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  • Red wine with fish
  • By Jeannie Cho Lee
  • on 27 May 2011 in Wine

  • Twenty-two years ago, a good friend who is a food writer based in New York, David Rosengarten, published a book called Red Wine with Fish. The book, which was written together with wine consultant Joshua Wesson, never became an international best seller, but it raised a few eyebrows with its unorthodox approach to food and wine pairing. My copy of the book, now frayed at the edges with ear marked corners and my own scribbled handwriting on numerous pages, still makes me smile when I go back to it. I love the idea that the book was all about breaking “The Rules”. read more

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  • A new language of wine
  • By Jeannie Cho Lee MW
  • on 20 May 2011 in Wine

  • Listen closely to intense wine conversations and you might hear phrases like, ‘yes, it must have gone through malo’, ‘this wine ought to breath’. ‘tartaric was probably added’ or ‘poorly handled oak regiment’. Every industry and specialised field has its own language and wine is no different. When it comes to wine descriptions, there might be eight to ten adjectives attributed to one wine that can run the entire gamut of the citrus, tree fruit and tropical fruit families. read more

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  • Refreshing whites
  • By Jeannie Cho Lee MW
  • on 13 May 2011 in Wine

  • With the warm weather now upon us, I find myself reaching for cool white wines, especially those with lean citrus flavours and crisp acidity. In this category, the wine most readily available and the most popular is Sauvignon Blanc. We have all come to love New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs for their dependable style -- always vibrant, zingy and refreshing. Never mind that Sancerre and Pouilly Fume in the Loire Valley have been cultivating this variety for centuries, very few people heard of Sauvignon Blanc as a grape variety until the New Zealanders and the Americans came along. read more

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  • Is 2010 Bordeaux better than 2009? Part II
  • By Jeannie Cho Lee MW
  • on 05 May 2011 in Wine

  • Whether 2009 or 2010 is a better vintage will be an ongoing debate for many years to come. Consider 1899 versus the 1900 or 1989 compared with the 1990 or 1995 with the 1996. Great vintages can often come in pairs and 2009 and 2010 is following in this genre, creating avid debate among wine lovers and commentators. After tasting over 600 Bordeaux during the week of en primeur, I am in the 2009 camp, although I love the 2010s. The 2009s are more consistent across the board and more accessible, which may be one reason why I was seduced by them. read more

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