Unkers & Vino - Gewürztraminer Spätlese 2006

Ask anyone about wines from Germany and a Reisling would almost always pop out of nowhere.

It seems that Reisling is the only grape varietal people know to exist in Deutschland. I can't say they are to be blamed though since of all the Old World wine-producing countries, Germany is perhaps the least glamorous. When compared to her more illustrious siblings France and Italy, alot of connoisseurs snub their noses at the large amounts of mediocre sweetish white wine that has been unleashed to export markets over recent decades.

But I like German whites. The mid-range ones that is when I am in the mood for something light and fruity. And since I am not one to enjoy a dry French Chardonnay, its either almost always a Riesling from Rheingau, a Bacchus from Rheinhessen or this one I tried last night, a Gewurztraminer from the Pfalz region.



This chappie is an aromatic wine with a delicate floral scent. Distinct notes of lychee, blackcurrant and bramble coat the palate, being very characteristic tastes of the Gewurztraminer grape. With a smooth and fleshy mouth feel, this wine pares well with spicy food but we had it with a fantastic cheese platter instead and noticed how it went down so well with the black-pepper chedder.

The thing about Old World wines also is that the labels can sometimes be bloody confusing. We are so used to the New World Varietal Labels that when we are confronted with a old-school Geographical Label, we find ourselves desperately trying to look for the grape variety which is sometimes tucked away in the melee of romanized alphabets.



As a sort of German Wine Label 101, let me point out how one should read a 'neo-Nazi' label.

Pfalz - One of 13 specified quality Wine-producing regions in Germany. Of which Rheinhessen, Rheingau and Mosel-Saar-Ruwer are some of the others.

Gimmeldinger Meerspinne - The name of the brand or Producer

Gewurztraminer - Grape Variety

Spatlese - means 'late harvest' and medium sweet. And 2nd on the rung after Kabinett (medium dry) but before Auslese (sweet), Beerenauslese (very sweet) and Eiswein (intensely sweet) or Ice-wine if you like.

Rudolf Steigelmann - The Vineyard or chappy in-charge of the vineyard

Highly reccomended this one. And at 40 bucks a pop, quite affordable too.

Unkers & Vino - Label Me This, Label Me That

Idle hands are the Devil's workshop.

I am thinking of getting one of these Wine record books where you can paste the labels off the bottles you have finished and write some details about the vino that has already been processed and excreted.

Quite cool I suppose to flip the scrapbook 5 years down the road and remember you had that fantastic Bordeaux at Les Amis on your Anniversary or a fruity Reisling in office to celebrate the demise of that mean boss. Some of the artwork on these labels are actually quite interesting and exquisite too. Perhaps when I have collected enough, I can do a Wine Label Mosaic and have it framed up and displayed.



A couple of niggly things though.

1. Is it a little nerdy to be doing something like this? Hell we used to laugh at Stamp Collectors.

2. I'm pretty sure I'll make a mess out of peeling the damn labels off the bottles. Don't want to be doing a jigsaw do we?

3. How do you get the wine cafe to actually pass you the label of a bottle of which you had only ordered one glass? You know a great tasting House Pour for example and when you don't want to drink too much before driving.

Hmmmm...

Unkers & Vino - Carta Vieja Reserva Carmenere

In the fashion of experimenting with new grape varietals instead of the usual run-of-the-mill Cabernet Sauvignons, Merlots and Pinot Noirs, I tried a nice Carmenere from the family-owned Carta Vieja vineyard located in the Maule Valley, Chile today.



The Carmenere grape is a rising star in the New World wine producing regions of Chile where the country has recently leapt into the 10th spot of top wine-producing countries in the world. 3 years ago when Chilean wines began making their appearance in Singapore, there were reports of a high incidence of bad bottles in every crate or two. So at the time I stuck with the other rising star, South Africa.

