A Range to Grange

 

A cup of opal
Through which there glows
The cream of the pears,
The heart of the rose;
And the blue of the sea
Where Australia lies,
And the amber flush
Of her sunset skies,
And the emerald tint
Of the dragonfly
Shall stain my cup
With their brilliant dye.
And into this cup
I would pour the wine
Of youth and health
And the gifts divine
Of music and song,
And the sweet content
Which must ever belong
To a life well spent.
And what bread would I break
With my wine, think you?
The bread of a love
That is pure and true.

Bread and Wine by Ines K. Hyland (1863-92)

Indeed, there is so much passion ingrained in the hearts and souls of the people behind the iconic Penfold’s brand that it inspires beautiful poetry.

The thing is, their winemakers are so zealous that they’ve made wines from so many different parts of Australia, including Adelaide, Barossa, Clare Valley, Coonawara and Limestone Coast and McLaren Vale, with the aim of creating some of the best wine Australia has to offer.

This is a lovely notion, but it does tend to overwhelm buyers.

Penfolds Wine Dinner, Old Manila, Manila Peninsula

Well. Never fear, because we are here to run through the different labels for everyone. This is a collection of information based from books, and experiential knowledge obtained through a dinner we were privileged enough to attend on 27 August in Old Manila, Manila Peninsula.

Icon Wines

Bin 95 Grange Shiraz

Top of the Penfolds line, the iconic Bin 95 Grange

First released commercially in 1952, this predominantly Shiraz powerhouse is a multi-regional blend, with grapes coming from Barossa Valley, Clare Valley, McLaren Vale, Coonawarra, Padthaway, Robe and Magill Estate. It was named after the Grange cottage built in 1845 and initially labeled as Grange Hermitage until the 1989 vintage (an interesting tidbit for would-be collectors). It was also the first Penfolds label to be available in a Magnum size.

“I hope that the production and the acceptance of Grange Hermitage as a great Australian wine has proved that we in Australia are capable of producing wines equal to the best in the world.” – Max Schubert, winemaker and creator of Grange Hermitage, after achieving the 100^th Gold Medal Award in November 1975

“Grange is one of the singular great wines of the world.” – Josh Raynolds, Editor of International Wine US

Personally, I lost sense of poetry when I had this during the dinner and told my BFF, “Grange will change your life.” He agreed.

Bin 144 Yattarna Chardonnay

This beauty has been around since 1995 and is similarly a multi-district blend, with grapes hailing from Adelaide Hills, Tumbarumba, Henty, and Derwent River Valley. When it was first released, it was deemed as the “most eagerly anticipated white wine in Australian history”. Consistently, Yattarna is an elegant, intense, linear style Chardonnay with apple and white peach flavour profiles, and a pure fruit expression complimented by crystalline freshness. “Yattarna” is from an indigenous word meaning “little by little” or “gradually”.

Luxury Wines

Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon

Since 1964, this South Australian (Barossa Valley, Coonawarra, Padthaway, Robe, and Wrattonbully) Cabernet Sauvignon is made with so much pride that they refuse to make this label unless the harvest is phenomenal. Their goal is to release the Penfolds style at its most powerful.

“Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon is completely unadulterated. The blend offers one of the most distinctive expressions of this variety in this world.” – Peter Gago, Penfolds Chief Winemaker

“The original Bin 707 was a marvellous wine; it comprised mostly Block 42 Cabernet. The first releases had the richness and ripeness expected of a warm- to hot-climate fruit. A gradual move to Coonawarra during the 1980s changed it to a more elegant cool-climate wine. During the mid-1990s it seems to have reverted back to its original style; a distinctive Penfolds wine divorced from other Australian Cabernets.” – Don Ditter, Penfolds Chief Winemaker (1973-1986)

RWT Barossa Valley Shiraz

RWT stands for Red Winemaking Trails, but is more famous as being the “Baby Grange”. It’s a cellaring style wine whose first vintage is 1997. “Whereas Grange uses American Oak, RWT definitely shows off French oak like a French lady showing off her mink coat” – Neal Martin

Bin 169 Cabernet Sauvignon

Made from grapes harvested from prime Coonawarra vineyards, it’s an excellent alternative to a Bin 707, although it uses French oak, and is distinctive for having gorgeous scents and rich concentration.

