close to white wine as red wine can get. It makes a great transitional wine for anyone wanting to move from white to red wines.

 

2002 Beaujolais Nouveau Export Statistics

On a more technical note, the wine is strictly speaking, more properly termed Beaujolais Primeur. By French and European rules, a wine released during the period between its harvest and a date in the following spring, is termed primeur. A wine released during the period between its own and the following years harvest, is termed nouveau. Well, enough of that!

 

It is a triumph of marketing and promotion, mostly due to the efforts of Georges Dubœuf. The largest negociant in the region, he is a tireless promoter of Beaujolais and Beaujolais Nouveau. More than a fifth of his annual production, about 4 million bottles, is Beaujolais Nouveau. All in all, in the last 45 years, sales have risen from around a million bottles to more than 70 million bottles.

 

Apart from the fanfare, what makes Beaujolais Nouveau so popular? And especially in the U.S. where consumption of red wine is less than 30%? Simply put, Beaujolais Nouveau is as about as close to white wine as a red wine can get. Due to the way it is made—the must is pressed early after only three days—the phenolic compounds, in particular the astringent tannins, normally found in red wines, isn't there, leaving an easy to drink, fruity wine. This, coupled with the fact that it tastes best when chilled, makes for a festive wine to be gulped rather than sipped, enjoyed in high spirits rather than critiqued. As a side note, it makes a great transitional wine for anyone wanting to move from white to red wines.

 

Finally, the race from grape to glass may be silly, but half the fun is knowing that on the same night, in homes, cafes, restaurants, pubs, bars and bistros around the world, the same celebration is taking place. It hasn't the pedigree to be a classic wine, but it is always good. Any other opinion you may regard as boorish and uninformed.

[agxo3]

Back from deep lurk mode......to let you know (especially Bods, Masi and Ms. Lips) that I will be in the Philippines from Dec. 2 to Dec. 6! Yay! Got my tickets, now all I have to do is find a hotel in Makati at a decent (by that I mean LOCAL) rate, not the exorbitant foreigner rate.

 

I do plan to head up to Baguio as soon as I get there on the 2nd, but plan to return to Makati on Sunday (the 4th) late in the day, perhaps as late as 8 pm. Can we get together one night? I'll bring a bottle of somethng not available there. Red, of course. Which one will depend on where I have to go before I head over that way. One stop - perhaps the Rubicon. Two or more stops, something a bit less sensitive.

[masi]

Back from deep lurk mode......to let you know (especially Bods, Masi and Ms. Lips) that I will be in the Philippines from Dec. 2 to Dec. 6! Yay! Got my tickets, now all I have to do is find a hotel in Makati at a decent (by that I mean LOCAL) rate, not the exorbitant foreigner rate.

 

I do plan to head up to Baguio as soon as I get there on the 2nd, but plan to return to Makati on Sunday (the 4th) late in the day, perhaps as late as 8 pm. Can we get together one night? I'll bring a bottle of somethng not available there. Red, of course. Which one will depend on where I have to go before I head over that way. One stop - perhaps the Rubicon. Two or more stops, something a bit less sensitive.

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Looks good!!! Maybe we can get together by 9:00 p.m. on the 4th. That would have given you time to refresh from your long trip from Baguio. I'll get the Bods and Lips together.

[agxo3]

Looks good!!! Maybe we can get together by 9:00 p.m. on the 4th.  That would have given you time to refresh from your long trip from Baguio.  I'll get the Bods and Lips together.

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Would Monday night work for you guys? My old HS buddies are talking about a dinner on Sunday - some celebration that by sheer coicindence I will present for......

[masi]

Would Monday night work for you guys? My old HS buddies are talking about a dinner on Sunday - some celebration that by sheer coicindence I will present for......

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Monday will be fine with me. I will work around the schedule of Bods' and Lips' availability. Looking forward to seeing you. Have a great weekend.

[agxo3]

Monday will be fine with me.  I will work around the schedule of Bods' and Lips' availability.  Looking forward to seeing you.  Have a great weekend.

