Jul 2, 2012

  At a trade tasting event in Seoul and later again in Hong Kong, I was pleasantly surprized by the quality of the white wines from the island of Samos in Greece. It is home to co-operative of winegrowers making some lovely wines that deliver great freshness, balance and fruit at value pricing. I was impressed by the clarity and focus of these wines which grow...

Jun 28, 2012

Forest Hill’s reislings from the Mount Barker region in Western Australia stopped me in my tracks. I though I was tasting something from the Rhine or Alsace. These reisling are austere, mineraly and incredibly focused with a lively personality and elegance. There is none of the sweet tropical juiciness that is often expressed in alot of reislings from...

May 24, 2012

This years Seoul Wine and Spirits Expo was held on May 3-5th, was an improvement on last years event which failed to gather much interest from the trade. It was the 10th year for the event with plenty of consumer attendees on Friday and Saturday though the organisers have yet to release actual attendee figures. There was a good representation of wines from...

May 17, 2012

In late April James Suckling visited Korea for the first time. He came here to host a dinner for Casanova di Neri, a producer of Brunello di Montalcino, which was part of a larger series of events by Quintessentially Korea and Gallery 21. I asked James a few questions about his approach to wine, scoring and wine writer ethics. We started by talking about why...

May 3, 2012

Located in a back street down the hill from Itaewon market, Braai Republic is casual, friendly and fun unless you’re vegetarian. If you love a barbecue (or Braai as they are known in South Africa) then you’ll love this place. The kitchen occupies 30% of the interior.  A massive gas grill and large benches are installed to prepare and barbecue...