Magill Estate Shiraz

A single vineyard wine with grapes from Magill Estate, Adelaide, and South Australia, and has been in production since 1983. The concept involves making a “chateau-style” red wine distinctly different from the top-of-the-line Grange style, which resulted to a gentler Grange in terms of texture, without compromising the powerful notes and flavours of a Penfolds Shiraz.

“These are complete expressions of Cabernet Sauvignon. There’s nothing quite like this in Australia” – James Halliday, The Australian

St. Henri

Released commercially since 1957, this blend of Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon is a multi-district blend. It was initially named “Claret” until the 1989 vintage. Describing it is a challenge to wine professionals, as it’s consistently a contradiction of old-fashioned and contemporary wine styles. It’s also easy to spot from the Penfolds range because of their distinct, curved logo.

Reserve Bin A Chardonnay

“All finesse and elegance. They reflect the exciting and ongoing changes in Australian style.” – James Halliday, The Australian

This minerally, fresh style of a Chardonnay has had a huge fan base since its release in 1994. It is everything contrary to a flabby Chard: Flinty and aromatic, with a sharp acidity.

A wine soaked dinner courtesy of Penfolds

Special Bins

These are wines that Penfolds releases only during really good years… Part of my ultimate wino dreams is to be able to sample some of these.

Block 42 Kalimna Cabernet Sauvignon: 1953 as a Grange Cabernet, 1961, 1963, 1964 as Bin 707, 1996, and 2004
Bin 60A Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz: 1962 and 2004
Bin 620 Cabernet Shiraz: 1966 and 2008
Special Bin Wines: One-off releases (often limited to a single barrel or micro-blend), starting with the 1948 Kalimna Cabernet Sauvignon. There are many, including the 1958 Bin 136 Magill Burgundy, 1957 Bin 14 Mincinbury Dry Red, 1962 Bin 60 (the “off-blend”), 1962 Bin 434 Coonawarra Cabernet Shiraz, 1967 Bin 7, 1973 Bin 169 Coonawarra Cabernet Shiraz, 170 Kalimna Shiraz, Bin 80A, Bin 820, Bin 90A Bin 920, 2008 Bin 620, 2010 Bin 170.

Cellar Reserve Wines

These were similarly “one-off”, experimental wines, targeting hardcore wine enthusiasts.

Cellar Reserve Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir
Cellar Reserve Barossa Valley Sangiovese
Cellar Reserve McLaren Vale Tempranillo
Cellar Reserve Barossa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
Cellar Reserve Coonawarra Cabernet Barossa Valley Shiraz
Cellar Reserve Barossa Valley Grenache
Cellar Reserve Kalimna Block 25 Mataro
Cellar Reserve Adelaide Hills Merlot

Bin Wines

Trivia: The word BIN actually stands for Batch Identification Number, a system which most wine makers use to identify barrels in their (normally) vast cellars.

Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz
Bin 150 Marananga Shiraz
Bin 407 Cabernet Sauvignon
Kalimna Bin 28 Shiraz (a personal favourite, proving affordable wines can be delicious)
Bin 128 Coonawarra Shiraz
Bin 138 Barossa Valley Grenache Shiraz Mataro
Bin 23 Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir
Bin 2 Shiraz Mourvèdre
Bin 8 Cabernet Shiraz
Bin 311 Chardonnay
Bin 51 Eden Valley Riesling

Adam Clay, Winemaker, Penfolds

Koonunga Hill

Beautiful entry-level wines that don’t compromise quality

“No guilt, no apologies. Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet is a real Penfolds red wine.” – Peter Gago, Penfolds Chief Winemaker

Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet
Koonunga Hill Seventy-Six Shiraz Cabernet
Koonunga Hill Autumn Riesling

Fortifieds

As mentioned in a previous blog entry, Penfolds started their foray into winemaking by making fortified wines. It does make sense to continue this tradition by steadily creating a line of fortifieds.

