Ah, the wines of Bordeaux! A common sight in stores and wine boutiques, Bordeaux wine is a popular choice but isn’t always understood. Starting with the basics, Bordeaux is pronounced bore-doh and is a port city in southwestern France. It’s been known that vines have been growing in Bordeaux for over two thousand years, probably having started their roots before the Romans in year 56 or well, before J.C!

The thing about Bordeaux is that unlike many of the other French wine regions, the wine business in Bordeaux was developed by merchants, rather than simply coming directly from the wineries. At the beginning of the second millennium, the Bordeaux region was under English domination and hundreds of boats loaded with barrels of ‘Claret’ were leaving yearly for England. The ‘Claret’ was a light red wine which Englishmen loved; the word is still used to refer to Red Bordeaux. By the 14th century, half of the wine production was boarded on ships mainly to England.

Bordeaux is probably the most well-known wine region in France. It counts for one third of the quality French wine (AOC, crus bourgeois, Crus Classés), and host about 7,000 ‘Chateaux’, not all of those being fancy proper castles, but it must represent an estate which produces wines solely with estate-grown grapes.  Wines bottled using more generic names are mostly made from grapes coming from across the region, generally purchased for growers. The region is spread out across different appellations, depending of the location of the vineyards.  The higher the classification is, the higher the requirements are (volume of grapes produces per hectares, work in vineyards, etc). 

Here’s a quick lesson based on regions and grapes to fatten up your wine knowledge palette. Are you ready? Let’s go!

First, there’s Bordeaux. Bordeaux AOC wines can come from anywhere within the Bordeaux wine region, which covers most of the Gironde department. The quality of both red and white wine depends very much on the wine makers talent and on the quality of the grapes. This means that the quality goes from very disappointing wines to excellent bargain chateaux.

Then comes Bordeaux Superieur. The Bordeaux Supérieur appellation grows on the same part within the larger area which has similar characteristics than classic Bordeaux, but has better soil quality and tends to offer wines better quality wine which ages better..

Are you still with me? Moving on there are the Sub-region appellation. These appellations represent a great introduction to the area, showcasing the different characteristics of each zone, due to different soil types. They produce wines that are more affordable than say, villages wines. Some examples of these would be Medoc, Haut-Medoc, Graves and Entre-Deux-Mers.

And finally, Villages Appellations. These are the most covered wines, with drastic restrictions on volume, winemaking and ageing methods.  The wines would be much more complex than regular Bordeaux, and have very good ageing potential – the more premium ones would actually require 10-15 years of ageing before reaching a good enjoyment level. Examples of villages appellations are St Julien, Margaux, Pauillac, St Estèphe, Listrac, Moulis (all in Medoc); Pessac-Leognan, Sauternes (Graves); Pomerol, St Emilion, Bourg (Right-bank);  Loupiac, Cadillac (Entre-Deux-Mers)

Now let’s take a look at grapes!

Red wines: There are 6 varietals which are allowed within the region, with the top 2 being the most popularly planted and used, creating a classic Bordeaux blend. These 6 are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Carmenère & Petit Verdot. Due to soil specificity, the left banks are dominated by Cabernets, while the right banks have a majority of Merlot.

White wines: Sauvignon Blanc & Semillon are the large dominants for both ‘classic’ and sweet wines but there are a handful of others that are allowed within the region. These are Sauvignon gris, Ugni blanc, Colombard, Merlot blanc, Ondenc and Mauzac.

My recommendations? Check out the following wines:

• White Bordeaux: Cheval Quancard 'Cuvee Clemence' Entre-Deux-Mers
• Sweet Bordeaux: Chateau Les Arroucats, St Croix Du Mont
• Bordeaux Superieur: Chateau De Terrefort-Quancard
• St Estephe: Chateau Bel-Air Ortet
• Lussac St Emilion: Chateau Moulin de Lussac
• St Emilion Grand Cru: Chateau Franc-Pipeau

Champagne has a great reputation mostly due to the high-quality and strong characteristic of its wines. Creating Champagne includes techniques, which are actually forbidden in other parts of France, in order to have the AOC classification. For example blending wines from different vintages, or mixing red and white wines to create Rosé Champagnes.

One other specificity of the region – and of other wines using the similar méthode Traditionelle is the DOSAGE. To understand how this works, you have to go back to the roots of how Champagne is made.

