Wine-savvy

[idunno]

Guys, have you tried Galileo Enoteca? It's a nice cozy place (Mandaluyong) with Italian deli and wines.

 

http://www.galileoenoteca.com/enoteca/index.cfm

[floppydrive]

Guys, have you tried Galileo Enoteca? It's a nice cozy place (Mandaluyong) with Italian deli and wines.

 

http://www.galileoenoteca.com/enoteca/index.cfm

Yup, had lunch there a few months ago. Great ambiance, but I'm not impressed with the food. Their house wine is OK (forgive me, but I cannot recall the name of the wine, but it's an Italian Chianti) - good legs, aroma of berries with slight hint of oak, color - well the place was dark, so I couldn't really judge the color, well balanced flavor of berries, little plum, slight oak, with a good finish. Went well with the cheese and olives. We didn't finish the food, but we took home two bottles of the wine.

[storm]

I had a 2006 Oxford Landing Sauvignon Blanc tonight to match with some "shake" (salmon) gohan, gyoza and wakame/cucumber salad.

 

The Sauv Blanc was well balance with vibrant blend of citrus (lemon lime) and that "famous" scent of freshly cut grass!

 

Hmmm, my tasting notes are rather dull at this time. I have to brush up on these... Wine EB, anyone?

 

 

Musta na Masi?

 

Wine EB? Sure, just say when.

 

There's also a Galileo in Pasong Tamo near Bike's Cafe and Don Bosco.

[agxo3]

If you like the wine, it's good. If you don't like the wine, it's bad.

 

You can also try a blind tasting. Try comparing a Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon (P2,000+) with an ordinary table red (<P500). I'm sure you'd be able to detect a difference.

 

A good wine will make you say WOW!

 

Indeed it will! I just picked up my 2005 Retzlaff releases - a case split between merlot (4), cab sauv (4) and a blend 70cs/30m (4). The merlot is a drink now! kind of wine. Ripe, smooth, light tannins, dense, dark berries with a hint of smoke, plums, a bit of raisin and a hint of licorice. I opened a bottle for dinner last night. Went well with the meatloaf.

 

As a generalization, Napa Valley cabs are good to excellent. Best recent vintages (again a generalization - there will be exceptions!!) - 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003. 1998 was not considered good at all, but again, there will be exceptions. My favorite of the recent vintages is the 1999, follwed by the 1995 and the 1997. 2001 is also drinking really nicely but it's still young. give it time.

 

p2000+ ?? Wow - that's $40! Most of what I drink is in the $15-$25 range. therre's the occassional $30+ bottle, but that's not the daily drinker stuff.

 

Do you get the Cameron Hughes wines there? Orignally meant for Costco, they're now available from the winery (www.chwine.com). Generally good to very good, reasonably priced. I just picked up a half case of the lot 23 blend at Costco for $9.99/btl. 75% merlot, 14% cab csauv, 4% petit verdot, 4% malbec, 3% cab franc. Still quite young - needs to be decanted at least an hour to lose the harsh tannin edge. But once that's gone, it's a really nice daily drinker.

[masi]

Musta na Masi?

 

Wine EB? Sure, just say when.

 

There's also a Galileo in Pasong Tamo near Bike's Cafe and Don Bosco.

 

 

Am ok, Pareng Storm. I've been very busy with the start up company that's why I could hardly post or arrange any WEBs. Give me just a few more months, maybe late March and I've ramped up my operations. That would give me more cause to celebrate.

 

Catch up on you guys later.

[bods1000]

Do you get the Cameron Hughes wines there? Orignally meant for Costco, they're now available from the winery (www.chwine.com). Generally good to very good, reasonably priced. I just picked up a half case of the lot 23 blend at Costco for $9.99/btl. 75% merlot, 14% cab csauv, 4% petit verdot, 4% malbec, 3% cab franc. Still quite young - needs to be decanted at least an hour to lose the harsh tannin edge. But once that's gone, it's a really nice daily drinker.

