Tipple for a Tuesday

Let's go with Tipple for a Monday since Basic Wine Store isn't open on Tuesdays! I'd choose Vino di Anna Palmento Rosso 2020. The wine is juicy, crunchy, and salty, with a touch of frizzante or, as many call it, bubblies.

This light red comes from a native grape called Nerello Mascalese, and is grown at the foothills of Mount Etna. It is turned into wine in a Palmento, a stone building with an ancient wine-making mechanism, unlike the stainless steel tanks of today. Because it’s so unadulterated, the nose is a burst of fruits—think cherry wild strawberries. Always does the trick to solving Monday blues. 

Sun, sea, and _____

A Sicilian red, for sure. Occhipinti SP 68 Rosso is the way to go. This bottle is a blend of Nero d’Avola and Frappato grapes, which makes a stunning and energetic red.

Wine of the moment

Testalonga El Bandito Cortez. The name Testalonga itself refers to a bandit, and a nickname of an Italian winemaker that made white wines in the style of red wines. True to its name, its famed winemaker Craig Hawkins defies tradition for identity, and for good reason.

This South African Chenin Blanc is brilliant on the nose—sea salt crossed with lime, lemon and lychee. On the palate, it is dynamic and edging on tension, like a high-wire act between fruit and acidity. 

What you wish a customer would order (so you can taste it—for taint, of course)

La Stoppa Macchiona 2002 Dieciannidopo. The "dieciannidopo" or "10 years later" is a nod to that vintage that had been held back for 10 years before release. We have the privilege at Basic Wine Store to feature committed winemakers such as Elena Pantaleoni of La Stoppa that produce wines of such incredible character, and the Macchiona range is one of them.

Consisting 50 per cent Barbera and 50 per cent Bonarda grapes, they are earthy, jammy, and a line of vintages that are released only when the winemaker feels they are ready. The 2012 was a brilliant vintage, so I can only imagine what the 2002 holds.

Best from your ‘by-the-glass' list

We rotate our wines by the glass, so it’s never a list, but rather a story of the day. The current story is Artuke Tinto 2021, a Spanish Rioja that is typical of a Rioja but with more youthfulness and energy than the dark tired legs of typical Rioja in oak barrels.

Deep in Rioja territory where appellations rule supreme, the winemakers, Arturo and Kike (hence Artuke), are paving their own path of terroir-driven Rioja. They give a fresh take on tired legs that break boundaries yet reinforces what true Rioja can be. We love the perfumed red fruits aplomb on the nose and the balanced tension of fruit and acidity.

What you love to recommend to guests

Any Costadilla wines! Everyone loves bubblies, but not everyone knows how old-school Proseccos used to be made. Step into Costadilla, where Prosecco col fondo (with sediments) come into play. You’ll find in every bottle of Prosecco, cloudy sediments at the bottom that make way to clear hues of orange at the top, much like an adult kombucha.

Unlike the more common 'charmat' method that gives you crisp, bubbly Proseccos that we know today, Prosecco col fondo is made in the natural and ancient way of metodo ancestrale. There are no sulphites, and the wine sits with its lees for up to five months, and then bottled un-disgorged. The result is a Prosecco with a creamy structure aided with a crisp start and an 'umami' finish.

A special something

Sancerre Auksinis by Sebastian Riffault 2017. If you’re familiar with Sancerre, the wines made in this region is kinda like parmigiana reggiano in the cheese world, where the sense of place plays a significant role in developing that characteristic lean and mineral structure of all Sancerre wines. And just when you think you’ve got your thumb on what a Sancerre is, enter Sebastian Riffault.

Unlike most winemakers, he picks his grapes in late-harvest months when everyone else gone home, and even lets botrytis (Noble Rot) take on some of his grapes. In addition, he gives his grapes a chance for skin contact, resulting in a luscious Sancerre with more structured spine, and deep honey notes to complement the mineral complexity of a Sancerre. If you’re looking for the path less travelled, this Sancerre is the way to go.

Bottle to bring to a dinner party

COS Zibibbo in Pithos 2019. The COS Zibbibo is all about accessibility, no pretentiousness needed. You just have to enjoy what you drink.

A skin contact white wine of Muscat grapes or Zibbibo in Sicily, that is then fermented and aged in clay amphora (big claypot dug deep into the ground). No temperature control, no gadgets in sight—this is a wine that is wild, alive, and dynamic. Floral on the nose, delicate in texture yet bright enough to perk every sip.

A bottle you haven't tried but really want to

DRC, or Domaine, De la Romanee Conti, because I can’t afford it, and it is as natural as it gets. Also, Grand Cru Pinot Noirs of Burgundy.

Last glass you’ve had

Le Briseau - Patapon Rouge 2020. Made with a native grape from the Loire Valley, pineau d’aunis has risen back to popularity through a small group of independent winemakers such as Nathalie Gaubicher. Juicy and herbaceous, peppery and light, I had thought this was wild sangria.

It’s your last meal. What bottle are you having with it?

Life is short so always choose your favourite. Mine is an ever-changing list of discoveries, and the present choice is an Artuke Finca de la Locos 2018 from Rioja, made with mostly Tempranillo and Graciano. The label literally translates to Vineyard of the Mad. I love this wine for how it tastes as much as what it stands for.

The grapes are from a single vineyard grown high on slopes of the Cantabrian mountains north of the town of Banos and was the laughing stock of the town because no one believed they could ever grow grapes there. A balanced act of power and restraint, fruit and oak, it shows finesse.

If not wine, then what?

Water. Always stay hydrated.

NOW READ

12 places to explore in APW Bangsar

The ultimate guide to bubbly brunch in the Klang Valley

A food lover’s guide to Dubai