Viniq

 

These are the three variations of Viniq - a blend of vodka, Moscato and natural fruit flavours together with some shimmering food additive that is used to decorate cakes. The purple is original, with the red and yellow being red berries and peach respectively. I became aware of this concoction in the past few months and witnessed long queues at the booths which were showcasing the drink at Wine and Dine as well as at the Wine Fair this year, but somehow I was not enthusiastic enough to taste it though I had tried obscure wines from obscure grapes at those two events. I suppose the description already identifies itself as more a party animal that a wine for serious consideration, but although the swirling simmering effect is attractive, I am not particularly keen on drinking this cake decoration in my wine.

An unexpected vinous windfall

A large local branch of one of the big two supermarkets was closing and re-opening as a small branch elsewhere in the same shopping complex. Unbeknownst to me, what had once started off as one of the largest shops on Hong Kong Island, became in the various previous downsizing exercising, a hub for processing various Internet orders, and so had a large stock of different merchandises which we actually do not regularly see on the shelves. that was the reason why some of the soon to  expire food items on special for clearance never seemed to have graced the shelves in their heyday.

As part of the closing down exercise, a number of bottles from their Internet order "bin end" stock appeared on special offer on increasing depleted shelves. These included bottles of Chateau Camensac, La Fleur de Bouard as well as the second wine of La Tour Carnet, none of which I had seen on sale ever in that shop. Of course, I got a few bottles.

Getting acquainted with Penfolds RWT

Penfolds RWT has always been a wine we liked ever since we encountered a bottle at a KCCWS wine dinner well over ten years ago, at which the theme was Winpac medalists. This was the one wine which stood out the whole evening and we went back to the bottle again and again, and we also noted down its name. That was actually the first vintage of 1997, and it was being introduced to Hong Kong at the time. Then I found out that there was a steep price to match its quality. Unlike its flagship Grange (which is a blend across different regions), the fruit for this wine all comes from the Barossa Valley and then the wine is aged in French oak. We had the above bottled recently over the Christmas holidays, but that is for another blog.

BTW, RWT stood for Red Winemaking Trials, an operational designation during the development of this wine.

Chateau Siran 1986

 

This double magnum of Chateau Siran 1986 was on display in the Wine and Dine Festival, though the wine (from smaller bottles) was not offered for tasting at the time.I had already blogged about the chateau and its arts connection before, and it is obvious from the image that this label celebrated the perihelion of Halley's comet that year. The comet's passage was not easily visible from earth as it occurred on the opposite side of the Sun to us. Just as the conditions for seeing the comet were far from ideal, so too the growing season for grapes in Bordeaux, which was beset by heat and drought. Despite this the crop was huge, and was initially favoured by the critics. A typical stern, old school Bordeaux vintage, the wines have not aged well and were best drunk some time ago.

Chateau Mosse Rivesaultes 1934

I had previously blogged about these Southern France fortified wines and how they represented a good opportunity to taste some really aged wines at a very reasonable cost. As I wrote in the previous entry, I tasted this wine at the Wine Fair a little while after I had bought a bottle. The tasting confirmed that I was not mistaken about my purchase. This 81 year old wine was brown with pink tints, with a slightly smoky vine fruit nutty nose. The palate was sweet nutty with vine fruit notes, well supported by an acid backbone. Delicious and worth every cent of what I had paid for this ancient wonder!

Another cost effective Spanish red

 

Since someone remarked to me in early March about some interesting Spanish reds having high Parker scores at a competitive price, I have watched out for such wines both for everyday drinking and for the occasions when I have been asked to choose wines on a limited budget. The wine we drank on that occasion was the Bodegas Castano Solanera VV 2012, though I have also discovered the Flor de Englora some time previously.

This Acustic Celler Brao VV 2012 was made from the fruit of Carignan and Grenache vines over 60 years old, and aged for 13 months in French barrels. Sporting a purple ruby rim with a dark core, the nose of the wine was sweet with berry and wood notes. The palate was sweet fruity with a touch of savoury yielding to acidity and tannins, going on to an acid and savoury backbone.

Winemaker's cuvees from Hokkaido

 

I saw this couple of wines on the shelves of a chain retailer last month. They had been stocking various wines form the Hokkaido Winery and I had tried the Zweigelt  with the white label before. What was interesting was that we have two Zweigelt wines from the same winery from the same winery but from two different winemakers, whose name appears on the label.

Now I remembered that when I visited their booth in the Wine Fair last year, they had also a range of different wines label under the winemaker's name. I didn't notice that there were any two wines with the same grapes by two different winemakers, so did not ask the obvious question as to what they were aiming for in the different cuvees. Unfortunately although there was a booth showing off their products in the Wine Fair this year, there was no one from the company, so the answer of this question remains elusive.

Affordable aged wines - VDNs from Southern France

This was a display I saw at the Wine Fair this year. These are all well aged wines 41 to 81 years old, yet with prices between $500 and $700! Why such undervalued gems? Perhaps it is because they are sweet to start off with; also they are from relatively obscure appellations from the South West of France; and they are also fortified. Aside from that, many would ask if an 81 year old wine at such a bargain price could actually be drinkable (questions of provenance and at that), but they are frankly unaware of the rancio style of deliberately oxidized wine, which are virtually "indestructible". If they aren't familiar with Madeira, there is no reason they'll know these beauties. But for the people who know, or folks who are simply adventurous, they represent an affordable opportunity to try really well-aged wines. Of course I got a bottle of the 1934. Then I found it was actually available for tasting - but that is for another entry.

Avignonesi Occhio di Pernice Vin Santo di Montepulciano 2000

I tasted this wine at this year's Wine Fair. It was a wine they hid under the counter and only presented it when it was asked for, although it was listed as a product they were presenting in the exhibitor's catalogue. Vin Santo di Montepulciano Occhio di Pernice is made from at least 50% Sangiovese, and is aged in small caratelli of 75L for a minimum of eight years according to the Law. This precious example was aged 10 years in barrel and made from fruit of 26 year old vines. In keeping with the record of this wine receiving scores of high 90s from Parker and Wine Spectator, this wine was awarded 98 points.

As for the wine itself, it was a very viscous mahogany brown, with a sweet raisiny fruity nose. There were sweet coffee smoky pruney notes on the palate, well supported by a sweet acid backbone with notes of prunes.