 

wow! If the Cameron Hughes were a place, it would certainly qualify as a multi-ethnic community. Think of the Balkans, where Christians (Serb Orthodox and Catholics) reside with Muslims and Jews and Gypsies - a real powderkeg . I'm curious how all those grape varieties live with each other inside that bottle. But if you say it's a good buy, then so it is but I'm afraid it's not yet here...cheers, pare!

 

Am ok, Pareng Storm. I've been very busy with the start up company that's why I could hardly post or arrange any WEBs. Give me just a few more months, maybe late March and I've ramped up my operations. That would give me more cause to celebrate.

 

Catch up on you guys later.

 

Late March is good, pare - we wait for you! Good luck and we hope everything is going according to plan with your start-up..

[storm]

Am ok, Pareng Storm. I've been very busy with the start up company that's why I could hardly post or arrange any WEBs. Give me just a few more months, maybe late March and I've ramped up my operations. That would give me more cause to celebrate.

 

Catch up on you guys later.

 

 

Late March is good, pare - we wait for you! Good luck and we hope everything is going according to plan with your start-up..

 

Good luck on your start up company. I'm preparing for a new show in March or April but I want it to be held in March before the holy week. Maybe we can meet up on the opening night.

[idunno]

There will be a welcome party to celebrate the new release of Banfi Brunello di Montalcino 2002 on March 9 at the Italian resto of Dusit Hotel Nikko.

 

Ticket Price: P1,000 per person

Edited February 13, 2007 by idunno

[masi]

Good luck on your start up company. I'm preparing for a new show in March or April but I want it to be held in March before the holy week. Maybe we can meet up on the opening night.

 

 

Good luck to you too, pare!!!! Hope we get invited to the show!!!!

[storm]

Siempre naman!!!! Cheers pare!!!!

[mr.bukol]

mission hill+steak , champion

[agxo3]

Went to J last Saturday to pick up my quarterly wine club purchase. A 2003 J Brut California sparkling wine, and a 2004 Robert Thomas Vineyard Pinot Noir. Both very nice, although my favorite J wine is still the Nicole's Vineyard pinot noir. The Robert Thomas is a bit more steely - austere I think is the word they use to describe it, more burgundian in nature - while the Nicole's is more lush and velvety, more West Coast-y in nature.

 

Nice place to visit, great tasting. They pair wine and food at the tasting, although they do charge $20 for a flight of 4 wines. But if you're a wine club member (like me!) it's free for you and a guest.

 

From there went to dinner at a (relatively) new Thomas Keller restaurant in Yountville called Ad Hoc. Interesting place. American comfort food served family style. Prix fixe, meaning what they have is what they have - no selection. It's like going to diner at a friend's house - you eat what they serve. $45 for 4 courses, not including wine. We had sauteed green beans with radish, potatoes, minced garlic, crumbled walnuts and serrano ham on the side (I had a 2003 Foreau Vouvray, petillant - meaning slightly fizzy - to accompany this dish.) Main course was braised short ribs (nice! Had an Argentinian Malbec - apologies but I don't have the winery name - with it. Waiter recommended the CA cab but I decided on the malbec. Good choice.) A cheese plate followed (New York camembert with pickled apples. I saved some of the Vouvray for this. I was glad I did!). Last a decadent chocolate brownie (I skipped this but had a double espresso instead. My wife loved it, though!!)

 

Picked up a couple of wines along the way - a lot 21 Cameron Hughes at Costco - mostly Lodi zin grapse but with a bit of syrah blended in to round to out a bit.) A Chilean malbec that the wine guy at Costco recommended. Gotta try that this week. And a Francis Ford Coppola (visited his new winery in Geyserville - the former Chateau Souverain) Director's Cut Zinf 2003. Very nice, smooth, but with the backbone to age at least 3-5 years. I'll drink it soon,though, since it's so plummy, jammy and yummy.

