Launch of The Chamber at The Starhill, Kuala Lumpur

Last Thursday saw the official launch of The Chamber at The Starhill, Kuala Lumpur.

The Chamber launch party was hosted by the CEO, Justin Lim, with partners Joseph Yeoh and Michael Chai. The 37-year-old Justin aims to offer a large curation labels and brands from the best vineyards, distilleries and breweries from his global travels.

Margaret River Tours Kuala Lumpur

When in Perth for the first time, what would you do? Well if you love your wines, it's got to be a visit to Margaret River. It has built its reputation as Australia's "mecca" of premium wines. While the region produces less than 3%  of Australia's wine, it accounts for more 1/5 of its premium wine.

Margaret River on Tour made its debut in KL at the newly revamped Pullman KLCC on the 24th of August.

It featured 10 brands including Cape Mentelle, Churchview Estate, Flametree, Howard Park, Pierro Margaret River Vineyards, Vasse Felix, Voyager Estate, Woody Nook, and Xanadu for wines, and the Margaret River Distilling Company for a selection of whiskies and gins.

We got to meet winemakers, owners, and producers and VIP guests could also attend the masterclass hosted by a panel of winemakers to learn more about the quality of wines from Margaret River and what makes them unique.

The place was really packed! No surprises there because the entry price was a well-priced RM120 (RM100 for early birds.

Let's all hope they'll be back again next year, and make it bigger!

Thanks for having us, Thirstmag.

For more: https://margaretriverontour.com/

-Jon

(Images from Thirstmag)

Mrs Jones' Parlour @ section 17

A little foodie enclave in Section 17 has popped up on radar. There are a few grub-worthy makan places in those tinyrows of old 2-storey shoplots with a variety of choices. Parking availability is notoriously scarce but that has not been a deterrence.

The only thing missing here, was a drinking joint.

Enter Mrs Jones’ Parlour. Opened this October and is at this time, the only cocktail bar in the area. There are no clear signboards to this bar, so look out for Tujoh cafe.

The second you step into the parlour, deja vu. It brings us back to the late 70’s with its furnishing and deco. Ah FA said that it reminded her of her late granddad's home. Very nostalgic and cosy.

This is related to the speakeasy bar in TTDI, the Pawn Room and sister wine bar, The Private Room.

With gins from Australia, the UK,  Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands. Scotland, Slovenia, Spain, Thailand and USA, you'll be quite spoilt with choices.

Mrs Jones’ parlour meanwhile, is a gin bar with a small selection of wine. There's also a selection of gin-based cocktails and homemade infused gins too.

4 types of gin infusions.

Drinks and bottles are generally well-priced. Their happy hours are from 5-8pm where you get 2 glasses of gin (and tonics) for RM40 nett.

All the happy hour gin choices you can choose from - not bad.

Schweppes is used for happy hour but there are 2 premium tonic brands you can choose from with various flavours. 

G&T FTW.

There are bites to go with the drinks as well by Tujoh cafe downstairs.

Food is available until Tujoh closes. Creamy (tom yum? spicy?) soft shell crab was DA BOMB. 

I can see people just coming out here to chill with friends, while waiting for queues for the eateries downstairs to clear.

Amoi Melon (RM 35) - Tanqueray, Midori, lemon, agave, watermelon juice, beaten egg white.
There are 4 cocktails to choose from now - easy-drinking sweet gin-based concoctions from RM35-RM45.

As for me, I plan to catch their happy hour G&Ts as frequently as possible.

- Jon

An Adventure with Morandé Wines

Founded in 1996, Morande wines is a 20 year old name that make part of Belén Group, a group of winemakers from five related winery's — Morande, Vistamar, Mancura, Zorzal and Fray Leon that produces their own wines.     

They pride themselves as pioneers in creating and planting vineyards in Casablanca and used old, traditional Mediterranean varieties as well as unpopular grapes like the Cinsault, Carignan and Paí grapes, among others. They were also the first winery to produce late harvest wines (sweet dessert wines) in Chile and the first to be recognised as 100% sustainable.

