Tyreell's wine dinner at Lubu: still some places available, dont miss the unique opportunity!

Tyrrell's wine dinner coming next week!

No corkage fee. Wish we had more restaurants doing this!

Understanding sherry wines: dont miss my new article in oi magazine wine column!

The wines of Burgundy at Lubu

Burgundy wine dinner at Lubu

I recently had the pleasure to attend a wine dinner at Lubu restaurant in Thao Dien (Distrcit 2). A

rather unique occasion to try and enjoy a great selection of some of the best and more particular wines in France, those of Burgundy.

Although you may be familiar with the popular wines of Bordeaux, with names so well known as St Emilion, Medoc or Pauillac, not many people have heard or even tried many of the gorgeous wines from Burgundy. Having said that, two names from Burgundy are quite popular, those being Beaujolais and Chablis, but there is much more in Burgundy to make us excited about their wines.

The two main grapes grown  in Burgundy are Chardonnay (for white wines) and Pinot Noir (for red wines), however you will also find other grapes like Gamay noir, Aligote, Sauvignon Blanc, Cesar, Melon or Tressot being grown in small quantities, and generally used to add complexity to the wines.

Geographically Burgundy is situated in between Dijon in the North and Lyon in the south, covering part of the geographic areas of Cote d’Or, Saonet et Loire, Rhone and Yonne. Hence you can expect a great diversity and variety on its wines.

Most wine growers have very small plots to grow the grapes, therefore is very common that even the smallest growers will be growing grapes in two or more parcels. The reason for this is historic, when Napoleon divided the then big plots of land among the local inhabitants of the region. A consequence of this is that a lot of growers sell their wines in barrel to negociants, who then blend wine from different growers in the region and commercialise it.

At Lubu we had two importers (Tan Khoa and Wine Embassy), who brought some of their Burgundy wines for us to try in the event, a great opportunity to discover, compare and enjoy them, and on top of that the wines were perfectly paired by Jim with some of the most delicate dishes from chef Kylie.

The evening started with the first two whites, a 2012 Macon-villages from Domaine Chanson and another 2012, Rully En Rosey from Domaine Chanzy. Both were absolutely gorgeous and we enjoyed them with some nice canapés in the garden.

Domain Chanson is own by the iconic Bollinger, and as you may expect, they focus on making quality wines without being bothered too much about the quantities produced. They own several parcels across the region and they have several premier crus, which make no more than 10% of the total production. Apart from selected plots of land, their winemaker won the award of best winemaker of France 2014.

Side by side in the tasting was Domain Chanzy, a Burgundy winery which is just 50 years old own by people from the Champagne region, and whose whole team was recently replaced. Famous as a negociant, this winery was bought by an investment fund in 2009, hence providing all the capital to experiment and concentrate in quality. Within the new team, the winemaker was chosen the best young winemaker of 2013.

The evening followed with another two white wines side by side: the 2012 Chablis from Chanson, light but with a very long length; and the 2012 Bouzeron Clos de la Fortune which was fantastic, mellow, and crisp bringing lots of fruit. Both nicely paired with hot smoked salmon and warm salad.

The time for the first to reds arrived, the 2012 Mercurey Les Caraby was beautiful, complex and elegant; and the 2009 Santeney Beauregard premiere cru, brought lots of fruit mostly red fruits, and in particular ripe strawberries. Both wines were perfectly paired with the Caille au vin, quail braised in red wine.

The second main course, seared Tasmanian lamb loin with beetroot tartar tartin, was enjoyed with the 2012 Vosne Romanee La Croix Blance, bringing a nice nose full of red fruits, and an elegant palate with very good length; and the 2009 Pernand Vergelesses Les Vergelesses premier cru, another star very complex, and my favourite of the night.

The night was close by a blue cheese bavarois and coffee.

Unique opportunity to enjoy exclusive Burgundy wines paired with fantastic food

Lu Bu, Tan Khoa & Wine Embassy Boutique are teaming up to bring you a very special wine dinner showcasing the great Burgundy wines of Domaine Chanson & Domaine Chanzy. 

This is a unique opportunity to try a great selection of Burgundy wines. Unlike the big houses of Bordeaux, most of the wine produced in burgundy comes from very small plots, hence production is very limited. This makes Burgundy wines very scarce and high priced, but they are truly unique.

Australia Wine dinner in Lubu

Australia Wine dinner and Yalumba winery

What happens when you put together amazing food, great wines, excellent customer service and a fantastic host? Well the answer is that you feel in heaven, and that was how most, if not all, of us felt when we attended the Australia wine dinner organised by the Wine Warehouse and Yalumba, and hosted at Lubu in district 2.

Yalumba, and its sister company Negociants, have been present in Vietnam for over 12 years, and you can find its great wines at the Wine Warehouse. Yalumba is another of those iconic family owned wineries, which focuses on making quality wines while keeping them affordable.

This family winery with 165 years of history is experiencing its 5^th generation running it, and although it had humble beginnings, it has become one of the best estates with international reputation.

Yalumba has different vineyards which they have selected for their micro climates and specific characteristics, allowing them to make different, while great wines. Barossa, Clare Valley, Riveland or even Tasmania, are just a few of the areas where Yalumba grow wine grapes. 

