Don't like Shiraz. I prefer Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Merlot as single varietals or in blends in the various Bordeaux blends (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, in varying percentages, depending on the region and winemaker) or Burgundy blends (mostly Pinot Noir).

For lesser known but tasty reds, try Frankovka (Czech), Plavac Mali (Croatia), Lambrusco (Italy), Beaujolais-Villages (France).

2 ways:

1. Be all snobby and do it the "experts" way >> buy a bunch of wine books, take tasting lessons and buy only the "good" (expensive) stuff.
2. Do it the cheaper way, and taste the wine... if you like it, it's good; if you don't like it, it's bad.

Oklah.. a 3rd way that is somewhat in between:

Buy a decent intro to wine book (I suggest books by Hugh Johnson or Oz Clarke, they are easy to read; maybe also the Wines for Dummies).
Go to a few tastings by local wine shops - normally they open the cheaper stuff; good way to learn what kinds of wine you like.
As you develop your taste, buy a wine guide (my favourite is Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Guide - there is one issue every year) and use it to help you pick wines to buy or drink at restaurants. Then as you discover the different grades of wine as marked by the professionals, match that to your own personal tastes so you know what you like. Different people have different tastes.

My favourite winemakers:

France (Bordeaux): Margaux, Lafite-Rothschild, Angelus, Figeac, La Conseillante, Mission-Haut-Brion, Haut-Brion, Pape-Clement, Cos d'Estournel, Pape-Clement, Pichon-Lallande (formerly known as Pichon-Longueville Comtesse de Lalande), Leoville-Barton, Pontet-Canet
France (Sauternes): d'Yquem, Suduiraut

USA: Robert Mondavi (especially the Reserves, and Moscato Bianco from La Famiglia du Robert Mondavi), Opus One, Beringer (Stone Cellars Cab Sauv is especially good value; also the White Zinfandel Limited Vineyard Selection), Kendall-Jackson, Stag's Leap, Lamoreaux Landing (Riesling)

NZ: Cloudy Bay (especially Te Koko Sauvignon Blanc, and the Pinor Noir), Oyster Bay

Chile: Errazuriz (Don Maximiamo Founder's Reserve)

Germany: Dr Loosen, Fritz Haag, MonchHof

Hungary: Oresmus (Tokaji Aszu - get 4-6 puttonyos)

Czech: Tanzberg Mikulov

Italy: Bolla (Valpolicella)

Canada: Inniskillin

My recommendation for cheap but good drinks:
Italian wines - Valpolicella, Lambrusco
German wines - stick to Riesling Auslese/Spatlese (sweet) from Fritz Haag, Dr Loosen, Peter Nicolay
Austrian wines - Zweigelt
Czech wines: Frankovka (one of the cheaper varietals), most wines are cheap
Hungarian wines: Kekeporto, Tokaji Aszu (very sweet dessert wine)
French wines:
- Bordeaux (Cab Sauv/Merlot/Cab Franc blend): Pavillon Rouge (Margaux), Alter Ego (Palmer), Clementin (Pape-Clement); wines from Pauillac, St-Emilion, Pomerol, Pessac-Leognan (all sub-regions of Bordeaux)
- Sauternes (very sweet dessert wine): generally very exp, so you can find similar wines from Barsac or Cadillac.
- Burgundy (Pinot Noir): had good Burgundy from Volnay, so that's a good region
- Alsace (Riesling): Trimbach
- Beajoulais-Villages: George de Beouf
US wines: [stick to Robert Mondavi, Beringer, Kendall-Jackson; you can't go wrong with these 3.
- Cabernet Sauvignon: Stone Cellars (Beringer), Robert Mondavi (Napa Valley or Oakville), Kendall-Jackson
- Pinot Noir: Robert Mondavi (Napa Valley)
- White Zinfandel: Beringer Limited Vineyard Selection
- Riesling: Lamoreaux Landing (Finger Lakes, New York)
- Sauvignon Blanc: Robert Mondavi (Napa Valley), Beringer
Chilean wines: try those from Errazuriz, Caliterra,
Argentine wines: try those from Nicholas Catena (price ranges from cheap to very expensive)
NZ wines: Stoneleigh
Australian wines: Hunter's

I dislike: E & J Gallo, Jacob's Creek, most Chardonnay, all Shiraz, Culembourg (South Africa), Lou Lan (China), most Cabernet Sauvignon below 5 years old, US wines from other than California or New York, etc.