Apart from that, they were among the first to adopt the usage of concrete ‘eggs’ (as opposed to conventional fermentation tanks, which is said to contribute to the wine's complexity and mouthfeel while softening its tannins) and using the traditional-large oak foudres (large wooden vat that allows for slow oxygenation of the wines, contributing to the development of the wine's tannic qualities) for producing their wines.

Their Adventure label is what you think it is - a playground for the winemakers to experiment and produce daring wines that breaks the traditional rules of wine-making.

I was invited to try 9 Morandé Adventure wines paired with 9 dishes from 9 different restaurants (Interlude, Sao Nam, Goa by Hubba, Joloko, Sorrok, Meatology, Tatto, Two Sons Bistro, Spitalfield's Gastrobar) in one venue at the Truffles Restaurant in Taylor's Lakeside University for a sumptuous finale that marked the end Morande's  “The Adventure’s Wine & Dine” programme that ran across these 9 restaurants from July to August. We even had the pleasure of  one of the Adventure's Winemaker, Mr Jorge Martinez, with us that night.

We tasted the following wines:

Morandé Adventure Aterciopelado 
- velvety smooth pais & malbec mix.

Morandé Adventure Vigno 
- dark fruits, dry blend of (mostly) Carignan with syrah and chardonnay.

Morandé Adventure Creole
- red fruits blend of 85% Cinsault / 15% País.

Morandé Adventure Despechado 
- a light pinot noir

Morandé Adventure El Padre 
- dark spicy vanilla from the Cabernet Franc grape, also known as the patriarch of the Cabernet Sauvignon.

Morandé Addventure Gran Petit 
- a fruity deep bold blend of Petite Sirah and Petit Verdot

Morandé Adventure Malmau 
- a tannic, berry malbec

Morandé Adventure Mediterraneo 
- a fresh blend of red and white Mediterranean grapes featuring red fruits and spices

Morandé Adventure Tirazis
- a spicy, acidic, tannic syrah

Morande Reserva Gewurztraminer (bonus!)
- a fruity, flower white wine

Cave & Cellar Sdn Bhd the official distributor of the Adventure wines series can be contacted here for more information of their product and future tasting events. For more details & queries: https://www.facebook.com/cavecellar

If you can do read the intriguing story of Morande Wines on their website: http://www.morande.cl/web/english/

- Jon

All images: Morande

Mosto Wine Bar & Restaurant @ ONE KL

Porcinated joy and salutations! I found another porcine-friendly restaurant and bar in KL - or rather, they found me!

Located in Jalan Pinang and just a stone’s throw from KLCC, this nice cozy little hideaway is another brainchild of Cavaliere Modesto Marini’s himself. Now if that name sounds familiar, it's because he is the founder of Marini's and the Marini Group of restaurants.

While Mosto’s Wine and Restaurant Bar is not part of the Marini’s Group but the atmosphere and decor certainly has the same feel. Classy.

Cocktails and tap beers (Heineken Malaysia's triple threat - Guinness, Tiger, Heineken) are on the menu too but Mosto boasts about their extensive wine list. Their wine menu lists wines from all over the globe.

On the menu, Mosto’s signature - Italian themed cuisine and PORK. Pork is served in many ways, from the appetisers to the pastas and main dishes. However, there are also seafood options for those looking for something a little lighter.

Mosto’s is opened for lunch with happy hour wine prices till 9pm and friday happy hours that start from 12pm onwards!

You might like to know that parking is available and free (for now, perhaps as the building as new.).

For more: https://www.facebook.com/mostowinebarkl/ or https://mostowinebarkl.com/

Don’t say I bojio!

- Jon

Images: Mosto Wine Bar & Restaurant

A tapas trail with Campo Viejo wines

In an introduction of Campo Viejo to Malaysia, Pernod Ricard took us on a tapas trail right in the heart of Changkat Bukit Bintang, KL.

There's no other to enjoy drinking a Spanish wine the Spanish way, than to be on a tapas trail on a (always) summer Spanish  Malaysian weather. We were taken to Pisco Bar, El Cerdo and Havana Bar and Grill, where all were Spanish themed or influenced.

The wine and tapas trail was led by Darcy Wilkosz,
Wine Ambassador for global spirits and wine leader Pernod Ricard Winemakers

Campo Viejo wines hails from the Rioja region of the Rioja winery situated in the Ebro valley, north of Spain. Hosting us that evening was Pernod Ricard wine ambassador, Darcy Wilkosz.

