Tag: Portugal

Pairings

Pairing Leche Flan and Spirits: On Desserts and Libations

Posted on by Josh

I’m tempted to say I’ve never been a huge dessert person, but almost every week in high school involved at least one large bubble tea, my cravings a pendulum swinging between green tea and mango – there may have been a taro phase. Bubble tea in hand along with cheap (and good!) sushi found at what seemed like every block in that Vancouver neighbourhood, and with homework tucked in our backpacks: a past vision of our version of the Central Perk couch from Friends. That one month we became obsessed with High School Musical, which started with a bootleg CD passed among the student body, was a good one.

My dad was always the one known for making and bringing Filipino leche flan to parties, but his version was always a little too rich for me.… read more

Pairings

Pairing Lumpia and Pancit with Wine: on Journeys through Filipinx Identity

Posted on by Josh

Sometime during my childhood, some Filipinos I knew started identifying as “Pacific Islander” along with “Asian”. I didn’t think anything of it. In the present day – probably some time in 2018 – I go on a persistent Scruff date with a native Hawaiian. A bingo card for gay first date topics might include burned family connections or sexual shenanigans, but for me, a square always includes identity – which easily glided from an identity-driven blind wine tasting game at this wine bar. He comments: yes, why do Filipinos like to check the Pacific Islander box? I don’t get it. I don’t disagree. The rest of the date is fine, but I feel bad about partially wondering how to escape this date unscathed because I’m in the mood for accelerated drunkenness with my friends and this wine just isn’t doing it.… read more

Life · Quaffing · Tasting

24 wines for turning 24

Posted on by Josh

This post serves two purposes: a sincere smile-and-nod to the 23rd year of my life, and a spring cleaning wine dump of, coincidentally, a number of bottles that equals the number of anniversaries since I was pushed out of my mother. Alas. The past prime number of a year has been good to me, and I’m stoked for the next. Beyond this whole becoming-an-adult thing, I’ve done many things including completing the WSET Diploma (i hate to keep mentioning about it – but perhaps the youngest in BC to do so!), changing jobs, travelling to New York, travelling to France, travelling to Spain, and other things that would probably be best not to put on the internet. Heh.

And home. Oh God – connecting to your roots and family – sometimes I dig myself way too deep into wine culture and its countries that I forget where I come from.… read more

Life · WSET Diploma

WSET Diploma – Unit 3 – Week 14: Business of Wine

Posted on by Josh

Woah! I’m feeling mighty uninspired. I think it might have to do with the clouds and rain, which are normally quite nice, but something’s blocking my brain and I feel like I have to obligatorily blame it on the weather. Maybe I need to watch a movie, or go on a mini vacation, or just hug someone for a really long time. It sure is an excuse to get juices flowing with actual alcoholic juice, but I’m going to not because my brain is telling me no. (Which means it’s going to be one can of beer or just a hint of scotch. And then maybe more scotch.)

Two weeks ago, I skipped class on southern Italy to attend an afternoon whisky seminar followed by a sobering nap.… read more

Quaffing

Back to its sparkling Portuguese glory: Caves São Joao 2013 Bruto Reserva

Posted on by Josh

Caves São Joao 2013 Bruto ReservaThis wine serves as a mini-celebration after a long-ass week and even more Bordeaux studying. My current tasting notes are consistent with those from the big portfolio tasting exactly a week beforehand. I was a big fan of the 2011 vintage, but I didn’t exactly favour the 2012 version of the same wine from what I remember was a bit of disjointed acid. I was pleasantly surprised when the new vintage wriggled its way into my life, swimming past my doubt and into the pleasure portions of my brain, so I definitely had to buy a bottle. But mostly because I had nothing to drink yesterday and I have to make up for that, like now.

The wine returns to its glory this vintage, with soft pear, lime, and white flowers gliding from the glass, providing a little more intensity on the palate.… read more

Life · Tasting

Wine Bloggers Conference 2014 – Blends: 2 + 2 = 5?