In short, once grapes are harvested, a regular wine is made, with a lower alcohol level (8-10%). Then, this wine is blended in Reserve wines from the previous years, in order to create the trademark flavors of the Champagne House (except for Vintage wines, which have to come from a single year, and is done only if the quality is exceptional).

At this point, a bit of sugar and yeast are added into the wine, which will bring about the 2nd fermentation in the bottle, creating the bubbles! After a minimum of 15 months, the bottle can be moved to the next process, the ‘Remuage’ (Riddling). The bottle neck is inserted in a wooden rack, and progressively lifted and turned daily to bring up all the sediments to the top of the neck across a period of 4 to 6 weeks.

Then, the cork (actually a simple metal cap) is removed, either as it is or after being dipped into liquid nitrogen (to freeze the sediments). The pressure within the bottle will naturally expel these sediments. 

Here, the ‘liquide de dosage’ is added, to create a balance to the wine. It is usually made with Reserve wine, which has added sugar. Depending on the amount of sugar, the classification will be different:

BRUT ZERO: No sugar added
EXTRA-BRUT: less than 6 grams of sugar per liter
BRUT: less than 15 grams of sugar per liter
EXTRA-DRY: 12 to 20 grams of sugar per liter
DRY: 17 to 35 grams of sugar per liter
DEMI-SEC: 33 to 50 grams of sugar per liter
DOUX: more than 50 grams of sugar per liter

If you love champagnes, you can enjoy Moët & Chandon at only RM190 (usually RM268). Or for a more premium option, try Pol Roger Brut Vintage at RM351. Dom Perignons are at RM552 (usual RM588) at www.winetalk.com.my

Tucked away in the corner of the Cantabrian Mountains in the north, and following the Ebro River, La Rioja is one of the most majestic wine regions in Spain, if not in the world. In a place where time seems to have forgotten long ago, the traditions are still very strong and deeply rooted in the soil and vines which produce some of the most splendid Spanish wines.

La Rioja got its name from the Oja River (Rio Oja)which crosses the area and is divided into 3 sub-regions, each which different characteristics: Rioja Baja, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Alta. Vines have been present in the region for centuries, dating back to the Phoenicians. The earliest traces in writing mentioning La Rioja wines date back to 873. La Rioja is the first of the only two regions to be classified as as Denominación de Origen Calificada (DOCa), the highest ranking in the country, by the Denominación de Origen (Spanish Wine Council); the other being Priorat.

85% of the wines produced in the region are red (Tinto). The remaining is spread between white (Bianco), Rose (Rosado), and a small amount of sweet wines, which are slowly coming back into fashion, after decades of abandonment. Traditional Spanish grapes are of course highly dominant, but a small proportion of ‘International’ grapes (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot) can be tolerated in the blends. For the white wines, the king of the region is the Viura (also called Macabeo), and can be blended with Malvasia and Garnacha Blanca. The Viura offers good acidity, fresh fruits and aromas, while the Malvasia adds some fragrance and Garnacha Blanca givies body and structure to the wine.

As for the Rosados (rosé) and red wines, Tempranillo rules in the region, but it is generally blended with some other varietals like Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano. Tempranillo (which needs to make up a minimum of 60% of the blend) brings the main flavors and tannins for the ageing; Garnacha brings color and body while Mazuelo and Graciano add complementary flavors and aromas. The blending in the region is an art itself. Due to the historic presence of ‘International’ varietals, some Bodegas are allowed to use them in their blends, but in a limited amount.

 Traditionally, many wineries aged their wines for a long period of time in old barrels, which created classic wines with delicate colours, slightly oxidized flavors of caramel, coffee and roasted nuts. Nowadays, some Bodegas tend to age their wines for a shorter amount of time, offering more fruity flavours and tannins. Also, a much higher percentage of new oak barrels are used, making the wines richer and more concentrated. The region, while adapting to the modern markets and demands, will continue to keep close to its own roots and tradition. The Bodegas, dominated by family-owned domains, will continue to work closely with local grape growers and cooperatives, in order to keep the ancestral history going, and to continue to produce the most stunning, delicate and long-living wines from this country.