Our trail started at Pisco Bar with a smorgasbord of charcoal grilled bone in rib steak. Here, the first of the series of three wines, Campo Viejo Tempranillo was paired with the scrumptious meats served.

I immediately took a liking to the first sip. On the nose, I had rich and deep aromas of dark fruits and on the palate came rich overripe grapes.

Half a bottle later, the second stop was a short 100m walk to El Cerdo’s. Famed for their porcine dishes, we had the Campo Viejo Reserva to go with a mushroom and escargo brioche and a chorizo slider.

The nose of the reserva was more intense and with more flavours coming through compared to the Tempranillo. If the former had dark fruits, the Reserva reminded me of preserved fruits. The Reserva had a nice balance of fruit and oak as it was matured for 18 months in American and French oak casks with an additional 18 more months aging in a bottle before being shipped off.

Lastly we finished off our trail at Havana’s bar and grill , up the road with the a light tapas offering of Spanish meatballs and the pairing with the campo Viejo Grand Reserva.

The grand reserva had all the signature nose and palate of the Reserva BUT with light tannin and a complex aftertaste of coffee, tobacco and chocolates. If you let it sit on the palate even longer, some hints of salty bacon comes through, but that could be from all the meat I had before that. I would want to savor this slowly. Aged for a minimum of 5 years, it spends 24 months in a mix of American and French oak casks with another 24 more months rounding in the bottle.

You can also hope on the tapas trail experience soon. For more information, visit www.campoviejo.com/cvtapastrail

Salud! ...and drink responsibly

- Jon

(Images from Pernod Ricard Malaysia)

A Majestic Rat Packed Christmas

The Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur is celebrating this upcoming festive season with a dedication to Hollywood’s most famous entertainers; Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford or collectively better known as the Rat Pack.

The Colonial Cafe's house band, The Solianos, will play tribute to the music of that era made famous by The Rat Pack alongside popular Christmas tunes.

Served as an accompaniment to the band is a separate Christmas eve 9-course dinner priced at RM280 per person or RM380 with wine pairing and a Christmas day 9-course dinner menu priced at RM220 or RM320 with wine pairing. Here is a small visual teaser of the menu’s offering.

Image: Majestic Hotel

If you’d like to check out the full menu, clink on this link to take your to Majestic Hotel's website.

But wait, there is more...

As the legend goes, Frank Sinatra was a long time fan of JD... which inspired the Jack Daniel's Sinatra Select. What makes this so special is that the whiskey is matured in "Sinatra Barrels" where the barrels are grooved to allow even more contact between the whiskey and wood and bottled at 45% ABV. I have not had an opportunity to sip this dram yet, but here is a bit of the background story behind it and the tasting profile on Master of Malt.

This is exclusively only available at the Majestic Hotel's Smoke House. I’d recommend that with some Cubans and the “Rat Pack Gentleman's” Afternoon Tea (canape-style bites, tea & coffee) at RM80 nett per person that's accompanied with a tankard of beer throughout December.

- Jon

A wine experience with Zenzero & the Gladiators from Antinori

Recently we had the privilege of an invite to Zenzero Restaurant & Wine Bar at St Mary’s Residence KL for a wine pairing dinner featuring Italian wines from Antinori Winery, hosted by Mr Guido Vannucchi from Antinori itself.

As with most wineries, Antinori is steeped in history, being in production for over 6 centuries and family ran for 26 generations. The winery sits in the Tuscany and the Umbria region of Italy, home of many great Italian wines.

Like gladiators of the past, 6 Antinori champions were presented to us for our palates' entertainment, accompanied by an exclusive Italian food pairing menu curated by Zenzero.

We started with a bubbly, the Antinori Montenisa Franciacorta Brut. Fruity and dry, it is said that it could rival a respectable bottle of champagne. Paired with a delightful assaggini of canapes, it sure whetted our appetite for more.

Next came Villa Antinori Bianco 2014 paired with an amuse bouche of cold angel hair pasta with smoked salmon and salmon roe which was a joy in every bite. Guido mentioned that this would be considered an entry-level wine. Fresh and crispy, it was super easy drinking. It's a bottle one could introduce to first-time wine drinkers. This is not one meant for keeping, but to be consumed young to retain its crispness.

