i'm wish to learn more...

i love this thread, but not good in english, hard to express..
oh ya..went to some place, ask for the absinthe, but the bar tender don't know what it is..

How much would the cheapest cohiba cost? Planning to get one for my special occasion

Cool... Lafite is very nice. How much did it cost? You can PM me, we can compare notes on prices that we paid

Anyone interested in the 2008 vintage on en primeur basis (delivery 2011)? I just bought 4 cases: 1 each of la Conseillante, Pichon-Lalande, Leoville-Barton and Alter Ego de Palmer. The first 3 for investment (and drinking if the investment don't work out), the Alter Ego, for drinking. Am also trying to secure a case of the Lafite, Latour, Ausone, Mouton-Rothschild or Leoville Las-Cases (depending on price and availability) for investment. On top of that, probably get a case of either Angelus or Cos D'Estournel because I like them.

Palmer is interesting this year because its a majority Merlot (51%) when usually it's majority Cab Sauv, and that's unusual for a Margaux blend. I was tempted but since I am already getting their Alter Ego, I thought I should give Palmer a miss this time.

I've been hearing great things about d'Angludet making their best vintage ever and that it's a great deal since it's so cheap relative to the others. I was tempted to get a case, and upon reaching the right age, start opening it one bottle a year, but I've already gone and bought the Alter Ego for that, so I gave it a miss. I wonder if I will regret it later.

As I will be going to Paris later this year, am thinking of making a 2N stop in Bordeaux and squeezing in a quick tasting at Pape Clement and Haut-Brion (both are very near to the city of Bordeaux), so I can pick up some cheap Pape Clement and related wines. But then again, maybe I can get the same by just locating a good wine shop in Paris (there should be many!).

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Added on April 25, 2009, 2:11 amFYI, Robert Parker is giving out his scores next week.

I just bought a case of the 2008 Latour, seems to be real popular, and I only managed to get the 2nd tranche (1st tranche sold out in 2 hours). Still looking for 1 more top-end (Lafite, Ausone, Margaux or Mouton) and 1 very good near-top-end (Cos D'Estournel, Figeac, Angelus). Am still tempted by Palmer because it's an unusual vintage thats also on the top 10 lists of many wine experts.

Pape Clement was around EUR40-50 for vintages in last few years (excluding 2005) per bottle at the Pape Clement chateau shop. I would expect prices in Paris to be a little higher than that. HB, I really have no idea. What really interested me was the 2nd wine of Pape Clement, as well as their white. Both very nice (and around EUR 25-30 at the chateau shop).
Being a non-smoker I can confirm that... can't stand the smell of cigar... any cigar.

may i know how much absinthe cost roughly ?

I am totally game for this man!

I have a box of Petit Corona Montecristo no 3 babeh, 10's
haven't smoked them yet hoho

personally, wine.. is another lovely enjoyment
Barossa Valley vinehyards

any review/comments on Rosemount wines? I tried their diamond label Carbernet Merlot and it taste really good.

Whisky lover in the house...
mostly got for the single malts...

my faves include the smookey ones from the islay region:
Laphroaig, Lagavulin and Ardbeg

For casual drinking in bars i don't mind the Balvanie and Macallans

Go hard on the Black labels when the objective is just to get "hin"

Sifus
What is a reasonable wine chiller to have at home ? I am looking to store about 20-24 bottles. I find those sold in wine shops over priced and not sure of their quality. Pacific seems to be sold every where, are there others ?

smoking a cigar is an art. Unlike puffing on some ciggies, you smoke a cigar to enjoy its taste, appreciate its roll quality, its history of preparation.

i started smoking cigars 2 years back and must say i have enjoyed every cigars that i have tasted. From my first romeo y julieta Belvedere, to my regular favorite monte cristo Regata and i even got a taste of the gurkha black dragon once.

here are some advice when smoking cigars.

Storing it

Do NOT put it in the fridge to "keep it fresh". Your cigar is best kept inside a humidator. If you don't have one or don't plan to get one then buy cigars only when you want to smoke them. keeping them wrongly will make them lose flavor or even worse, get moldy

Cutting it

Remember to only cut the tip of your cigar. The size of the cut should determine the intake and the strength of flavor that your will get (the bigger the cut, the more you get). NEVER bite the tip of your cigar. It does not make you look like Tony Montana or any other Italian mafia for god sakes. You just spent good money so don't do something stupid

Lighting it up

DO NOT lite your cigars with a regular lighter. This will alter the taste and you wont truly enjoy the taste of the cigar. Instead use a wooden match (but wait until the tip is fully burned) or a butane lighter, which will preserve the taste. Remember to "roast" the cigar first, so that you will get a full burned cigar, instead of a partially burned one.

Taste Enhancements

dipping a cigar in whisky will enhance the taste, but make sure ur using good whisky and not some cheap ones. Dip it gently, drip it off, then smoke it

take your time when smoking a cigar. Keep the smoke in your mouth for a while to truly taste it. try different cigars, both cheap 7-11 ones and those expensive cubans. After a while you will know how to tell a difference between a good cigar and a cheap one and voila! you are a cigar connoisseur

Had it in Swiss when i was studying there dude. The owner of the shop had His Majesty Reserve displayed at the entrance. He said he'll only smoke it if Swiss wins the world cup.

i know of a shop in Sri Hartamas who imports cigars. i guess they can import some for you but it will be bloody expensive though

Hi guys,

I thought I might contribute a bit to this thread..
I have 8 bottles of Chateau Latour 2002, 3 bottles of Penfold Grange (One 1986 and two 2004), and some Penfold 707, Henschke, Rockford etc. I am currently using the Barrique wine chiller 140 bottles.