‘Noble’ grapes encompass the varietals which supposedly produce wines of the highest quality and are spread out across the world. With a long history of winemaking across centuries and international trends, 18 varietals are considered as ‘Classic’, and recognized across the world

Most of them are of French origin, which have always had a strong influence on the wine world, while the remaining are European.

Reds

• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Merlot
• Syrah
• Grenache
• Pinot Noir
• Malbec
• Tempranillo
• Sangiovese
• Nebbiolo

Whites

• Chardonnay
• Sauvignon Blanc
• Pinot Gris
• Chenin Blanc
• Muscat
• Viognier
• Semillon
• Riesling
• Gewürztraminer 

As the quality of these grapes are not put in question, it is often decried that in many wine regions (like the Languedoc in Southern France for example amongst others, but also in Spain or Italy), local growers prefer to plant ‘Noble’ grapes rather than local varietals. This causes a slow decrease of tradition and an increased uniformity of taste across the world. A great documentary to learn about the impact of globalization of wines is the 2004 ‘Mondovino’ by Jonathan Nossiter which I recommend you to watch.

Most of you may have heard of Malbec. Mostly coming from Argentina, this is a single varietal like Shiraz or Pinot Noir, and not a blend like I have often been asked.

The Malbec originally comes from France, where it is one of the 6 grapes authorized in the Bordeaux ‘blend’ (along with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot & Carmenère). It was imported in to the South Americas in the mid-19th Century by French agronomist Miguel Pouget. In Bordeaux, it was widely planted up until 1956, when a freak frost killed about 75% of the Malbec vines (they are more sensitive than the other 5). Winemakers decided then to replant using the Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot, which now makes up over 70% of the appellation plantings.

Malbec is still the grape of reference in the some other areas, like in the South-West with the most famous ones coming from the village-appellation of Cahors which makes great, deeply dark color robust wines. It is also called Auxerrois or Pressac in the region, or Côt Noir in the Loire Valley, where they produce lighter fruitful wines.

The Malbec adapted very well to the dry environment of the Mendoza Valley in Argentina, where it was used to make very simple wines. Now, however, winemakers can have access to very old vines (some of over 100 years old) and can produce stunning premium wines!

If you like Malbec, you may also like: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, Tempranillo

Contrary to popular belief, most wines available on the market are made primarily for immediate consumption, and will not benefit from additional ageing. If you clean your house and find a 10 year old bottle of nice but simple wine (I don’t want to say cheap wine, but yes, one of those), there is a big chance that it is not good to drink anymore – but you will have to try it to be sure.

Whether or not wines require ageing depend on the fermentation and time spent in oak barrels. Most wines in the entry-level range spend time in stainless steel containers before bottling, and depending the varietals, have to be drunk within a few years (approximately 1 to 2 years for Sauvignon Blancs and other crisp whites, 2 to 4 years for reds and some drier whites).

Oak barrels are used to concentrate the tannins and aromas which help most wines to age longer. Barrels can few used a few times, but newer barrels will add much more complexity and oak flavors. older barrels will give off less complexity and oak flavors, while still helping on the development of aromas. However, using only new barrels is very costly, which is why wines aged in new barrels will be on a much more premium level (few hundreds or thousands of RM).

So to make it simple (not strictly the case 100% of the time, but most likely), the more expensive a wine is, the older it can age. To give you a ballpark, a few years for a RM100 bottle and up to 50 years for the most premium wines, like Bordeaux Grand Crus.

You may have seen that term every now and then but cannot pinpoint exactly what it means.

A ‘balanced’ wine is used to describe a wine with good harmony between the acidity, fruitiness and level of tannins. Tannins are molecules present in many fruits, vegetables and leaves, and are a component which bring color and astringency. In wines, they are contained in the skin of the grapes, and are extracted during the maceration & fermentation .

As white grapes spend no or very little time in contact with the skin, red wines have more tannins, especially depending on the varietals (Shiraz contains more than Pinot Noir).

In terms of acidity, white wines tend to have higher levels of acidity compared to red wines.

Wines with a dominance of either acidity, fruitiness and tannins can be called as slightly un-balanced.

Many wines are aged in either stainless steel, concrete or even plastic vats. These are inert materials which keep the fruitiness and freshness of the wines. These wines will have to be drunk within a few years at most, and will not benefit at all from ageing in the bottle. 