They even have some vineyards in New Zealand, Yalumba being the first Australian family to invest in Marlborough.

This innovative winery even makes its own barrels and owns its own wine nursery, giving them the ability to decide what they do and excel at it, from the vines to the wood used in the barrels, which is rather unique.

They also experiment with new grapes and new blends, and in fact they were the first to commercialise Australian viognier, including a 100% organic viognier wine.

When interviewing Tim Herrmann from Yalumba, he was clear that Yalumba is all about quality and having strong relationships: they bottle on site and tightly control the distribution around the world ensuring that each bottle is sold in proper conditions.

With 1.400 hectares of vineyards, Yalumba keeps growing by buying interesting small vineyards and having partnerships with small growers, and they currently have over 40 different wines under the Yalumba label alone.

With over 165 years of history making wine, Yalumba enjoys challenges as well as trying new things, while experimenting with grapes, soil types, and even oak.  

They look for wines which over deliver, to be enjoyed on their own, but also adaptable with food. They craft from ready to drink wines like the Strapper, to others more complex which are designed to be cellared for 20 or 30 years. 

Yalumba the Signature is a good example of the latter, a blend of cabernet sauvignon and syrah from Barossa, probably the best blend of the winery which is only made when the quality of the grapes is excellent, this wine has been made since 1962, and each year is dedicated to a different employee, this wine has 20 months of oak in barrels made by the winery.

The wine dinner started with a reception with beautiful canapés and Jansz sparkling wine, both of them nice and delicious and a great wine to start a memorable evening. Jansz is a fresh and crispy sparkling wine, bringing a lemon zest to both the nose and palate, with some hints of honey and straw.  Soft acidity well balanced and beautiful tiny bubbles, make this sparkling wine an ideal aperitif, also well paired with smoked salmon, boquerones and salads.

With close to 50 guests from all over the world, the dinner continued with five more dishes, perfectly designed and prepared by chef Kylie, and six more gorgeous wines paired by Jim Cawood from Lubu in coordination with Yalumba and the Wine Warehouse.

Beetroot cured salmon, Galician style octopus and even morcilla were some of the delicacies served for

dinner, and although I will soon be reviewing all the wines at wineinvietnam.com two of my favourite were Jim Barry McRae Wood Shiraz 2010 and the Yalumba ‘Patchwork’ Shiraz 2010, both incredibly delicious complex wines.

Yet another amazing evening for food and wine lovers, thanks to the Wine Warehouse, Lubu, and Yalumba.

Tintoralba, Spain.

Wine: Tintoralba Red

Producer: Tintoralba

Region: Almansa

Country: Spain

Colour: Red

Year: 2012

Grape: Garnacha mix

Supplier: Vino                                                                                            

Restaurant: Lubu

Price (VND): 240.000 VND

Points: 73/100

Pairs well with: Good with cold meats, steaks and mature cheeses

Notes:

Bright purple colour, elegant and nice.

The nose brings an explosion of red fruits, mostly strawberries, raspberries with some cherries.

On the mouth, this wine is silky, well balance with medium length.

Good with cold meats, steaks and mature cheeses

Mas amor, rose, Spain

Wine: Mas Amor

Producer: Franck Massard

Region: Catalonia

Country: Spain

Colour: Rose

Year: 2012

Grape: A

Supplier: Vino* (soon)                                                                           

Restaurant: Lubu* (soon)

Price (VND): A

Points: 74/100

Pairs well with: Pairs well with gnogghi, grilled prawns, saldas.

Notes:

Pale lovely pink colour.

The nose brings spices, strawberries and fresh red fruits.

The palate is also fresh with a touch of bitterness and medium length, light and refreshing.

Pairs well with gnogghi, grilled prawns, saldas.

Herbis, Verdejo, Spain

Wine: Herbis Verdejo

Producer: Franck Massard

Region: Rueda

Country: Spain

Colour: White

Year: 2012

Grape: Verdejo

Supplier: Vino* (soon)                                                                           

Restaurant: Lubu* (soon)

Price (VND): A

Points: 78/100

Pairs well with: Pairs lovely with octopus salad, spicy seafood.

Notes:

Medium light in colours. The nose brings lots herbs, lychees and asparagus.

On the palate, this wine is crisp and beautiful offering a rather long length with lots of complexity and a good balance. Pineapples, exotic fruits and a touch of green melon.

Pairs lovely with octopus salad, spicy seafood.

Franck Massard wine dinner in Lubu

Some weeks I go I announced the wine dinner with Franck Massard wines, and Franck himself, at Lubu, Jim's (from Vino) new restaurant.

As you would expect, it was a great evening, not only for the delicious wines and delicate food, but for the atmosphere and having the opportunity to speak to Franck and hear his love and passion for his wines.

Here are some pictures of the event, and reviews of the wines will follow very soon.

Epicure Wine Dinner

Franck Massard wines + Jim Cawood (Vino) and Lubu (his new restaurant) guarantee for a great experience.

I cam across Franck Massard and his great wines a few years back in London when i was working with Naked Wines. This Saturday he will be here, presenting them at Lubu, Jim's new restaurant, a real unique opportunity for those of us who love great wine and great food.

So if you want to have a great exclusive evening, join us at 7pm, I have already booked my place!