 

Opened the CH lot 21. Big, bold, spicy - classic Lodi zin. Plums and black berries (or was it cherries??). A bit of smoke from the syrah in it. Nicely moderated tannins. A bit of a zing at the finish from the white pepper that was lurking in the back. Overall very good, especially when it cost all of $9! Those CH wines are a good value. Not the best, most refined wines, but certainly a good solid daily drinker kind of wine.

[floppydrive]

Am ok, Pareng Storm. I've been very busy with the start up company that's why I could hardly post or arrange any WEBs. Give me just a few more months, maybe late March and I've ramped up my operations. That would give me more cause to celebrate.

 

Catch up on you guys later.

 

 

Good luck on your start up company. I'm preparing for a new show in March or April but I want it to be held in March before the holy week. Maybe we can meet up on the opening night.

Good luck to both of you!

 

Masi,

Hope things turn out well. Starting something new really takes up every waking minute, and it's no walk in the park.

 

Storm,

Hope to visit your next exhibit. Will it be at Avellana again?

 

Still can't drink wine. Not until I get the doctor's clearance. Agxo's WR's are very welcome - at least I know what I'm missing. hehehe

[idunno]

Had my first New Zealand Pinot Noir. Most of them are quite as expensive as California Pinots (>$20). I had a Drylands Pinot Noir priced at P1,500. I was nervous when I saw the very light reddish color as I was pouring into the glass. On the nose, you pickup standard pinot-ish notes. Finally, it tastes watered down. Sad ending...

 

I better stick to California pinots especially those from Santa Barbara (great value).

[dyakhardy]

feeling ko pareho lang lahat except that iba eh mapakla while others are smooth

[idunno]

Had a great time last week at Wine Depot Alabang. They flew in a wine expert from Bodegas Arzuaga, Jean-Claude, who conducted a wine tasting. Arzuaga wines are from Ribera del Duero.

 

We started off with their entry level wine, La Planta (P580). An easy drinking wine that can serve as your everyday wine but will not hurt your pocket. It is also an excellent wine to introduce to friends who are not yet familiar with wine drinking.

 

Next up is the Arzuaga Crianza (P1790), smooth and elegant. Then the Pago Florentino (P950) is much more fruit driven ending with cigar notes. In my opinion, this is the best bang for the buck kind of wine.

 

The Arzuaga Reserva Especial 2000 priced at a whopping P4800 is also opened for tasting. A really classy wine for special occassions. Although I felt that I would rather spend the P4800 on a good Bordeaux or Napa Cab.... That's just me though...

[vallejo_guy]

Hi! I'm new in MTC and this is my first post. I live in Northern CA, very close to the heart of America wine country. Am not much of a wine expert but I would like to it.

 

Good luck to you!

[bods1000]

Hi! I'm new in MTC and this is my first post. I live in Northern CA, very close to the heart of America wine country. Am not much of a wine expert but I would like to it.

 

Good luck to you!

 

welcome to the thread pare.

I believe our good friend agxo lives very near to you...

As for us here, we may be far-off any wine country, but wine is in our heart. Feel free to join the discussions and any questions you may have can be handled quite efficiently I guess by a good number of regulars here. Cheers!

[masi]

Hi! I'm new in MTC and this is my first post. I live in Northern CA, very close to the heart of America wine country. Am not much of a wine expert but I would like to it.

 

Good luck to you!

 

 

Hi Vallejo Guy! You live in a very enviable location just like our buddy, Agxo.

 

I just got back from a quick sojourn to Northern Ca, where I had a chance to visit a few wineries in the Napa/Sonoma area. It was a surreal experience seeing all the wineries which I merely see in labels, and touch the grapevines which we lush about in this thread.

 

Enjoy your wines, take part in this thread and stay healthy!

[bods1000]

Hi Vallejo Guy! You live in a very enviable location just like our buddy, Agxo.

 

I just got back from a quick sojourn to Northern Ca, where I had a chance to visit a few wineries in the Napa/Sonoma area. It was a surreal experience seeing all the wineries which I merely see in labels, and touch the grapevines which we lush about in this thread.

 

Enjoy your wines, take part in this thread and stay healthy!