Oak barrels on the other hand are made of a natural element which will have a strong effect on the wine.  As air goes in and out of the barrel, the flavor, color, tannins and texture of the wine will be more ‘concentrated’, causing the wine to need more time to arrive at an appreciated level – hence the further ageing in the bottle is needed.

Depending on the age of the barrel used and the time spent in the barrel, different wines will need different lengths of time for ageing.  New barrels will give more woody flavors and can be used a few times, but will give less flavors after each use.  The more premium wines usually use only new barrels for their wines (which makes it more expensive), so they need to be bottle aged for longer time.

A new technique now used by some wineries is to introduce oak in the form of chips or sticks inside a neutral vessel to add an oaky component to the wine, while keeping the cost down, as oak barrels are expensive!

Many wineries, especially European ones, still use traditional corks as a sealing method rather than the much easier screw-cap.  Here are a few tricks to help you open a bottle with a traditional cork without breaking the cork or hurting yourself:

• Remove the top part of the foil by cutting it just below the bottle ‘lip’ using the corkscrew knife. 
• Clean the cork, if dirty, with a towel
• Use a corkscrew and take your time. Start by holding the screw at the cork, perpendicular to the bottle. Be sure that the pointy part is in the middle
• Pierce the cork by pushing and slowly raising the corkscrew to an upright position. Ensure the screw is STRAIGHT and in the middle of the cork (if it goes sideways, you will have a higher chance of breaking it). 
• Twist the screw through the cork. When the screw is in deep enough, use the lever and start to pull. Get a good grip by holding the handle closer to your knuckle rather than using the tip of your fingers. This will give you more strength and avoid slipping. 
• When the cork is almost out, you can just remove it by hand – don’t pull the cork all the way out using the corskscrew handle with force, or you may have a suction effect and spill wine on you.
• You are now ready to enjoy your wine - Santé!

Residual sugar is the content of sugar left in the wine after fermentation. While most wines will have almost close to 0 gram (meaning the yeast has done its job!), some wines - especially the ones made from grapes with higher sugar content like Pinot Gris, for example - may still have some, maybe a few grams, left naturally after the end of the fermentation. For many German wines, the winemaker actually stops the fermentation before completion to intentionally keep some residual sugar. This can be done by simply chilling the wines to close to 0 degrees, killing the yeast. Depending on the classification, the sugar will vary: Halbtrocken (half-dry) wines will have the least amount of sugar which is around 12 to 18 grams of sugar per liter. This is followed by Spätlese (Late Harvest), Auslese (Selected berries), then Beerenauslese (Selected Berries) and finally Eiswein (Ice-wine), which can go up to 400 grs of sugar per liter!

Sparkling wines like Champagne or Cava can be tricky to open. The bubbles create pressure inside the bottle. This can go up to 6 bars for Champagne, lower for others. Any mishandling can actually cause some harm (I have seen it happen!).

Here a few steps you can follow to ensure it opens without a bang. In fact, it shouldn’t even pop at all!

• Make sure that the bottle is very cold – too warm, and the pressure is more likely to pop the cork
• Remove the foil. Try to always keep the bottle in 45 degrees angle to have better control over the pressure
• Be sure that the cork isn’t pointing at anyone.
• While keeping your thumb on the top of the cork, untwist the wire. But do not remove it as it offers a better grip
• Squeeze the cork/wire at the top of the neck and slowly turn it left to right – do not pull it yet
• When you feel a bit of pressure, gently start pulling together along with the turning
• You should be able to remove the cork at then, without any noise – and impress your group of friends waiting for the pop!

Take advantage of our Moët & Chandon offer price of RM170 and try these tips so you can show off your bottle opening skills!

I simply decant most of my wines at home, all the reds and even some whites. There are 2 types of wines which benefit decanting:

Old wines Some bottles, mostly in the mid to high-range, need to age for a few years before showing their true potential. Those wines are generally bottled after a light filtration (or even unfiltered) from the oak barrels, in order to leave most of the components into the wines. After 5-10 years, the natural ageing process makes those miniscule fragments of grapes pulp, dead yeast cells – still tiny & invisible when bottled - get compacted together and create sediments. When planning to open an ‘old’ bottle, you should move it up a few hours before, and very slowly pour it into the decanter, in order for the sediments to stay on the bottom; Use a candle to help see when the sediments have settled in the round part of the botttle. Some bottles may have more sediments than others, so take your time. If there is indeed a large amount, you may not be able to pour all of the wine. Alternatively, you can use a sieve to filter the remaining if you don’t want to waste any.