As you can see, my tastes differ from others, like Makakeke (who likes Jacob's Creek, which I dislike). There is no one best wine, IMHO. Everyone has different tastes. If you like a wine, don't let others change your mind if they are "snobbish" about it. It's you who are drinking it right?

Also more expensive doesn't mean better. For example, Tanzberg Mikulov had a blush (pink/rose) wine that I liked a lot, many of my friends loved it too when I opened a bottle at a wine party I held. Cost to me was RM20 since I bought it at the vineyard in Moravia directly. Chateau Lynch-Bages is supposed to be one of the top wines in Pauillac (Bordeaux), and price is expensive too. But when I tasted it, I really didn't like it. Neither did my 3 friends.

My favourite recommendation for this is are Beringer Stone Cellars wines (Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot) - go Merlot if you prefer lighter reds, Cab Sauv maybe too heavy for some people. There are also other reds I can recommend but they are not found easily in Malaysia, while Beringer Stone Cellars can be found quite easily.


Not true. If it tastes like grape juice, then it's not wine.

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Added on February 3, 2009, 4:16 pmIf you cork it back, and store in the fridge, generally not more than 3-4 days, a week at most. More than that, I wouldn't drink it as the taste would have changed too much from exposure to air.

Ice wine is indeed great, and too expensive especially here. I remember getting half-bottles of nice sweet Finger Lakes icewines for USD5 at the wineries themselves. But outside that area, all I can find are pricey Canadian icewines.

You can also try prosecco, which is Italian sparkling wine. It's slightly sweeter than champagne/sparkling wine. By the way, Champagne is sparkling wine from the Champagne region of France only. Any other sparkling wine, even if made the same way, is only sparkling wine, not Champagne.


This post has been edited by Traveler: Feb 3 2009, 04:16 PM

It really depends on the type of red wine (Bordeaux blend, Cab Sauv, Merlot, Cab Franc, Pinot Noir, Shiraz, etc...) and how it is stored. I am assuming that by storage you mean a proper storage facility that is both temperature and humidity controlled. In our hot and humid weather, this would mean a wine chiller unit. In colder countries, this could be an underground cellar that is about 12-16C.

Some reds don't benefit from any storage at all, and are meant to be drunk young (like Beaujolais Nouveau), while others can be kept for 10-20 years or more. It really depends. If you are talking 10-20 years type, then most likely it will be the Bordeaux or maybe also the Cab Sauv from California. It's best to get a wine guide to see recommendations for your particular wine. I recommend Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Guide. It's not so expensive and its small and light to carry around. If your wine isn't listed in it, then it's probably best to follow the generic recommendations for your wine/vintage/region.

The Pocket Wine Guide you can find in MPH or Kinokuniya. Get the 2009 edition. If they are out of stock, you can also try Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk, with the GBP so weak, it may be cheaper or similar price to have it shipped.

Storing wines at our ambient temperature around 30C is not a good idea. Red wine will tend to mature extra-fast. To properly store wines, you need to keep it around 12-16C. Merlot is not known to age well and should be drunk within 3-7 years in general. So you should drink your 2002 Merlot now, while your 2007 Merlot you can probably drink it within the next 2-3 years. I normally won't drink any Cab Sauv less than 5 years old, as I think they need the time to mature. Your 2002 CS should be drinkable already but I don't know for sure if it will benefit from further aging. You may want to check it with HJ's Pocket Wine Guide. Normally I drink my CS when they are between 5-12 years. I don't keep anything longer than that unless it is a high-end Bordeaux, Sauternes, sweet Riesling, icewine or Tokay.

1. If its a name I am not familiar with, I normally look it up in HJ's Pocket Wine Book.
2. That's odd, I never had any problems buying from Amazon US and shipping it to Malaysia. Try Amazon UK if you can't get Amazon US to work.