Moving on to something heavier, we had the La Braccesca Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2014 with the Black Angus Carpaccio "Quattro Formaggi" which did not disappoint. The darker berries and some spiciness begs for food in your mouth. When paired with the paper thin slices of black angus carpaccio dressed in aged balsamic vinegar and 4 different cheeses comprising of Gorgonzola, Fontina, Grana Padano, and Goat cheeses, it was a sweet marriage.

The Il Bruciato 2014 vintage came next paired with Pearl Barley Risotto in drunken cheese and pine nuts. Now for those of us expecting ‘rice’, the barley in place of actual risotto was rather interesting as the barley was more chewy than your typical grain. The woody, fruity finish from the wine was light enough to match with this risotto.

The main course of Black Angus Tenderloin & Foie Gras was paired with Guado al Tasso 2012.  What makes this wine special is that the harvesting and selection of the grapes of the wine is exclusively done by hand, then after being aged in a year in French oak barrels, only the finest batches are chosen to be blended again for another 6 months in oak.

The legs on this went on forever and what caught me by surprise was the curry leaves scent I got on the nose. The dish itself was easily the highlight of the night as the steak was done well (never well done, please!)  and the foie gras perfectly creamy. Our group pretty much savoured this in silence, with an occasional ooh or aahs punctuating the air when a bite or sip was taken.

Lastly for dessert, a sweet wine, Vino Liquoroso Santa Cristina Donato degli Antinori, was paired with a Lemon and Thyme cake and Cannoli alla Siciliana, which was so cheerful it looked the sun had sneezed its rays on the plate, thanks to the melted candy (I think) garnish.

For someone who has a fondness for old world wines, these Italian wines was right up my alley. If we had to choose our winner tonight it had to be the complex and bold Guado al Tasso 2012. Of course, having it paired with what was our favourite dish of the night might have helped skewed my bias towards it.

Mr Guido shared with us his belief that wine is pleasure. Well, this session was definitely more than a pleasure. Thank you all for having us. Salute!

- Jon

Malaysia Wine Fiesta 2017 (Win Tickets!)

So, by now, you would’ve heard that the Better Beer Fest 2017 is now canned (sorry, too soon?). Apparently the fate of the Klang Valley Octoberfest celebrations are also uncertain now.

But, let's not get this put a damper our spirits (...sorry). There is still a Wine Fiesta 2017!!

The banner pretty much says it all - Malaysia's largest annual wine festival is back and features 70 wines from 29 wineries across 8 countries (from France, Italy, Portugal, England, USA, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa) for 3 days.

Details:

Malaysia Wine Fiesta (30th October)
Try, taste and buy all the wines from 3pm to 10pm
Roof Garden, Damansara City (DC) Mall
RM98 nett for early birds until 30th September, RM108 nett and RM130 nett for walk-ins.
Click here to purchase tickets.

Winemakers’ Dinner (31st October)
Enjoy a specially curated food menu by Chef James, pair it with all the wines and chat with the winemakers.
Mr.Chew’s Chino Latino Bar, Bukit Bintang
Only 80 seats available at RM320++/seat
RSVP to +6016 228 2084

Samadhi Carnival (1st November)
A collaboration with the Samadhi Group in conjunction with their 18th anniversary,  it promises to fill you up with food, wine, music and a good time at Tamarind Springs. Plus stand a chance to win prizes when you hashtag #SamadhiCarnival2017 and #LSAxSamadhi in your event day photos.
RM123 nett (till 30 September), RM153.75 nett
For more and to buy tickets: Click here

More info about the organiser and event: https://www.facebook.com/straitswinecompanymalaysia/

#WineFiestaMY
#MyStraitsWines

WIN TICKETS TO WINE FIESTA 2017!

Thanks to the folks at Straits Wines, win a PAIR of tickets & try ALL the wine you want for FREE! Simply follow these steps for a chance to win:

On Instagram:
1. Like my Instagram page (if you haven’t already!)
2.  Share the event poster on your instagram page (make sure it is open to public) 
3. Tag a friend on my page and comment why you think you should win.

