Lunar New Year 2019 – Option B

Marques de Galida Exclusive Brut Reserva Cava

Usual retail price in Taiwan – TWD $990

Wine Style
Sparkling -Dry.  Grape varieties: Xarel-lo 40%, Mcabeo 25%, Chardonnay 20%, Parellada 15%

Region: Penedes, Spain

Tasting Notes
Refreshing and dry with crisp green apple and hints of honeycomb, lemon curd and a savoury toasted hazlenut character from the bottle ageing. Great wine.
Food Match
Seafood rice dishes such as paella, or risotto, oysters or other more salty, savoury seafood. Try it with smoked mullet roe.
When to Drink
Drink now to 2020. Serve at 6-8˚C

Enate Chardonnay 234

Usual retail price in Taiwan – TWD $890

Wine Style
Dry White.  Grape varieties:  Chardonnay 100%

Region: Somontano, Spain

Tasting Notes
Tropical fruits – guava, melon and some peach fruit with an underlying mineral content. A long, refreshing finish with a lingering sweet fruit and fennel note. This wine has not had any oak, to focus on the complex, clean fruit flavours. High altitude, rocky soils add great complexity to this well made wine.
Food Match
Great with more delicate flavoured white fish, chicken dishes, great with shrimp and pork dumplings.
When to Drink
Drink now to 2020. Serve at 10-12˚C

Sommos Premium, Somontano, Spain

Usual retail price in Taiwan – TWD $1990

Wine Style
Dry red wine – full bodied.  Grape varieties: Tempranillo Syrah & Merlot

Region: Somontano, Spain – Spain’s newest great wine region

Tasting Notes: A big, mouthfilling wine with complex, ripe dark cherry fruit and firm, but ripe tannins. Good acidity means the ripe flavours are balanced and the finish is long with toast, vanilla and some minerality. A real superstar!

Food Match: Fantastic with steak, spicy lamb dishes or game dishes like venison stew

Drink: Now to 2025 – best served at 18-20˚C

Confronto, Collefrisio, Montepulciano d’Abbruzzo, Italy

Usual retail price in Taiwan – TWD $1960

Wine Style
Dry red wine – full bodied.  Grape varieties: Montepulciano d’Abbruzzo & Primitivo

(the contrast of the two grape varieties gives the wine it’s name – confrontation in English)

Region: Montepulciano d’Abbruzzo, Italy

Tasting Notes : Full bodied, full flavoured wine with rich, ripe cherry and licorice notes along with balancing acidity and a long finish with lingering black plums. Powerful wine.

Food Match: Italian classics like meat or cheese pizzas, or eggplant parmesan, to quality burgers. If you want something that can stand up to some spicy Korean or spicy(麻辣)hot pot, try this.

Drink: Now to 2023 –  best served at 18-20˚C

Collefrisio ‘Semis’, Montepulciano d’Abbruzzo, Italy

Usual retail price in Taiwan – TWD $2400

Wine Style
Dry red wine – full bodied.  Grape varieties: Montepulciano d’Abbruzzo

Region: Montepulciano d’Abbruzzo, Italy

Tasting Notes : Dark garnet-red colour. Deep, rich dark cherry, blackberry and pomegranate with sweet clove and nutmeg spice.  Full-bodied with a great smooth texture and more cherry and blackberry fruit on the palate with a long finish with hints of truffle, toast and vanilla. This wine is made by keeping the grape juice with the skins for longer than any wine I’ve ever tasted. This creates firm tannins and the deep colour.

Food Match: The strong tannins and bold flavours mean this wine needs to match some food with the same. Think about slow cooked pork shoulder, a great aged steak with truffles or mushrooms, strong, hard cheeses, or even a good venison or beef pie.

Drink: Now to 2028 –  best served at 16-20˚C

2012 Rivetto Barolo DOCG Leon Riserva, Barolo, Italy

Usual retail price in Taiwan – TWD $2990 (94 points in Decanter Magazine)

Wine Style
Dry red wine – Medium bodied.  Grape varieties: Nebbiolo

Region: Barolo, Italy

Tasting Notes : Firm, but approachable tannins with good raspberry and red plum fruit. hints of leather, cigar box and a touch of sweet nutmeg spice with a good acid structure and long persistant finish. This wine is all sophistication and class. As with many Barolo wines it needs a lot of breathing time, so open it early!

Food Match: Fantastic with truffles, or dishes made with dried mushrooms, aged cheeses, and especially great with lamb dishes. Matches wild game like venison and wild pork extremely well.

Drink: Now to 2030 –  best served at 16˚C