The iconic Grange, and a Father Grand Tawny for dessert

Club Tawny
Club Reserve Tawny
Father Grand Tawny
Grandfather Rare Tawny
Grandfather Rare Tawny Series 12 and 13
50 Year Old Rare Tawny
1940 Grandfather Aged Tawny Port
1945 Bin S6 Grandfather Aged Tawny Port

So there you have it, a little cheat sheet on the Penfolds line.

I’m holding on to the edge of my seat, excited for what they have next for the world. 😉

What’s your favourite Penfolds wine? Cheers!

*Resource: The Rewards of Patience, Seventh Edition by Andrew Caillard, MW

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

Change in Schedule for our La Vigne de Provence event!

Event is rescheduled on 18 June 2016, 1830, in Le Jardin Manila.

Tickets at PHP 5,000.00+ inclusive of a five course meal prepared by celebrity chef Jonas Ng, paired with gorgeous wines from Provence.

See you there!

*event brought to you by 2shotsandapint.com, Le Jardin Manila, and 2 Big Guys Productions

Photo courtesy of authenticflavours.tours

Confessions (A Third Year Anniversary Special)

I cannot write well enough to convey how floored I am after realising that, man… It has been three years since we had the insane idea to start a blog.

I say that initial statement with conviction (albeit with a touch of self-deprecation) because that is the honest to goodness truth, which I feel I can expound on by talking about how the blog started.

See, I never planned to do this. My life goal was to put up a wine school in Manila (either a WSET accreditation school or a lifestyle-esque venue for people who just want to know how to appreciate wine), or work as a freelance consultant for food service and wines (which I’m currently doing).

I was fine, contributing to that goal by teaching in a university and doing personal research to enhance my knowledge (whether by meeting people, going to events, traveling to wine destinations, or going online).

As I went about my business, I discovered a lot of things while going online for wine research: First, the materials available were erroneous, outdated, too complicated for my students, impossible to relate to by a lot of Pinoys, or just plain boring (mostly those written by people who take themselves and wine too seriously). Don’t get me wrong, there are awesome ones out there (I’m totally team Oz Clarke, Natalie Maclean, and Jancis Robinson), but they tend to cater to hardcore wine enthusiasts and can get a bit intimidating for novice wine drinkers.

That being said (and here comes my confession), during one of these online researches, I kinda picked a fight with a higher-ranking guy overseas in a thread after he failed to see the humor on certain statements I made. Not my finest hour, I admit, but I came from a perspective that while the alcohol industry is indeed serious business, the people who are only beginning to learn about them get too scared with such seriousness.

Fine. I may have said really stupid things to defend my point, but hey… I was young. I just (passionately) knew that beginner winos get overwhelmed by technical talk (and the insistence on certain preferences over others’) that they never get encouraged to explore, or give up wine altogether (sidenote: that being said, there is a MASSIVE untapped market out there).

Anyway, I ranted about the argument to my poor, hapless husband who, using that beautiful marketing-trained brain of his, suggested that I stop complaining about the lack of accessible (and friendly) resources and make some.

Seriously, make my own? This was during the time in my life when I was starting to slowly navigate through my introversion and fear of rejection… I thought, wouldn’t putting myself out there (at the mercy of cyber bullies and grammar fiends) be counterproductive?

So, I decided to take a deep breath and just post. I totally refused to take it seriously (after all, I had a day job), and had each article edited by a friend (who I would also like to credit for helping me come up with a name for the blog over coffee and booze).

This is why, if someone tries to look at the archives, I only wrote sporadically when we started. I just did not want to emotionally invest in it… So much so that I didn’t even bother to fix the layout (hah!).

All of this changed about a year later. I suddenly met like-minded people (read: anti wine snobs), legit people who believed in what I did (and prompted me to edit the living daylights out of the blog from April 2013 to about June 2014, then told me to at least write once a week but twice would be better), supporters, and partners who encouraged me to actually launch this thing.