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Change alert! I will likely be in Makati Friday night, heading to Baguio Saturday morning instead. Can you guys do Friday night? We can start earlier and end later! :cool:

[sixgears]

Kainggit naman kayo ... ako sa Dec. 18 pa dadating!

 

 

 

.... pero 3 weeks ako dyan! :boo:

[agxo3]

Kainggit naman kayo ... ako sa Dec. 18 pa dadating!

.... pero 3 weeks ako dyan!  :boo:

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All you gotta do is come earlier.... :evil:

 

But seriously - we'll hoist a glass and toast your virtual presence. Hey - if there's WiFi available where we are, I can bring my laptop, log into my work network and dial you in! Bods, Masi - how about that? Can we find a place that has WiFi? I can conference in up to 50 people :cool:

[masi]

Change alert! I will likely be in Makati Friday night, heading to Baguio Saturday morning instead. Can you guys do Friday night? We can start earlier and end later!  :cool:

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Any night will be fine with me. I talked to Bods last night and agreed that I will meet you at your hotel then we drive to a Japanese restaurant near Eastwood. Bods will arrange with the resto management so we could bring a few bottles of wine.

 

Have a great weekend!

[masi]

Kainggit naman kayo ... ako sa Dec. 18 pa dadating!

.... pero 3 weeks ako dyan!  :boo:

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we'll be looking forward to your arrival too!!!!

[masi]

Storm and Mrs. Storm hosted a great and lovely evening! It was a feast for the senses!!!! A wealth of art greeted us as we entered their home (an architectural work of art, too) -- works of Masters like Angel Cacnio, Joya, Sanso, Lamaroza, Parial, including his own.

 

Food flooded the table, Japanese garden salad which was made perfect by reknowned Japanese cuisine master, Bods, who masterfully blended the Japanese mayo with shrimp roe ala Iron Chef!!!! :thumbsupsmiley: Sauteed young corn in butter and basil, a spiralli and penne pasta and squid balls, schubligs and other assortment which prepared our pallets for the great wine we were having.

 

Stone Cellars by Beringer Merlot 2000

Mid ruby color with moderate cherry and dark berries on the nose. Front ended flavors of moderate complexity. Short finish with balance tannins. A lovely drink!

 

Dunnewood Vineyards 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Mendocino County

Mid to dark purple, a rich nose of caramel, berries and oak. Complex flavors revealed in the nose and hints of chocolate. Good body with a great finish.

 

Storm and Mrs. Storm thank you for allowing us to "invade" your home. Bods, pare ko, your savviness does not begin and end with your knowledge in wines but your presence animates a great evening among friends. Liberty and I truly had a great time!!!!

[bods1000]

Back from deep lurk mode......to let you know (especially Bods, Masi and Ms. Lips) that I will be in the Philippines from Dec. 2 to Dec. 6! Yay! Got my tickets, now all I have to do is find a hotel in Makati at a decent (by that I mean LOCAL) rate, not the exorbitant foreigner rate.

 

I do plan to head up to Baguio as soon as I get there on the 2nd, but plan to return to Makati on Sunday (the 4th) late in the day, perhaps as late as 8 pm. Can we get together one night? I'll bring a bottle of somethng not available there. Red, of course. Which one will depend on where I have to go before I head over that way. One stop - perhaps the Rubicon. Two or more stops, something a bit less sensitive.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

we look forward to seeing you pare - take two na ito from the aborted first meeting and this time we will move heaven and earth to see you - anywhere, anytime and with whatever!

have a nice trip pare!

 

Kainggit naman kayo ... ako sa Dec. 18 pa dadating!

.... pero 3 weeks ako dyan!  :boo:

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yoohoo - when it rains it pours.......wines :cool:

we'll be seeing you too, pare - maybe not only once because you'll be here for a good 3 weeks!

 

have a safe trip, pare!

[bods1000]

that was a real great evening last night, and I daresay that for once, the ambience totally eclipsed the wines we had - and this is saying much because the Stone Cellar and the Dunnewood were really one heck of a drink! I was in total awe of the surroundings and walking among great art was the nearest thing to walking on clouds....

