Discovering Italian’s sparkling wine- Moscato D’Asti

JC Vien’s picks a Moscato D’Asti from from Romano Dogliotti for this week’s Winebuzz pick.

JC Viens is a wine educator and holder of the prestigious Diploma Level 4, WSET and a certified International Bordeaux Educator. He is an avid wine lover and selects the Moscato D’Asti from Italy, origin of some of the most rewarding wines.

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Master of Wine Debra Meiburg’s “Meet the Winemaker” Video Series

Candid New Wine Video Series Launched Online.

Hong Kong’s very own Master Of Wine, Debra Meiburg, has just launched an online video series called “Meet the Winemaker” which is a charming “all-access” look at the wine industry and reveals the personal side of its movers & shakers.

Debra’s video offers an intimate look into the lives of the world’s most interesting and influential wine personalities including Ernst Loosen , Emmanuel Cruse from Chateau D’Issan, actor Sam Neil who has his own vineyard, and Cecile Bonnefond from Veuve Clicquot, among others.

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Expert Wine Picks: Vins de Vienne “Sotanum” 2003

The Sommelier of Sheraton picks a Sotanum 2003 for Winebuzz.hk Expert Picks this week.

Alan Tsui is the sommelier at Sheraton Hong Kong, where wine is an important part of their offering. Their SkyLounge wine room stocks an exclusive rare wine list from around the world and was one of the first in the city to install the Enomatic Wine Dispenser; allowing it to serve the widest range of wine by the glass anywhere in Hong Kong.

Back to the wine selected, the Vins de Vinenne “Sotanum” 2003 is a wine produced by the Vins de Vienne vineyard in the Rhone Valley, France. The vineyard’s historical significance dates back to the times of the Roman Empire and the vineyards of Seyssuel were already known for their quality.

The forgotten vineyard was revived in 1996 by four top winemakers from the right bank of the Rhône; Pierre Gaillard, Francois Villard, Yves Cuilleron, and later on Pierre-Jean Villa. They planted the first Syrah vines in 1996 and have been producing 3 crus: Sotanum, Taburnum and Heluicum on the now 19 hectares vineyard. The Sotanum stays in oak barrels for 20 months and is a concentrated wine with ripe, rich flavours and a full, long finish.

According to wine critics, this is a label that deserve serious attention.

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Expert Wine Picks: Brut Franciacorta Cuvee Ca Del Bosco 2004

Our wine pick this week is one of Italy’s most famous sparkling wines.

Paolo Gorreri is the Manager of Grissini at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong. This week for Winebuzz.hk’s expert wine picks, he selects a Franciacorta Cuvee Ca Del Bosco 2004.

Franciacorta Spumante is one of the most appreciated sparkling wines from Italy and the best alternative to Champagne. Made from Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Bianco grapes, the sparkling wine is then fermented in the ‘traditional way’ for a period of time – quite long in this case of more than 25 months in the bottle.

The area of Franciacorta in Italy is situated in Lombardy, in the county of Brescia. The wine served in Grissini is specially labeled in the magnum bottle for the restaurant. The magnum bottle size is 1.5 liter, the equivalent of two standard bottles and you can get up to 10 full glasses from a bottle. We especially ordered the sparkling wine be bottled in magnum bottles because it ages better compared to regular bottles as there’s less oxygen to slow down the ageing process, thereby allowing for more nuance and complexity to develop in the evolution of the wine.

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