On Facebook:
1. Like my Facebook page (if you haven’t already!)
2. Share my FB Wine Fiesta post on your Facebook timeline (make sure your settings is set to public) 
3. Tag a friend on my page and  comment why you think you should win.

Contest ends at the end of the week - 16 October 2017  and other T&C apply (I'll make it as I go). Winners will be PM-ed for personal details – so make sure your Instagram/Facebook pages are accessible for me to PM you!

I’ll see you there. Don’t say I #bojio!

-Jon

Know about your wine before you drink it - Vivino

Note: This is not paid nor sponsored post, but we really wished it was. :)

Source: Sotheby's

Wine has always been my Achilles heel. Not because I don’t like it, but it is so vast in variety and so subjective. What I can tell is if a wine is bad (which really just means, I don't like it) or no good. And then there are wines which are just absolutely divine in the mouth. Both I'll only know once I have the wine with me, and it's opened, and the liquid's in the mouth.

What I really can't gauge is wine prices or possibly what we should be expecting from it just based on the bottle itself. So this is where this little app on my phone is very helpful - Vivino.

Event: Malaysia Wine Fiesta 2016

WOOT! 5 pairs of entry tickets up for grabs! Read till the end of the post for more.

What is it:
A wine fair that lets you taste, learn about (from 15 visiting winemakers) & buy (at a promo rate) over 60 types of wines from France, Italy, New Zealand, Spain, South Africa, USA and even China. Ideal for wine noobs to connoisseurs of all (legal drinking) ages!

As a prelude to the main event, there’s also a Wine Makers’ Night - a private dinner with the winemakers featuring a 10-course meal paired with 12 wines!

Jacob's Creek Heritage Wine Collection Dinner @ Saujana Resort

Jacob's Creek Reeves Point Chardonnay + chilling at Saujana Resort = Bliss.

There's a trend that's taking over wine makers by storm - going rogue and breaking all the rules with new grape varieties, wacky names, edgy copy-writing and eye-catching label designs.

Sweet bitch. Fat Bastard. Bulls Blood. Gnarly Head. Fish Eye. Hocus Pocus. Bitch. Frog's Piss. Elephant on a Tightrope. No, I'm not making up rude words - these are ACTUAL wine brand names.

New: Gyukingu Japanese BBQ New Outlet @ Sri Hartamas (Feat. Wine Pairing Dinner)

Spurred on by the success of their first outlet at Kota Damansara, Gyukingu has ventured on to open their second one - at the super happening hub of Sri Hartamas.

Gyukingu specialises in Japanese BBQ or yakiniku. While not an uncommon concept locally, what sets them apart from the noise is their focus on premium cuts of meat.

I've been to the Kota Damansara outlet before and was quite wow-ed by it. I have Japan-crazy friends (who makes annual/bi-annual trips to Japan) who claim that this is one of the better yakikinus available in Malaysia and the price while steep, is fair for its quality. All I know is this - it made an impression and I knew another trip was due some day soon.

So it was a very nice surprise when a bunch of us were kindly invited by the team from Cleansui (who are Gyukingu's official water filter system providers) to commemorate the opening of new outlet with a yakiniku wine pairing event. YIPPEE!

Experience: Eight Gourmets Gala's Monthly Wine Tasting Feat. Canaletto & Carpineto Italian Wines

Was invited to check out one of Eight Gourmet Gala's (EGG) wine dinner sessions recently.

L-R: Carpineto dogajolo bianco igt, Canaletto pinot grigio, Carpineto dogajolo rosso igt, Carpineto chianti classico docg, Carpineto brunello di montalcino docg

Insta Weekly: Gyukingu's new outlet - #CocktailTrailKL - Crackhouse Comedy Club - #MyTigerBites Finale - NewMan's #Cpa2015

Hoo boy. We've just come into the second week of November and it already feels like the end of it. Expecting a mad rush of parties and events towards the end of 2015 (to meet sales targets or to use up the allocated A&P budget I suspect, hehe). Here are 5 to start with:

Gyukingu Japanese BBQ's New Outlet + Wine Pairing 

Congratulations on the opening of the second outlet in Hartamas (just next to Old Town Coffee)!