I am looking for someone to help me a wine cellar 8ft by 10ft, together with the cooling system and wall and ceiling insulation. Any suggestion?

Anyone into pink wine? grapes which have their skin peel off? I kinda like their sweet and light tasting.. Didnt see any when I was in Malaysia.

Easy to drink and I think most people would like it

Hi Sliver2c

Thanks for the reply. Actually I reside in Penang. I think for someone to come from Singapore to make the wine cellar is definitely going to be expensive. I will probably bring in the cooling system and ask the aircon guy to do the ducting etc. Wine fridge is definitely more cost effective, but for aesthetic reason, I would construct a wine cellar with glass windows. Where do you normally buy your wines? I got mine mainly from overseas travel. In Oz, you can claim WET tax and GST if you can bring your wine out, but the wines had to be kept in your check-in luggage.

Guys,

Just wondering how you guys store your cigars? I've got no humidor at home and recently while purchasing some at the airport, was told by the salesman, that can keep the cigars in a zip lock with some water sprinkled in it. Any comments?

Bought Montecristo no4, no 5 and Don Antonio.

anyone can give me suggestions on first time drinking champagne or sparkling wines ?

hm , i'm not a drinker and my friend and i are trying to try alcohol for the very first time

erm , perhaps something sweet like . not going for wine . it's for a friend's birthday . is there any good labels that can be recommended ?

i love red wine... tat day i had tried one which brought by my fren... very nice... you can refer ya!~~

Vino Fernandez
Cabernet Saurignon
Central Valley -Chile
Year 2006

Sure, before we begin I would like to say that appreciation of wine is all subjective.

First thing I would look for when drinking champagne or sparkling is to admire is appearance. I would always look for a golden hue of yellow in my champagne, nothing too pale. Another important aspect I admire is the bubbles, I prefer the bubbles to be fine and tiny, not huge bubbles like those you get when you are drinking coca-cola or other soft drinks. It is an enjoyment to watch tiny bubbles floating to the surface in a line.

Second thing I would look for is the smell. Champagne normally smells of toast, yeast, buttery, lemon, nutty. Try to look for some other more exotic smells as well which I've not mentioned, maybe melon?

Third thing to enjoy is the taste, which is normally sour-ish, creamy, nutty and dry (I like it dry). Notice how I always mention nutty, it's because drinking sparkling makes u wanna eat nuts (for me at least). You should also enjoy the feel of bubbles forming in your mouth.

Fourth thing is to understand that champagne makes you high slightly quicker than other alcohol because it dissolves easily in your bloodstream and has higher alcohol content than beer. Normally you will get tipsy when u're still happily cheering your drinks around.

Lastly, champagne and sparkling is meant for sharing. Share the moment with your friends and family. There's no better moment to celebrate than when you're gathered together.
Wilson J Q Quah
Wine Enthusiast
WineActually.com
Malaysia's First Online Wine Merchant
WineActually TV
Malaysia's First Wine TV

saw ashton but looks dark in color..full body?

Dear LYN members, I'm looking to form a small wine tasting group.
I have a wine tasting course guide that we can use.
Other than to learn all about wine, this would also be an opportunity for us to taste as many types of wine as possible and more affordably than drinking alone.
I'm looking for no more than 5-7 interested members and those who fit the following requirements:

1. Interest in wine, obviously.
2. But we do not need experts. We need beginners/intermediate drinkers who want to be able to differentiate Merlot from Shiraz in a blind test at the end of the course. On a knowledge level from 1-10, perhaps 2-5.
3. Commitment to be able to meet at least once every 2 weeks.
4. Able to budget about RM100-125 for every wine tasting session.
5. Have your own wine glasses.

Anybody who is interested, please state your interest by replying to this post and PM me your contact details.

Do note, that I'm a beginner and I'm doing this a self-study and seek like-minded members who are interested in wine.

Dear sliver2C, thanks for your support on my call to look for members to form a wine tasting group.
Actually, I had wanted to put it up as a new post but accidentally, put it into your thread.
And so I tried to repost it but moderator pull it out.

The nett effect is that we can see there is hardly any replies from members who may be interested.

*** I have tried asking my friends before but you see, friends does not necessarily mean we all have the same interest.
Therefore, I'm looking for people with the same interest only.
Question:
1) From the budget u estimated, seems like RM500 - RM 875 per session. What kind of wine you propose to test within this budget?

*** The wines are all pre-selected/pre-suggested in the wine course study.
Roughly, each session, we are supposed to taste anywhere from 4 - 6 different types of wine.
There will be sessions where the cost may be cheaper as maybe there will be more New World wines.
In some sessions, like Desert Wines - the cost may be quite costly.
But the whole purpose is for us to form a group so that we can share out the cost.
2) Why wanna bring our own glass?

*** Because if there were 6 different types of wine for us to taste, it means you need 6 different glasses.
And you don't expect me to carry about 40 - 50 glasses for everyone right?
And also, maybe the place we are going to hold our wine tasting sessions may not have wine glasses at all or not that many.
3) How about the location?

*** I have identified 2 locations as of now.
A friend's restaurant in Bangsar (don't worry, I can always nego with him) or at Denise Wine Shop TTDI.
Or at a Siew Yuk restaurant in Tmn Megah.
But if you guys have any other suggestions, then please feel free to do so.

So, Jimmy and Silver2C, are you guys on?