French wines served by innovative Malaysian bar and dining concept The Olive Tree Group, including the well-known Rock Bottom Bars are exclusively blended for the Malaysian hospitality group by Grand Vins de Gironde in Bordeaux, France. While sourced from across the whole of the Bordeaux region and not a specific site, these especially produced red and white wines provide guests at The Olive Tree Group outlets with superior wines that pair well with the dishes served.
Remarkable Red
This 2016 Grande Reserve Bordeaux is produced from 50% Merlot and 50% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes to create a shimmering ruby red wine. It has rich fruity aroma of red berries and well-rounded tannins on the palate. The wine is a very accessible wine that is ready to drink now and makes a perfect pairing especially with red meats and cheeses.
Wondrous White
A sister wine for the Bordeaux red is the Grande Reserve white Bordeaux produced from grapes sourced from a variety of terrains and soil types across the whole of this famous wine-producing region. It is produced from a blend of 80% Sauvignon Blanc and 20% Semillon grapes. These are harvested and fermented in both stainless steel tanks and concrete vats to produce an elegant wine.
The resultant wine is pale golden yellow with tinges of green in colour. This fresh and fruity wine has an elegant long palate of luscious flavours. It makes a perfect match with seafood, prawns and grilled fish or as an aperitif on its own.
Visit one of The Olive Tree Group’s restaurants or bars to enjoy red and white wines from one of the most respected wine regions in the world.
Straits Wine Company Fiesta
The Straits Wine Company introduced its stable of premium global wine producers at Botanica in Bangsar South. Representatives from six countries and 16 world-class wineries were represented at the fiesta. Attendees had the opportunity to sample lesser-seen wines such as Brunello di Montalcino from Tenute Silvio Nardi (Tuscany), Cabernet Sauvignon from Azienda Uggiano (Tuscany), Grüner Veltliner from Schloss Gobelsburg (Austria), Cinsault Blend from Château Kefraya (Lebanon) and Vermintino from Pala (Sicily). Masterclasses on wine and cheese pairings, Italian varietals and a red wine comparison were also conducted. The weekend event was part of a four-day celebration that also included the Samadhi Carnival at Tamarind Springs the day before fiesta and a winemakers’ dinner on the eve of the fiesta. The Straits Wine Company was established in 2006 to retail and distribute small boutique and artisanal wineries in Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines.
Morandé Moveable Feast
Cave and Cellar staged an interesting wining and dining concept in conjunction with wine producer Morandé from Chile. Staged at Taylor’s College, the event was unique in that specific Morandé wines were paired with as dish prepared by one of nine leading Kuala Lumpur restaurants and Taylor’s culinary team. The restaurants involved were – Interlude, Goa by Hubba, Joloko, Pintu, Meatology, Tatto, Two Sons Bistro, Spitalfield’s Gastrobar and Sao Nam. Guests had a wonderful opportunity to appreciate how the wines from various locations in Chile paired well with the mostly Asian dishes served. For example, Sao Nam served papaya salad infused with lemongrass and dried beef jerky with an interesting red wine from the Morandé Adventure label called Vigno. This wine comprises mostly Carignan grapes as well as Syrah and a small amount of the white grape, Chardonnay.
Leading Rhône Viognier Now in Malaysia
La Combe Pilate produced by leading wine house, M. Chapoutier has been introduced to discerning Malaysian connoisseurs. This white wine is produced from Viognier grapes grown biodynamically in soils of great complexity including clay, quartz pebbles, limestone gravel, loess and, in some areas, gneissic metamorphic rock. The grapes are hand-picked and fermented to produce a wine of pale gold colour with delicate notes of bergamot and flint stone. It is a fresh wine dominated by typical Viognier aromas of stone fruits (peach), orange blossom and a hint of flintiness. On the mid-palate, there is good balance between the acidic tension associated with its terroir of origin and the natural full body of the varietal and its ageing. The finish is savoury, bringing out the rustic and mineral overtones.
A Rosé by Any Other Name
A Rosé by any other name would smell as fragrant as a new wine available in Malaysia. Maison de Grand Esprit L’être Magique Côtes De Provence 2016 Rosé is a highly regarded wine from Provence where they know a thing or two about producing this radiant wine style. This elegant, complex yet restrained salmon-coloured wine shows refined raspberry, cherry and strawberry flavours. Considered a perfect wine style for lazy long lunches or as an apéritif before dinner, it is made from three red varieties – 55% Grenache, 30% Cinsault and 15% Syrah grapes. These grapes are pressed with minimal skin contact to ensure a vibrant salmon colour and a gentle palate of sweet fruit.