Good point. Some wineries post when-to-drink recommendations for their wines on their website.

My favourite wines for dessert are:

1. Chateau d'Yquem - Tasted the 2004, and this Sauternes is simply WOW! The price is also a WOW... so I could only afford to buy a half-bottle (375ml) of either 2002 or 2004 (which are decent years, but not the greatest) in HK (duty-free), and even that set me back close to RM600-700.
2. Moscato Bianco from La Familiglia du Robert Mondavi (Italian style offering from Robert Mondavi of Napa Valley, USA) - delicious and inexpensive (I paid around USD20 for it at the winery itself), but I don't know if they still make it.
3. A good Tokaji Aszu from Hungary - preferrably 4 or 5 puttonyos (measures of sweetness, the higher the number, the sweeter it is).

Heheh, yeah

I've done wine tasting at the wineries in New York's Finger Lakes region, California's Napa Valley and Bordeaux (Left and Right Bank). Lots of good stuff but sometimes some mediocre stuff as well.

Next week am planning to open a bottle of Pavillon Rouge (Chateau Margaux's 2nd wine) 1994 vintage over a nice dinner with business friends. I'm really looking forward to it, since I bought that bottle in 1998 and have kept it in proper storage these past 11 years.

When I went tasting in the Finger Lakes region, most wineries had free tastings. One even gave us cheese, crackers and a special dip for the crackers that used their wine as ingredient (it was super yummy - too bad they didn't sell the dip!). One or two charged up to US$3-5 for tastings. One of them had a microbrewery so you also taste their beer.

In Napa Valley, about half charged and half didn't charge. The most expensive tasting was at Opus One, US$28 for a glass. But they really filled that glass to the very top! And considering they sold a bottle for US$125 and Opus One is known as one of the best and most expensive from Napa Valley... not so bad lah the price. The wine is simply superb.

In Bordeaux, most of the top chateaux (the First Growths, Super Seconds), do not charge. Imagine getting a glass of 10 year-old Chateau Lafite (I saw a bottle in KL for sale around RM3.5K) or 20 year-old Chateau Figeac, for FREE! Well don't have to imagine, if you visit, you'll get it. Usually it's the lower-ranked chateaux that charge around EUR5-7 per person for tasting. It's understandable though, considering the top chateaux need only to sell one bottle and they can cover your tasting cost. The lesser chateaux's wines are usually around 10% of the price of the top chateaux and they don't have hordes of people clamouring to buy their wines, so they need to cover their costs. With several exceptions, you can generally taste the difference between the top chateaux and the lesser chateaux. It's quite noticeable, but whether it's worth paying 10-20x more... well everyone has a different view.

Yeah, they don't keep long, even if you keep them in the fridge. Some people use a vacuum pump to remove air from the bottle so that the wine lasts longer (you can buy the pump at most wine shops or even at wine sections at supermarkets). I've never used them as I finish my wines within a couple of days at most.

I think around RM45-60 is a good level to try a few red wines as a start. At that price, don't expect to find one suitable to keep. Instead try out a few different wines and see which ones you like. Start with Merlot, Pinot Noir (or Burgundy) and Valpolichella, and then move on to Cabernet Sauvignon (or Bordeaux) - at least 5 years old, Chianti, and Shiraz. After you know what you like, you can start to pick one for keeping. Try those wines from the usual countries: France, USA, Australia, NZ, Chile, South Africa. There's usually a decent selection at the hypermarkets.

Bear in mind that:
1. Merlot, Valpolichella, Pinot Noir/Burgundy are normally drunk relatively young.
2. Cab Sauv/Bordeaux is good for keeping (>5 years), but Chilean reds normally are already at their best after 5 years, and may not improve further.
3. Our >30C weather will "cook" the wines, and some believe it will make the wines mature faster than expected.


I don't know about champagne... never kept any.

