vino yes no

As the holiday seasons draws near, everyone is cramped with deadlines. Exhausted and fed up with 2011, the thought of unfulfilled not-so-New Year’s resolutions fills you with regret. There are still the last minute holiday shopping to do, and yet, basically you have no residual energy or brain cells left for anything. Yes. Desperately in need of the holidays, can’t we just all sit back, reboot our brains, and drink till 2012 comes? Maybe everything will be ok? World peace, end of poverty, anyone?

Sounds depressing, no? Don’t worry, it’s the perfect season for comfort food… and comfort wine!

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What do I think about Prosecco?

To be honest, I never really liked it. A bit too floral, it lacks the excitement than other sparkling wines (hint hint champagne), and it leaves me with a strange soapy aftertaste. It has always been an afterthought, a casual free flow option for brunch, or recently, one of the main ingredients for my homemade bellinis.

Last Sunday, we stayed home for dinner, and while looking for a wine to drink, I found a bottle of Prosecco my friend had brought me from a while back. Perfectly chilled and quite handy, we popped the bottle to enjoy with a night of hot pot. The Prosecco was perfect for the occasion, a subconscious replacement of Tsingtao, it was casual and surprisingly pleasant, without the usual soapy/ almond taste that I find disagreeing (purely on a personal level).

Hotpot is a messy ordeal, especially when you are eating at home. Slurping your soup, you reach over to fish for bits of meat and veggies here and there bubbling in the volcanic broth. So while I was deep in my hotpot trance, swinging my chopsticks, fishing out for treasures, I totally forgot that I was drinking wine until the serendipitous moment where crab met spumante. I mean seriously yummy stuff.

I love eating crab, especially market fresh ones. Juicy and succulent, the sensation of strands of sweet crab meat melting in your mouth is luxurious and comforting. The crab meat emerged from the hotpot. Glistening under the incandescent light, it was just awaiting to be consumed, and the moment when I washed the crab down with Prosecco was pure bliss. The sweetness of the gentle prosecco was a clear answer to the delicate and sumptuous crab.

In my book, the prosaic prosecco has now been promoted to the new status of “perfect wine to go with crab”. And what have I learnt? That I should just stop being so biased. As with life, and people, every wine deserves another chance. Especially with the endless possibilities of food pairings, never say never. You might be missing out on something amazing.

Desiderio Jeio Prosecco Brut, Veneto Italy
~$100 C!tysuper

The champagne house G.H. Mumm is synonymous with Formula 1. An ardent sponsor of all things adventurous, it has supported endurance sports such as sailing, racing etc.. As a brand, it promotes competition and achievement, and what else could be a better beverage for winners than an triumphant glass of bubbly?

Last week, we also tested our own sense of endurance with free flowing G.H. Mumm. It was at an event launch for a major sports brand, and us vino session-ers took a break from the stuffy office and headed to the Peak, drinking amongst sporty clad young things while dodging from the biting wind.

It was certainly a memorable drink, and reminded me somewhat like a Redbull, well only in terms of its marketing tactics. As a champagne, I must say it was very enjoyable. Acidic to the point it makes your lips pucker a bit. There was no overwhelming notes of toast, or biscuits, just a simple waltz of lemons and apples. Of course we embraced the message promoted by the champagne house, and proved our endurance, flute after flute of the dancing liquid. A bit of a tough ride on the bus back through the winding roads afterwards, but I would not mind having this as my new energy drink next time. I have reservations about mixing this with vodka at a club though.