Younger wines The ‘simpler' wines, on the cheaper side of the scale (below RM60 maybe), have been aged in stainless steel, and do not really need to be decanted. Most wines over may have spent at least a little time in oak. However, they didn’t get the chance to develop sediments yet. The act of decanting is simply to ‘wake up’ your wine from its time spent in the bottle, and to show its true flavours and potential faster. So no need to be ‘delicate’ on the pouring, and give it a good twirl to help it come back to life. Some wines may need more time to breathe: varietals with high tannins (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz), may need more time to open up, depending on the age and level of new oak barrels used. Wines using new barrels will definitely be more expensive. So young wines below RM100 can be served straight after decanting, some may need to rest & open up a bit while premium wines of about 5-10 years of ages may actually need to‘breathe’ for a few hours before being enjoyed!

So pop it up and don’t hesitate to decant! And if you think the wine has not ‘breathed’ enough, just give it some mouth to mouth!

This is another question I hear many times. You are a wine lover and enjoy sharing good wines with friends; meanwhile, during parties, it’s difficult to see your favorite wines being skulled down & not enjoyed by some…I know, I have been there! But you also don’t really want to serve the cheapest wine available. So the best is if you still want to have some of your good wines, serve them at first; people will be more ‘concentrated’ and enjoy the wines. Once the evening gets closer to ‘Party’ mode, you can switch to simpler wines (and yes, less expensive). To choose, stay within the ‘classic’ varieties which can please the widest crowd, like Italian Pinot Grigio or NZ Sauvignon Blanc, Chilean Cabernet or Argentinean Malbec. Do not pick the most popular (and with the lowest prices) brands, those can be seen ‘cheap’ wines sometimes, but rather select smaller producers, which will still be at similar prices but have a different impact on your guests! And now enjoy and have a good time!

Vintages are mostly important for more ‘premium’ wines; For ‘regular’ wines (I would say below RM60 a bottle), the modern winemaking technics now allow winemakers to produce very decent wines regardless of the vintages conditions, especially with the weather (drought or too much rain, disease attacks, etc.). For premium wines, the work is more drastic in the vineyards to get the best & most intense grapes production. Too much rain may make the vines to produce too much grapes, where the juice will be like ‘diluted’; not enough rain and the production will be very small, and very concentrated. Many ‘New World’ countries are actually too hot and need to have controlled irrigation, so they can control the exact production. In France, for example, irrigation is mostly forbidden for the highest AOC classification, unless, for exceptional situations. So French wines – and Europeans wines in general – are more prone to have big difference between vintages. So for Bordeaux for example, the last decade have produced some outstanding vintages (2000, 05, 09, 10), but also some more classic (2001, 06, 07, 11). 2003 was a complicated vintage with a massive drought season which caused very small crops and complex wines; 2012 was very bad, and many wineries will not even be selling their cuvées! So check the vintages for the more expensive wines, and for the more ‘simple’ wines, keep it as ‘the younger the better’.

So here's the deal on what TERROIR really is: The ‘Terroir’ represent the complete surrounding of a vineyard. The better the terroir is, the best quality grapes you will get – and directly the best potential to make great wines. It encompasses many elements but there are 3 primordial ones:

Type of soil: vines need to have a tough life to grow good quality grapes. If the soil is too good, the vines will become ‘lazy’ and produce lower quality grapes. The best soils are porous (if the water goes deep in the soil, the vine will have roots going deeper to find it, becoming stronger) and have sufficient elements to add specificity to the grapes.

Location: The geography of the environment is important too. The best vineyards are usually situated on slopes or even hillside. Flat lands have more tendency to retain water, when on hillsides, the water will simply roll down the hill, leaving to the vines just enough. Slopes have also better exposure to the sun.

Weather: Vines need water & sun but not too much. The balance must be perfect to arrive at the upmost condition for the vines. Too much rain will cause overproduction of grapes; Not enough will cause a drought, and the production may be uneven and low. Some countries allow irrigation but it is mostly forbidden in Europe for the higher classification wines. So areas combining the best of each element may have potential to produce higher quality grapes.

 After, it is the job of the winemaker to help it reflect inside the wine.