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  • To de-stem or not de-stem
  • By Jeannie Cho Lee
  • on 26 Jul 2010 in Wine

  • I have seen grown men go weak in the knees after tasting a glass of 1990 La Tache by Domaine de la Romanee Conti or a 1978 Cros Parantoux by Henri Jayer. Great Burgundy evokes a very different response compared with a wonderful bottle of Bordeaux; not even a 1961 Petrus or a 1947 Lafite makes a man swoon in the same way as a perfect glass of Burgundy. Its seductiveness is altogether feminine and subtle, quite different from the firm, sturdy tannins of Bordeaux with a powerful palate structure. read more

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  • Avoiding fakes - know the provenance of your wines
  • By Jeannie Cho Lee
  • on 16 Jul 2010 in Wine

  • I was thrilled recently to be invited to Ambassadeurs, the fine dining restaurant of Hotel de Crillon, a grand former French palace and later, private mansion of Count of Crillon. The food, as expected was exceptional, but it was the wines I was really looking forward to: A vertical of Domaine de la Romanee Conti including a 1950 in magnum. I asked my Parisian host, “What is the provenance of these bottles?” He looked at me as though I was asking about the colour of his underwear. “This bottle is 60 years old, of course we don’t know,” he replied.

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  • 2009 en primeur - A sound investment?
  • By Jeannie Cho Lee
  • on 13 Jul 2010 in Wine

  • In March, I arrived in Bordeaux to taste the infant 2009s in barrel and was expecting to be underwhelmed by yet another so-called vintage of the century. I had read the hype about Bordeaux’ near-perfect growing conditions in 2009 but I couldn’t believe another phenomenal vintage had arrived so soon after the highly regarded 2005 and the 2000 vintages. I especially didn’t want to like Lafite (too many people beating its drum) and met Charles Chevalier, manager of Lafite, with my sternest professional hat on.

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  • Pleasing the new generation of wine lovers
  • By Jeannie Cho Lee
  • on 05 Jul 2010 in Wine

  • Watching the average twenty-something professional working at the desk, I feel a strong sense of angst. How is it possible for a person to be on the phone, typing a memo, reading emails, chatting online, glancing at the news and listening to music all at the same time? For this high tech internet generation, multi-tasking is not a skill, it is a way of life. With short attention spans that require constant navigation through an over abundance of information, what filters through and appeals to many is highly entertaining, short, snappy, often visual entertainment. read more

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