Acidic white wines best for Shanghai hairy crab
We’re in the midst of the season for the famed Shanghai hairy crab also known as the Chinese mitten crab. Once a year the most discerning of shellfish lovers get the chance to savor these delectable crustaceans. Shaoxing rice wine is often enjoyed with the crabs, however the rice wine merely neutrally accompanies but doesn’t embellish the crabs. The embellishment of the crabs is the role of the vinegar served on the side. Can the right wine act in a similar synergistic manner? My answer is an emphatic yes! Read more
Coming home from Chateau Lafite
A writer once said long ago that once you leave home as a young adult you can never truly go home again as home is a place in time and spirit. While that may be true for me, it’s certainly not true for Francois Collard of Chateau Mourgues du Gres. He travels have taken him from the esteemed halls of higher wine education the University of Agriculture in Montpellier to the rarified heights of the wine world as agriculture engineer and oenologist at Chateau Lafite Rothschild and finally brought him home. Before we delve deeper into the story of Francois and Chateau Mourgues du Gres, allow me to make some practical observations from a wine lover’s perspective. Read more
Robust wines for winter’s hearty fare
The most important winemaking region in the Czech Republic is Southern Moravia where wines have been made since Roman times. The northern region of Bohemia also produces wines. Due to climate and tradition most wines are white wines made from muller-thurgau, gruner veltiner and other varieties associated with Germany. Well-known white and red wine varieties are increasingly being cultivated. Popular domestically, unfortunately these wines are hard to find in China. Czech cooking tends to be quite heavy and filling and suitable for the long cold winters. Meats like pork, chicken and beef play a principal role. As the temperature dips in Shanghai and we prepare for another cold winter, the thought of hearty Czech meat dish with a similarly robust wine becomes ever more appealing. Read more
Spain:Best bubbly for the price
When you can afford to drink Champagne – do it! The more you drink, the more you’ll love this bubbly nectar. Perhaps the only thing you won’t love is the cost. Good, inexpensive Champagne just doesn’t exist. So what are lovers of bubbles to do? My answer is Cava, the sparkling wine of Spain.
In 1872, Josep Fatjo of the Codorniu Estate starting making sparkling wines using the same method that was already popular in Champagne. Soon other wine producers in Catalonia region around Barcelona also started making sparkling wines. Over the next century producers made some very good Cavas but unfortunately also some pretty awful ones. Cava became the world’s best-selling sparkling wine. In 1986 the Cava D.O. was established to establish regulations and oversee production. About the same time more and more producers saw the benefit of emphasizing quality not only quantity. Today, there are many good, and some excellent Cava sparklers that are very affordable. The best Cava wines are dry and tend to be more earthy and less acidic than Champagnes.
Are you sipping comfortably?
China has an appetite for Bordeaux. The wines from this southwest wine region of France are popular worldwide and have a privileged position in the China wine market. There are reasons. Bordeaux is big and no other wine region produces so many good and even great wines. However, over the past three or four decades the prices of Bordeaux’s best wines have risen exponentially? Bordeaux has become a land of the rich and poor with the great Chateaux getting richer and the lesser Chateaux getting poorer. This begs a question, are the great wines of Bordeaux worth their exorbitant prices? No, unless of course someone else is buying. Even a better question is, can bargains still be found in Bordeaux? Yes! Read more
Enjoying wine with your nose
Blessed by abundant natural resources, Chile offers some of the world’s most intriguing foods and wines. Vines were first planted in Chile in the mid 16th century by Spanish missionaries and settlers making the country one of the oldest of the new world producers. Over the past three decades, new investment in technology and winemaking skills has resulted in a vast improvement in quality. In fact, many consider the price quality ratio of Chilean wines to be the best in the world. Read more