‘Black Wine’ from Cornas
The vineyards of Cornas in France’s northern Rhône AOC region have an excellent reputation and its wines are now available in Malaysia. Charlemagne, Saint Louis and King Louis XV made references to Cornas throughout history. Early documentation mentioned the ‘black wine’ produced in Cornas and in the 19th century it was given equal rating with the famous wines from Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Grapes grown in soils comprising granite and alluvial clay-sandstone on the west bank of the Rhône are hand-harvested and after fermentation, are matured for 14 to 16 months in French oak barrels (80%) and concrete tanks (20%). This preserves the flavours of the fruit and the minerality expressed in the soils. All wines from the small appellation of Cornas are red and made from 100% Syrah grapes. The resultant wines are powerful and ‘meaty’ with good tannins. Les Arènes produced by M. Chapoutier displays ripe fruits of raspberry and blackcurrant with tight tannins and a persistent mouth feel.
New Craft Beers for Malaysians
Paw Paw’s Peach Wheat Ale from Back Forty Beer Company has the right balance flavour of peaches to keep it light while the hops make it bitter. This wheat ale contains 4.5% alcohol and is especially suitable for all drinkers but especially females. Citra Ass Down Double India Pale Ale by Against the Grain Brewery is a beer for hard-core drinkers and those who are adventurous. It has a distinct citrusy and tropical fruit flavour and aroma. At 8.2% alcohol, this Double IPA is not your average IPA. Both are distributed by Cave and Cellar.
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90+ Plus Treasury Wines at Senja
Wine ratings are keenly followed by wine connoisseurs and when wines attain over 90 points out of a possible 100; most sit up and pay attention. A recent dinner at The Saujana Hotel Kuala Lumpur co-hosted by Treasury Wines and Luen Heng F & B acknowledged four great wines that have consistently rated 90+. The wines were Penfolds Max’s Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2016 (91), Wolf Blass Gold Label Coonawarra, Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 (91) and Maison de Grand Esprit La Mystèriale, Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2015 (93). Each wine was accompanied by a dish meticulously prepared by Saujana’s Chef Andre Zanella and his team. These included a tantalising home-made smoked yellow fin tuna accompanied by a watercress and berries salad matched with the Chardonnay. Named after Penfolds legendary Chief Winemaker Max Schubert (1948-1975), this delightful wine from the cooler Adelaide Hills has pronounced stone fruit flavours of peach and nectarine.
Riesling Creates Mosel Magic
Germany is one of the oldest wine-producing nations and once considered grand cru, they are often misunderstood by consumers. Once recognised in the connoisseurs’ hall of fame they have declined in popularity except amongst those who know and appreciate their wines. Riesling wines from the Mosel (or Moselle) lead the charge with winemakers such as Johannes Selbach of Selbach-Oster being one of the region’s most vocal advocates and leading wine producers. The Mosel is a tributary of the Rhine River and it is along the steep river slopes and terraces that Johannes Selbach and his family grow their prized grapes (98% of his vines are Riesling while just 2% are Pinot Blanc). He and his fellow wine producers argue that they create the world’s finest white wines that are noted for their fruitiness and minerality especially from those grown in slaty soil. Very little has changed in the winemaking traditions that go back many centuries and even the wine labels for most producers remain the same. Perhaps one exception at Selbach-Oster is that they now produce ‘OMG’ Riesling as a quality, dry ‘orange’ wine with the grapes having been fermented on the open mash. The modern Weingut Selbach-Oster cellar door is situated near the banks of the Mosel in the delightful wine town of Zeltingen. Here wine lovers can sample the finest wines including those grown on the steep slopes just above the town near the parish church. One of the estate’s finest wines, Zeltinger Schlossberg Riesling Spätlese is produced from grapes grown within metres of the church.
Brunello di Montalcino is arguably one of the world’s finest red wines and one that has led to the global success of Tuscan wines. Roughly translated as ‘dark skin’, Brunello is the local term given to the grape variety Sangiovese Grosso that gives the wine it characteristic deep dark colour. Here are three fine examples of the style.
Camigliano Brunello di Montalcino
This is an elegant wine made from 100% Sangiovese Grosso that has been matured in French and Slavonian oak for 24 months, followed by 12 months in the bottle before being released. This intensely flavoured wine has a deep red colour with shimmering ruby highlights, aromas of bitter dark chocolate aroma and dark berry flavours on the palate. Like most Brunello wines, it will become more elegant and refined with a bottle age of at least ten years.
San Polo Brunello di Montalcino Riserva
This is a superb wine produced from the estate’s best grapes (hence its reserve labelling). San Polo is located at 450m altitude with a southerly aspect. Fermentation takes place in the estate’s purpose-built concrete tanks then the wine spends 24 months in new French oak before bottle aging. It is ruby red with hints of spice and wood on the nose. The wine is dry on the palate with tannic overtones making it a robust wine with a long palate and silky tannins. It is perfect with steak or Pecorino cheese and best consumed a few hours after opening.
Banfi Brunello di Montalcino
This wine from leading wine producer Banfi, exhibits the uniqueness of Brunello where Sangiovese grapes are nurtured in the hotter and drier conditions of Montalcino. The result is a ‘ripe’ wine, which requires mellowing. This is done in oak casks and in the bottle and the wine is not released for at least five years after the grapes have been harvested. It is a big red with a lot of appeal especially when consumed with red meat, game and dark poultry such as duck – perfect with Peking duck.