So here I am, three years later… A non-writer of an educated alcoholic who chucks out about 1.5 articles a week… A crazy, barely creative, self-effacing freak with a bizarre sense of humour that actually had an article published… Someone that normally shies away from social media but actually put up a Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest account for the blog (kicking and screaming)… A neurotic, chaotic geek who wound up halfway around the world and got to meet (and befriend) some of the best winemakers in the world… A disbelieving wine professional that constantly pinches herself just to realise that working with fabulous people is a reality and not just a dream.

I’ve harped so much about the people around me because I really don’t think I could have made it through the years without them.

Chad, my husband, is a given (and I’ll save everyone the cheese by not gushing about him online). Mark was awesome for getting me started along with Gerry’s breathtaking graphics. CJ was marvellous for solving the banner issue (because I cannot code to save or end my life). Tin was splendid for constantly sharing my work and guiding me around the inner workings of Philippine media. Paul is incredible for letting me use him as some sort of a grammar sounding board (and bearing the brunt of one of the blog’s first haters).

I’m so grateful for supportive partners as well: The Embassy of Chile in Manila (especially Ms. Fernanda Vila) for taking a lowly, startup, non-writer like myself and sending me on one of the most amazing adventures in my life. I’m thankful for the team of One Mega Group for legitimizing my work and actually publishing it. Urbangeppetto is super cool (especially Garp and Lois) for patiently working on gorgeous designs for us (despite my head and my schedule being all over the place… Which is why it’s taking time for the new layout to materialise).

I’m stoked about working with equally cool friends (that I sometimes consider family) as well: Poco Deli has been wonderful for hosting wine dinners with us, with the same intent of getting wine neophytes to start on their own road to great wine adventures.

Come one, come all! Artistic wines from Provence, featured in Le Jardin Manila’s Wine Dinner on May 18, 2016 at 1830. Tickets at PHP5,000.00+ each, which includes five wines and a five course meal. Limited seats available, please reserve yours through +63917-8112171 

Le Jardin Manila (led by the phenomenal celebrity chef Jonas Ng*) has been a great partner with their desire to introduce high quality French food and wine in an accessible yet intelligent manner. We’ll be working with each other again for a Provence dinner event on May, showcasing breathtaking, unusual wines from Provence with delectable food to match.

Lastly, I’m happy that we get to reach out to people in different parts of the world (I mean, seriously. Our stats tell us we have readers from Russia, constant readership from Brazil and Austria… I’d love to visit those places one day, and I’m glad the blog has had a head start).

So, here’s to three years (and beyond). Cheers!

*Catch his show Chef Next Door on the Lifestyle Channel… Reruns are playing constantly but new episodes will start June. That, or see him around Le Jardin. 😉

Bed Rest, Salabat, Cognac, Panic Attacks, and Panic Attacks (Chronicles of a Stir-Crazy Bedridden Wino)

“Being sick is our body’s way of telling us we need to rest”, one of my best friends told me a few years ago.

Well… Constant traveling, weather changes, tons of work (around the house, for the blog, and my consulting) has certainly taken its toll on me.

The proverbial sh*t hit the fan Thursday night in the middle of a fantastic dinner (which involved a fabulous Pinoy food and wine pairing)… I had to bow out by the time we got to the seventh course (there were eleven!).

I felt terrible. I was looking forward to that dinner for ages (I will share some of the experiences in a later entry)… But I was out of it.

I was sitting next to one of the most esteemed winos in the country. He advised me (after I sneezed up a storm and started to complain about having difficulty breathing) to take a brown spirit (whiskey/whisky, brandy…).

I wasn’t able to take his advice until three nights after (what with consistent Dayquil/Nyquil treatments and my fear of mixing drugs with alcohol), but by the time I stopped taking medication, I had to raid our bar.

File photos from old entries (too sick to do a photo session)

Cognac.

There is nothing more beautiful than having a brown liquid stream of warmth to ease your throat and lungs.

I felt instant relief from the constant wheezing and sore throat.

