WINE: 2007

Friday, June 15, 2007

Storing of WINE

What is the right temperature?
Most wines are ruined by being too warm than too cold, especially in warm countries in South East Asia. A wine that is served too cold is easily warmed, but a wine served too warm can be difficult to chill. Therefore, when in doubt, serve it colder than you might think necessary. A wine that is too warm tastes alcoholic and is not a pleasure to drink. In general, white wines are served cooler than red wines.
The optimum temperature for storing wines is 50 to 55°F (10-12°C). However, any constant temperature within 40-65°F (5-18°C) will do. More important than the actual temperature you will be able to achieve, is the degree and rapidity of fluctuation the wine is subjected to. Quick change in temperature will cause damage to your wines and age them prematurely.

Sunday, June 3, 2007

Chateau Cos D"Estournel

The EDGE Singapore (March 27, 2006)

World Gourmet Summit 2006

Chateau Cos D'Estournel , ST. ESTEPHE

If you had the good fortune to try wines from Chateau Lafite-Rothschild, then you can be sure a glass of wine from Chateau Cos D'Estournel will be a winner. That's because the parcel of land acquired by Chateau Cos d'Estournel has similar soil conditions to that of the Chateau Lafite-Rothschild.
"Cos" means "pebbles" in English. The winery also known as the Hill of Pebbles is situated 65ft above sea level; and the south-facing and east-facing slopes all conspire to produce some of the best Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grape varietals.
The wines have a unique taste, particularly the ones made from vines that are more than 20 years old.
Winemaker Jean-Guillaume Prats will be at the World Gourmet Summit to share secrets on making good wines.

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Château Cos d’EstournelSecond Classed GrowthSaint-estèphe Bordeaux
Stendhal use to simply call it « Cos », a mysterious word that could be spelt « Caux » or « causse » and designate a plateau of poor and gravely soil ; Graves just like to those from its illustrous neighboor : Château Lafite Rothschild in Pauillac. With a unic style, Cos d’Estournel has a very strong aristocratic and exotic personality, uplifted by very contemporary wines which can hold up to 40% merlot (very rare in Médoc) and enjoy a «tailored» ageing in new oak barrels. The result is highly audacious : extremely generous, ripe, long and spicefull, Cos d’Estournel is now considered as the best of Saint-Estèphe, and one of the very first in Médoc. in new oak barrels. The result is highly audacious : extremly generous, ripe, long and spicefull, Cos d’Estournel is now considered as the best from Saint-Estèphe, and one of the very first in Médoc.

Decanting Fine WIne

Château Haut-Brion

WINE

Wine is an alcoholic beverage made from the fermentation of unmodified grape juice.[1] The natural chemical balance of grapes is such that they ferment completely without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes or other nutrients.[2] Although other fruits like apples and berries can also be fermented, the resultant "wines" are normally named after the fruit (for example, apple wine or elderberry wine) and are generically known as fruit or country wine. Others, such as barley wine and rice wine (e.g. sake) are made from starch-based materials and resemble beer more than wine, while ginger wine is fortified with brandy. In these cases, the use of the term "wine" is a reference to the higher alcohol content, rather than production process.[3] The commercial use of the English word "wine" (and its equivalent in other languages) is protected by law in many jurisdictions.[citation needed]
The word "wine" derives from the Proto-Germanic *winam, an early borrowing from the Latin vinum, "wine" or "(grape) vine", itself derived from the Proto-Indo-European stem *win-o- (cf. Ancient Greek οῖνος oînos).[4] Similar words for wine or grapes are found in the Semitic languages (cf. Arabic ﻭﻳﻦ wayn) and in Georgian (gvino), and the term is considered an ancient wanderwort.[5]

by: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine#History

1855 MEDOC CLASSIFICATION

Premiers Crus
Chateau Lafite-Rothschild (Pauillac)

Chateau Latour (Pauillac)
Chateau Mouton-Rothschild (Pauillac)
Chateau Margaux (Margaux)
Chateau Haut-Brion (Pessac-Leognan - the only non-Médoc chateau)

Deuxièmes Crus
Chateau Pichon Baron (Pauillac)
Chateau Pichon Lalande (Pauillac)
Chateau Ducru-Beaucaillou (St Julien)
Chateau Gruaud Larose (St Julien)
Chateau Léoville-Las Cases (St Julien)
Chateau Léoville-Barton (St Julien)
Chateau Léoville-Poyferré (St Julien)
Chateau Cos d'Estournel (St Estèphe)
Chateau Montrose (St Estèphe)
Chateau Brane-Cantenac (Margaux)
Chateau Durfort-Vivens (Margaux)
Chateau Lascombes (Margaux)
Chateau Rauzan-Ségla (Margaux)
Chateau Rauzan-Gassies (Margaux)