Tasting notes

Did you know that the Taiwanese and the Chinese make natural wine "critics?" Just ask Simon Tam, food and wine connoisseur and director of the International Wine Center in Hong Kong.
"Europeans have to work really, really hard to be good at it but the (Taiwanese and Chinese have a flair for it)," Tam said at a recent Moet Hennessy wine-and-food pairing event in Taipei. The luncheon celebrated some of the best harvests of Moet Hennessy's four wine estates - the award-winning Cape Mentelle in the Margaret River of Western Australia, Cloudy Bay Vineyards in New Zealand's Marlborough Region, Green Point in Australia's Yarra Valley, and Terrazas de los Andes in Mendoza, Argentina.

"When you make soup at home, you immediately know if it's too salty by tasting it. You know if it is made from frozen (meat). You can even taste the different flavors in the pot: Pork, chicken, ham, Chinese mushrooms, and compoy. You know if you put too much or too little of those ingredients. You also know if it's just MSG you are tasting, and if the soup is too heavy or too light," Tam said. "You know all those things with just one sip."

Use those same "soup indicators" with wine and you are all set to understanding, enjoying, and discovering the delights of the fruit of the vine, the wine expert said.

Born in Hong Kong and raised in Australia, Tam has been acknowledged as one of Hong Kong's top wine and food critics. He has even judged in more than 35 professional wine competitions worldwide, and is the chairman of the annual Business Traveler Asia Wine Competition. A much-sought after speaker, Tam has presented his views on the Asian wine industry all over the world. To this connoisseur, Asian food and wine make an unbeatable pair.

"It's not good enough anymore to say that red wine goes with red meat, and white wine with white meat. That's silly and boring. Besides, that doesn't even work," Tam said bluntly.

"Wine appreciation is about crossing cultural boundaries as well. It has taken a long, long time for the West to catch up and see that wine goes well with Chinese food. Unlike the Europeans who eat their main course with a glass of red, we do not really do that. We have four glasses of different wines in front of us, and we choose the wine that goes well with the dish. To us, that makes more sense."

At the Moet Hennessy luncheon, Tam served five New World wines with traditional Chinese dishes. The wines were Green Point Sparkling Non-Vintage, Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2005, Green Point Victoria Shiraz 2004, Cape Mentelle Cabernet Merlot "Trinders" 2003, and the very robust Terrazas Reserva Malbec 2004.

The Green Point Sparkling Non-Vintage is a delightful take on the Australian classic, sparkling red - the Chandon Sparkling Pinot Noir Shiraz. It is a deep, rich burgundy, with flashes of vibrant ruby. The nose offers an array of dark berry fruit, from ripe cherries and blackberries to black currants and sweet blueberries. Complimenting the lifted fruit characters are sweet spice notes of licorice, aniseed and a hint of cinnamon and cloves. The concentrated fruit and spice notes carry over onto the palate.

The Sauvignon Blanc from the Cloudy Bay wine estate in the Marlborough region is pale straw green in color and vibrantly aromatic. Refreshingly crisp, the 2005 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc is like an infusion of fresh ginger, sweet basil, and lemongrass layered over ripe tropical and citrus fruits.

Green Point Victoria Shiraz is deliciously "soft." It has dark fruit aromas with hints of peppercorn and spicy sweet vanilla oak.

Cape Mentelle Cabernet Merlot "Trinders" 2003 is inspired by the classic wines of Bordeaux. Cape Mentelle has developed an international reputation for long lived Cabernet and this blend seeks to capture all the qualities of this variety and create a well rounded, earlier drinking style with the addition of Merlot and a little Cabernet Franc. Delicious black currant and dark cherry aromas waft over an undercurrent of cinnamon and cloves.

By Marie Feliciano