I woke up the following day breathing better, but as I had a speaking engagement later in the week, I always had with me a mug full of piping hot salabat (our local ginger tea) to make sure my voice is up to snuff.

Ginger tea is a godsend… While some locals prefer to actually boil ginger and drink an infusion of the stuff, my lazy a** would rather buy the Ludy’s version from the grocery (Cash & Carry and Landmark have it). The tingly spice works wonders for sore throat… Whoever invented the stuff should be canonised.

I’m missing wine, though, so I’m looking forward to my speaking engagement in Le Jardin featuring one of my favorite French wine regions, Burgundy.

After that, Chad and I will visit a part of Asia that’s, well… Truly Asia. 😉 The trip should be chronicled as well, so do let us know about beverages to look for in that part of the world!

Another announcement: The blog will undergo a bit of a facelift soon. 😀

Before all this happens though, I’m putting my feet up, sipping more salabat, and reading a Jane Austen while refusing to adult. 😉 Cheers!

 

Disclaimer: In no way, shape or form should any of the beverages mentioned in this entry be taken as the ultimate cure for coughs/colds/flu. These are not prescriptions. Please consult your doctor!

“Whatcha Upto?”

This was the message I got from a friend last week, after I seemingly dropped off the face of the earth.

Truth is, this year’s Christmas season has been unusually frenetic for our family… Unusual amounts of travel added a certain element of chaos to the usual holiday rush of Christmas presents/parties, which is the reason why I haven’t been around.

To answer my friend’s question, here’s what I’ve been “upto”:

 

Christmas Gift Giving

Christmas Presents All in a Row

It’s that time of year when my home office evolves into a part restaurant/beverage consultant’s office, part French student’s study nook/library, part beverage blogger’s writing haven, and Santa’s workshop. I have shopped for, wrapped, and delivered as much Christmas presents as I could before traffic and even more travel happen.

Those looking to give wine or coffee for Christmas can look at my previous entries (here and here) for recommendations (I would like to add Wine Depot as a great wine source as well… Bulk buyers can be offered discounts, and the items they have on sale are pretty good).

 

Wine Dinner

Good Dinner, Good Wine, Good Service…

 

I was fortunate enough to catch a break and attend a multiple course “Modern Basque” themed dinner in the Tasting Room. Each delectable course was paired with beautiful Spanish wines, punctuated by great company and stupendous service… All in all, it was a fabulous treat.

 

Cocktails and Presidents

Chic-looking Sangria over Books and History

 

Chad and I attended the book launch of “Eldpidio and Alicia – The Love Letters”. Elpidio Quirino was the 6^th president of the Philippines during the postwar reconstruction.

It was difficult to find literature on his wife, Alicia Syquia, who was killed (along with three of their five children) by Japanese snipers during the Battle of Manila in 1945. It was great to see their love story, and the life of the Filipinos during the American occupation, through these intimate letters.

The launch happened over cocktails on a Saturday afternoon in Ayala Museum (I highly recommend people to see their diorama on Philippine history). I couldn’t resist taking photos of the chicest looking sangrias I’ve ever seen.

 

Singapore

I had a great (albeit short) time in Singapore… Chad had a meeting, and I took advantage of Singapore’s massive holiday sales to shop for Christmas presents (and stuff for myself, of course). I just HAD to buy a Laphroaig PX (a tremendously smoky, slightly sweet powerhouse of a single malt Islay… Just the way I like it), and a bottle of Hibiki Suntory Whisky Master’s Select (a fruity Japanese whisky with the smoothest texture on earth).

Whisky Shopping!

On a non-alcoholic note, I did find a lot of liquor infused chocolates, and ended up getting myself an Amarula chocolate bar. 😉

Amarula Chocolate Bar #nomnoms

We also managed to catch up with some girl friends over coffee… I loved Coffee Club’s Aged Sumatra Mandheling. “Aged” coffee is made out of green coffee beans stored over time. This particular coffee has low acidity, extremely flavorful, and has quite the body.

Aged to Perfection Coffee

What’s next on my agenda? Another trip out of the country, and part 2 of my “proudly pinoy” story arc.

Cheers!