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Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Semillon... are all familiar white wines to most people. The aromas and tastes come in a great variety of forms and complex profiles. Flavours of apples, lemons, melons, pineapples, citrus fruits and other tropical fruits are not uncommon, and oak aging would add complex feels of butter, vanilla, spice, toast and mealiness. But you seldom feel the taste of grapes!
We all liked candies when we were kids. Fruit juice candies were my favourite and probably most other kids' too! But can anyone describe how fruit juice candies taste like in a collective sense? This has never been an easy question for me, but I found a perfect answer some years ago when I first tried the Japanese kyoho grapes (巨峰葡萄). That's it, the taste of the all-times kids' favourite!
The Japanese kyoho grapes are still the best retriever of childhood memories. None of my friends disagrees with that, and we all love these grapes! We couldn't help imagining a white wine that is characterized strongly with the Japanese kyoho grapes. A winery from Western Australia has made such a brave attempt, and they do it absolutely beautifully! I was quite impressed by the Bella Ridge Estate Kyoho white wine which is made from the Japanese kyoho grapes and differs significantly from all other white wines. This wine has a slightly pinky and extraordinarily smooth texture, with a simple peach flavour and a touch of osmanthus (桂花) and lychee (荔枝)! But most surprisingly, it does retain the flavour of everyone's childhood memory -- the kyoho grapes! It is medium sweet, non-complex, and goes well with simple cuisines. Many people, like me, would find it hard to identify a good white wine to match up with simple Chinese food. I think this Bella Ridge Estate wine would be a good companion for most simple Chinese cuisines, like the ordinary Cha Siu, for its simplicity, moderate sweetness and the subtle oriental flavours of osmanthus and lychee.
September 2010
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