Anyway I was not dissapointed with this foray into South American territory, with the deep berry-flavored, chocolate-tasting, high-alcoholic Carmenere ferment providing good accompaniment to a basket of BBQ chips. Previously confused with Merlot, the Carmenere variety is now DNA-proved to come from cuttings of Grand Vidure vines in Bordeaux, France.

Straight from the bottle, the fresh tannins stung my tastebuds. But after letting the bugger breathe for a good 15 minutes, I was rewarded with a smooth, slightly fruity gargle followed by a warm, oaked finish that did not leave an overly sourish after-taste on the palette.

Not a light wine though, I would say medium to heavy bodied. Much better with a generous chunk of grilled Wagyu than the cheapo deep-fried potatoes we were having for sure.

Unkers & Vino - Brown Brothers Cienna 2006

The thing I like about Brown Brothers is that its a vineyard 'policy' to experiment with different varietals.

So this evening, while we were out looking for a medium-bodied Red to go with our steamboat dinner, the trademark green bottle from Milawa was peeking out from a sea of YellowTail Chardonnays and Semillons under the Australia Section.



I wanted to get a simple Rawson's Retreat Cabernet/Shiraz from Penfolds, cheap and good. But the Chimp reminded me that our dinner Kakis were not exactly wine afficionados and would prefer something light and sweet. And the prospect of having a dessert wine with fishballs and Wong Bok was definitely a big no-no.

So what the heck, it would be the Cienna.

The Cienna is a hybrid grape crossed from Cabernet Sauvignon and a Spanish varietal called Sumoll. The variety was developed by Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in collaboration with Brown's Vineyard and a couple of other Aussie viticulturists.

In the glass, the wine is deep red in colour with lively purple hues and a subtle fragrance of mint, eucalyptus and violets. The palate is rich and full-bodied, with mulberry fruit flavours and a fine-textured, long finish. At least that's what the review says =))



However, although we found it to be a sweet and light wine, I wouldn't reccommend it for dinner accompaniment because the berry fruitiness of it all makes it a little too ribena-ry. And for some reason, there is also a slight sparkly-ness that tickles gently as the vino sloshes around in your mouth. It makes an excellent after dinner tipple though, especially with ice-cream.

And if you're looking to introduce someone, maybe a teenager or so, to the joys of scarlet vino, the Cienna would be it!

Works for the girls too I think ;)

For a review on Brown Brothers Lexia Spatlese 2005, look here.

Unkers & Vino - Brown Brothers Lexia Spatlese 2005

A good glass of wine need not be some rare expensive vintage from the verdant terriors of Bordeaux. But really, the best vino is the one you enjoy the most, whatever the cost.

Realised, perhaps, that I've been sticking with the Usual Suspects. I need to be a little more adventurous. So will share some of my new 'discoveries' in here, as they come in. Curly and Kona can help of course.

I was looking for Brown Brothers' Orange Muskat and Flora today at Bottles & Bottles but stumbled on this lovely Lexia instead. By the way I'm a huge fan of Brown Brothers. I think their vineyard in Milawa, Victoria produces some of the best, really affordable wines on the market today.



The Lexia grape is a variety of the Muskat family and yes, the first thing you notice about it is that its musky. This 'Brownie' is a great example of a late harvested wine displaying the ripe fruit flavours the style is renowned for. Labelled "Spatlese" (don't ask me why since this is an Aussie vino), German for Late Harvest, the reviews say this wine makes a great partner to a spicy Chicken Vindaloo. But I think it is better suited to something like creme brulee or perhaps a kick-ass Apple Crumble (the one from Corduroy & Finch comes to mind!).

K and me found it a trifle too sweet. Especially when the both of us, 'Sweet White Aficionados', were having it with tenderloins we bought from Espirito Santo, a great gourmet butchery we also stumbled upon that even marinates your meats on the spot FOC. Perhaps we should have got the Crouchen Riesling instead for its little extra dryness and acidity.

A nice wine nonetheless, if you have a sweet tooth. But better left to the after-dinner chatter over dessert. Trust me on this one.