 

pareng Storm and to the missus, thank you so much for the graciousness you showed us in hosting the WEB and allowing us to be surrounded by magnificent art - the food was fantastic!

 

pareng masi and liberty - I totally enjoy your company! And it has come to a point where, right now, I am learning more from you and I now realize that art appreciation is worlds beyond wine appreciation

 

To the two gracious couples - thank you so much!

 

cheers and have a happy weekend!

[masi]

that was a real great evening last night, and I daresay that for once, the ambience totally eclipsed the wines we had - and this is saying much because the Stone Cellar and the Dunnewood were really one heck of a drink! I was in total awe of the surroundings and walking among great art was the nearest thing to walking on clouds....

 

pareng Storm and to the missus, thank you so much for the graciousness you showed us in hosting the WEB and allowing us to be surrounded by magnificent art - the food was fantastic!

 

pareng masi and liberty - I totally enjoy your company! And it has come to a point where, right now, I am learning more from you and I now realize that art appreciation is worlds beyond wine appreciation

 

To the two gracious couples - thank you so much!

 

cheers and have a happy weekend!

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Pareng Bods, the pleasure was ours as well. More than the good wines, food, art etc. which we exchanged in the past, it was the warmth of the people to whom it was shared, was what made the evening great and memorable.

[agxo3]

Any night will be fine with me.  I talked to Bods last night and agreed that I will meet you at your hotel then we drive to a Japanese restaurant near Eastwood.  Bods will arrange with the resto management so we could bring a few bottles of wine.

 

Have a great weekend!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

we look forward to seeing you pare - take two na ito from the aborted first meeting and this time we will move heaven and earth to see you - anywhere, anytime and with whatever!

have a nice trip pare!

yoohoo - when it rains it pours.......wines :cool:

we'll be seeing you too, pare - maybe not only once because you'll be here for a good 3 weeks!

 

have a safe trip, pare!

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It all sounds good! :cool: Plans firming up.......now all I gotta do is book a hotel. I've got my tickets - RT SFO-TPE and RT TPE-MNL. I'm trying to get a room at the Makati Shangri-la at a "local" rate, not the balikbyan rate where they try to soak you for every dime you got. I guess the Dusit would work as well.... Any other suggestions?

Edited November 20, 2005 by agxo3

[masi]

Did a quick and dirty check on hotel special rates in Makati area. Here’s what came out.

 

 

http://www.mandarinoriental.com/hotel/511000009.asp

 

http://manila.peninsula.com/tpm/special_promotions.html

 

http://www.shangri-la.com/manila/makatisha...s/en/index.aspx

 

Other hotels you can consider, Dusit Hotel Nikko, Intercontinental Hotel, New World Renaissance Hotel.

 

In the Ortigas area, hotels to consider are Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza (Robinsons Galeria); Linden Suites, Richmond Hotel and Shangri-la Edsa.

 

Please note that hotel room vacancies will be very tight during the last week of November til the first week of December as the country plays host to the Southeast Asian Games.

 

Have a good week!

[heavygatin_but_cutie]

Did a quick and dirty check on hotel special rates in Makati area.  Here’s what came out.

http://www.mandarinoriental.com/hotel/511000009.asp

 

http://manila.peninsula.com/tpm/special_promotions.html

 

http://www.shangri-la.com/manila/makatisha...s/en/index.aspx

 

Other hotels you can consider, Dusit Hotel Nikko, Intercontinental Hotel, New World Renaissance Hotel.

 

In the Ortigas area, hotels to consider are Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza (Robinsons Galeria); Linden Suites, Richmond Hotel and Shangri-la Edsa.

 

Please note that hotel room vacancies will be very tight during the last week of November til the first week of December as the country plays host to the Southeast Asian Games.

 

Have a good week!

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hi..just passing by to say hi to everyone.

 

with regards to hotels, I suggest you call them directly. the publish tariff rates are more expensive. Should you intend to stay at Holiday Inn or Crowne Plaza in Ortigas, let me know. Will try to get special rate for you. no promises..will try. Will try to get a special rate too with Westin Phil Plaza if you want. I have friends kasi there...