Drink what you like, red or white, it doesn't matter. Some people believe that its better to start with sweet whites (riesling), then to less sweet whites (sauvignon blanc), then move to dry whites (chardonnay), light reds (merlot, pinot noir) and finally full-bodied reds (cabernet sauvignon, shiraz). But I started out with cabernet sauvignon and just loved it. So it really is up to you.

Below RM50 in Malaysia is not easy to find really good ones since our taxes are so high. Try Montana (NZ) Sauvignon Blanc (I think around 60-70), Robert Mondavi Woodbridge (USA) Sauvignon Blanc (50-60), and maybe some others from the Marlborough region of NZ and Napa Valley (USA). Then try Cloudy Bay (NZ) Sauvignon Blanc (around 140-170). You should be able to taste the difference.

Oyster Bay iSauvignon Blanc s very nice, I agree. Cheaper than Cloudy Bay. Unfortunately not as easy to find (in KL anyway).

I also like Cloudy Bay Te Koko Sauvignon Blanc. My favourite, although its very expensive, so I only buy it when I am overseas (where its much cheaper).

Icewine can be kept, but for long-term storage, like any wine, it should be kept in temperature/humidity controlled environments like wine chillers, especially in hot weather countries like Malaysia. I have kept icewines in my chillers for many years, the oldest icewine I have was bought 11 years ago, kept for 2 years in cool climate (US) and 9 years in chiller (Malaysia). Have drank them recently, and still taste great!

If you have kept your icewine in KL ambient temps for 5 years, I don't know if its still drinkable. I suggest opening them soonest and drinking them (if they are still drinkable), because hot weather tends to "cook" the wine and accelerates the aging/maturity process.

Steamboat usually have hot/spicy sauces like the chilli garlic sauce, which can overwhelm the delicate taste of fine wines. So if you want to drink wine with steamboat, I would suggest cheaper and sweeter wines (but not dessert wines) to go with it. Your budget of around RM40-50/bottle should be about right. Go for a sweet Riesling and have it chilled real cold before serving. Rieslings from Germany or Australia ought to be suitable for this.

If don't have wine chiller, you can use a normal fridge as a temporary storage place.

Yes, Riesling is white wine. Any brand will do. Just look for one within your budget. Since it's for steamboat, it probably won't matter much which winery made the wine. Just stick to your budget.

Icewine make for excellent dessert wines. I have several bottles of them from the Finger Lakes region of New York, Canada and Germany. Everytime I've opened a bottle for my friends, they've always loved it. Inniskillin is a well-known producer of wines. Although I've never had their icewines, I do like their Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc.

Port is fortified wine, and has a higher alcohol content than the other wines, usually >14%. Not exactly a type of wine that I particularly enjoy myself, but from time to time I've had some and they have always been pretty good. In fact the oldest wine I have ever tasted was a 1894 port back in 2007. So it was 113 years old when I had it.. marvelous!

Icewine looks like any other table wine, but is very sweet - like other dessert wines. Usually comes in tall thin bottles of 375ml. It's not caramel-thick but rather liquid. In Malaysia, you can find icewines at many wineshops, but usually they sell those from Inniskillin, a top producer of icewines from the Niagara region of Canada.

No.

Icewine is made by allowing the grapes to freeze on the vines during winter, and then picking them (usually at night) and crushing them while in frozen state, so that the "juice" is in its most concentrated form and have a very high sugar content. You can have icewines made from several types of grapes. Icewine typically has a higher sugar content than Sauternes.

From wikipedia:
Sauternes is made from a variety of grapes that have been affected by the Botrytis fungus (noble rot), which concentrates the flavours. It is also very sweet. In addition, wines made this way can only be called "Sauternes" if it's from the Sauternes region of Bordeaux in France.

From wikipedia:

Ice wine. Tiramisu is dessert so you need a dessert wine for that. However I haven't seen any icewines in Malaysia for below RM150. You can always look for small bottles or maybe some other dessert wines like late-harvest rieslings, or sauternes/barsac/cadillac.

Did you try all those icewines? I recently bought a few bottles of Inniskillin icewines... will have to try them sometime hehe.

Am off to UK & France soon... looking forward to some nicely-priced Bordeaux to drink while in Paris, hehe!