I love Merlot. I like how it tastes and I like how it sounds... Merlot. The name is said to originate from a local black bird in France, known as a merlau in its original Latin derivative, who enjoyed eating the ripe grapes straight off the vine.
We continue our wonderful wine review series: Widya’s Wines, with the ebullient and knowledgeable.
When we hear “Bordeaux” we always think of good wines, wines that are luxurious and oftentimes expensive. These are wines that are likely to impress others if you order a bottle in a restaurant! But did you know there are about 10,000 wine producers in the whole of Bordeaux and not all produce luxurious and expensive wines, in fact most of them are affordable and not at all luxurious. But yes, they are excellent quality thanks to the exceptional terroir of Bordeaux.
Do you know what is the most planted grape in the world? It is Cabernet Sauvignon. This grape is found in almost all of the wine-growing regions with different climates and different terroirs; this means that whilst it will have the characteristic of the grape itself, it will also express the unique characteristics of the individual environment in which it grows.....
I will take you to a very interesting country, Chile. Chile extends 4300 km from north to south but is only 160 km wide. Imagine 160 km wide is only about the same as Bundaran HI Jakarta to Gedung Sate Bandung or from Kuta Bali to Gilimanuk port and connects the Pacific Ocean and the Andes Mountains. And from the desert in the north to Patagonia in the South.
Burgundy is a topic that is difficult to study but very pleasing to taste. For me it is soft, delicate, and delicious. Every glass, a different taste, the whispers of different villages speaking their own language. You will never see the word Burgundy on the label of the wines , rather it will say Bourgognes, the French word.
I am a big fan of Italian wines. For me they are bold, straight forward yet elegant and full of character. Enjoying layer upon layer, the aroma and flavour in the Italian wines I savoured were intense.
This issue we continue our exploration of the different “genres” of wines that are available to drink in Indonesia, moving on from the first review of Chardonnay. Our guest wine expert is the wonderful Ni Nyoman Kertawidyawati, SE Par, CHT, CHE Corporate Training and Development Manager at PT Hatten Bali but she is also Advisor of the Indonesia Sommelier Association Bali Chapter and Secretary of Asian Wine Producers Association – AWPA among her many other titles and awards. To her friends she is just Widya!
Riesling for me is the hero for pairing, it is so easy to pair with food and presents levels of sweetness that make it incredibly complementary with Indonesian cuisine. Even a simple vegetable pairing with Riesling will not go wrong!
Raising a glass of bubbly to toast at any event is a symbol of celebration, it makes it a party, fun! For me bubbly is a instant mood changer, the lovely appearance of the bubble, the fresh tempting aroma, even the sound of bubble in the glass (try to listen to your wine bubbles in the glass, you will be thrilled!). Do you know that back in history, sparking wine was called as "The Devil's Wine" as it was dangerous and caused many accidents due to the bottles explosing! In the old days winemakers controlled this interesting but uncontrollable wine with heavy metal masks, until the British, around 17th century, found an interest in sparkling wine instead of their regular still wine that was supposed to be received from the Champagne producing area.
Opening a bottle of Rosé takes my imagination to sunshine, cool breezes off the ocean on the beach, fresh after dipping in the pool, on to a great meal with delicious wine and food pairing combination ... yes all because of Rosé.