 

good for you, pare!

more details, please, and did you bring any booty home?

[storm]

O EB na tayo!!!

[agxo3]

Hi! I'm new in MTC and this is my first post. I live in Northern CA, very close to the heart of America wine country. Am not much of a wine expert but I would like to it.

 

Good luck to you!

 

Hi VG! There's a long-lost wino out in Vallejo as well - Eagleyes. He's been off the group for quite a while now! But welcome! I'm in the Bay Area as well, further down in Fremont. You're lucky that you're so much closer to Napa and Sonoma than I am. Makes for a good way to get to know wines in general.

 

Go tasting! Join a wine club or two just so you get exposed to some of the mid- to high-level wines that CA has to offer. A few of my faves in the Napa Valley - Neibaum-Coppola (now called Rubicon Estates) - great cabs!, Peju Province - good to very good cabs and a nice slightly fizzy rose for summer, Praeger Port Works, Heitz, Chimney Rock. Lots of others - you just have to go out and find your own set of faves - and it is likely to be a completely different list from mine. That's what makes wine so much fun! Faves in the Sonoma area - J (in Windsor) - great bubblies and pinot noirs, Davis Bynum - great pinot, Armida - cabs and zins, Sausal - zins from 100-year old vines. In Livermore - Retzlaff - cabs and zins, Fenestra - what a variety!, Wood Family - syrahs that sing.

 

So - go tasting and share your findings with us!

[agxo3]

Hi Vallejo Guy! You live in a very enviable location just like our buddy, Agxo.

 

I just got back from a quick sojourn to Northern Ca, where I had a chance to visit a few wineries in the Napa/Sonoma area. It was a surreal experience seeing all the wineries which I merely see in labels, and touch the grapevines which we lush about in this thread.

 

Enjoy your wines, take part in this thread and stay healthy!

 

Hey - what's this???? You were here and didn't bother to let me know? What did I piss you off or something???

 

Too bad! I would have loved to take to my faves - and I was out that way just last weekend! If nothing else a visit to Rubicon Estates as my guest (you get special privileges when you're a wine club member like I am! Free tastings and acces to the room where the library wines are served.) and to J in Windsor where they serve great wine and food pairings (again, free if you're a member's guest). Or to Retzlaff to see where my favorite cabs come from.

 

Next time, let me know!!!

[floppydrive]

Hey - what's this???? You were here and didn't bother to let me know? What did I piss you off or something???

 

Too bad! I would have loved to take to my faves - and I was out that way just last weekend! If nothing else a visit to Rubicon Estates as my guest (you get special privileges when you're a wine club member like I am! Free tastings and acces to the room where the library wines are served.) and to J in Windsor where they serve great wine and food pairings (again, free if you're a member's guest). Or to Retzlaff to see where my favorite cabs come from.

 

Next time, let me know!!!

Agxo,

 

Is the Krug Winery still open? This is where I got to start liking wines.

[masi]

good for you, pare!

more details, please, and did you bring any booty home?

 

Just had a day visit to the Coppola and Sterling wineries, pare. It was too overwhelming.

 

O EB na tayo!!!

 

 

 

Hey - what's this???? You were here and didn't bother to let me know? What did I piss you off or something???

 

Too bad! I would have loved to take to my faves - and I was out that way just last weekend! If nothing else a visit to Rubicon Estates as my guest (you get special privileges when you're a wine club member like I am! Free tastings and acces to the room where the library wines are served.) and to J in Windsor where they serve great wine and food pairings (again, free if you're a member's guest). Or to Retzlaff to see where my favorite cabs come from.

 

Next time, let me know!!!

 

My sincere apologies for not letting you know. It was really a very short trip (for some family issues/and a just enough to see a few childhood friends who already had a schedule cut out for me for the weekend. I had to fly back to Manila immediately since I am in the thick of the office construction fit out and a relocation.

 

I plan to go back again, hopefully with the wife to try the bed and breakfast in Napa/Calistoga area. I will surely get in touch with you on my next visit.