Posted on by Josh

Okay! So flashback to Day 2 of the the Wine Bloggers Conference: it’s one of those times where we have to choose between three different seminars. There’s a seminar each on Merlot (hosted by Rutherford Hill and Duckhorn wineries), something on “How Pros Taste” (hosted by Jackson Family Wines), and then one on wine blends (hosted by Winebow), the last seeming like a strangely divergent topic from the former two. And I know – I should probably be basking in the Californian-based seminars (when in Rome etc.), but I couldn’t help but be intrigued by something less specific and more amalgamate in style i.e. the idea, at the time, of trying a row of Napa Merlots in the California heat made me scrunch my face.… read more

WSET Diploma

“Here Comes the Sun” – The Beatles: Leacock’s 15 Year Old Medium Rich Bual

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, med brown, legs
Nose: clean, pronounced intensity, fully developed, spice, brown sugar, earth, mineral, roasted almonds, caramelized sugar, figs, molasses, hint citrus, coffee
Mouth: medium-sweet, med+ bodied, high fortification, high acid, med+ length, med+ intensity, brown sugar, spice, earth, mineral, roasted almonds, salted almonds, burnt toast
All in all: Outstanding quality: it’s unfortunate that Madeira is wildly underrated. This wine has a complex and lasting flavour profile. It has balance, intensity, and concentration.

Leacock's 15 Year Old Medium Rich BualBreakfast in a glass. I’m talkin’ flavours of orange marmalade, hints of coffee, a bit of burnt toast (but in a good way), boosted by other complex things involving toasted almonds, scorched earth, caramelized sugar, and figs. Oh boy.

Okay: the “scorched earth” thing sounds stupid and I’m pretty sure I just borrowed that one from somewhere else, but I swear by it on this one!… read more

WSET Diploma

“Sing, Sing, Sing” – Benny Goodman: Henriques and Henriques 10 Year Old Sercial Madeira

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, med amber, legs
Nose: clean, med+ intensity, fully developed, spice, caramel, sultana raisin, nut, ripe citrus, almond skin, mineral, cashew, fig, dates
Mouth: dry, med+ body, high fortification, high acid, med+ length, med+ flavour intensity, almonds, hint brine, caramel, spice, sultana raisin, overripe citrus, cashew
All in all: Very good quality: this drier style of Madeira is intense and well-balanced. Though the fortified wine is quite complex, there is a slight lack of concentration on the finish.

Henriques and Henriques 10 Year Old Sercial MadeiraOh Madeira. If these wines weren’t popular to begin with, then the lesser-known fortified wine in its drier version is even more of a sad and ignored little outlier. Madeira made from Sercial definitely tends to be on the drier side of the spectrum – (my way of remember this is sort of associating “SERcial” with “SERious”) but even so, a significant chunk of the class thought this was off-dry.… read more

Life · Tasting

I suck at wine: 2014 VIWF Blind Tasting Challenge

Posted on by Josh

My 2014 Vancouver International Wine Festival activities begun on Wednesday! Insert majestic trumpet sounds here.

I was really scared for the Blind Tasting Challenge (at the Pacific Culinary Institute of Arts) on said morning . This mostly meant barely being able to keep my breakfast in my stomach, listening to Glee’s rendition of “Don’t Rain on My Parade” on repeat for high energy (do you hate me yet?), and then thinking that coffee was a bad idea. A classmate saw me looking at the water as I was listening to music and taking refreshing winter breaths of Granville Island air – she was just as nervous as I, but another classmate told us we were more jittery and nervous than we needed to be.… read more

WSET Diploma

Elementary school crush: NV Taylor Fladgate Fine White Port

Posted on by Josh

Tasting Note:

Eyes: clear, med+ gold, legs
Nose: clear, med intensity, youthful, sultana raisin, spice, baked citrus, mineral, hint nutty
Mouth: sweet, full-bodied, med- acid, high fortification, med flavour intensity, sultana raisin, mineral, baked citrus, nuts, med length
All in all: Good quality: this uncomplicated and simple white port doesn’t have numerous flavours, but it’s balanced, fairly intense, and has a quaffable nature. Drink now, not suitable for ageing.
Identity Guess: Mid-priced White Port.
Is really: Mid-priced White Port.

NV Taylor Fladgate Fine White Port[Tasted during WSET Diploma class – Section 2 – Week 6]

With all the talk about white port in class and all the things that you read in wine books and articles (with the words about white port being this sort of forgotten/cheap/shitty/weird fortified wine), I’ve always been interested to try it but have always been more than afraid to commit to buying an entire bottle (even at the mere price of $22).… read more