Viña Casablanca Cefiro Chardonnay

My 1^st Wine Review: Viña Casablanca Cefiro Chardonnay

This is so exciting! My very first wine review. Again, reminder to readers, the opinions written here are purely from the point of view of a consumer who does not have professional or expert background with wines. Not yet.

A brief background about the wine in subject:

Viña Casablanca Cefiro Chardonnay

Vintage: 2010

Country: Chile

Bottle size: 750ml

Alcohol content: 14%

Price: RM65

White wine; fruity and smooth

What the bottle says:

Cefiro, God of the spring breeze manifests all his power in the fruit of this Chardonnay from Casablanca Valley. It is yellow in appearance with amber tinges and pineapple and passion fruit aromas. The palate is striking with its fruit character and balanced acidity. Ideal to accompany all fish and dishes with creamy sauces.

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And so I opened the bottle, er, technically, my husband did it as I don’t know how to uncork a bottle yet. It has a very pleasant aroma, delicious and enticing, indeed. I served it for dinner with some Chinese food cooked by my mother-in-law. We had some fish, a few other dishes, nothing so spicy.

The wine was wonderful. It’s light and easy, very pleasant and blended well with several dishes. I find the acidity quite lingering, though. It’s not offensive but it stays for a second or two so you would find it notable. For a beginner like me who doesn't have the palate for complex aromas or tannins yet, this bottle is one of the ideal ones to start with.

We weren’t able to finish the bottle in 1 shot. The men of the house prefer to drink whiskey and beer so it was up to me to finish (oh, thank God for that!). But I also couldn’t take much in a day. I kept the half bottle back in the fridge.

I had a glass for three more dinners and I was surprised that it actually went well with a lot of food. The most notable was with white sauce pasta and lots of cheese (by the way, I’m also a cheese maniac). So the note on the bottle was actually accurate. The packaging was also one of the things that I liked with this Chardonnay. Since it’s a New World wine, this Chilean bottle gave information including the recommended dish to match with it. I find this very useful so I don’t really wonder what aromas or tastes am I getting. And it’s also quite nice to know more about the wine than just simply gulping 14% alcohol…

The verdict: For a sensible, even cheap, price of RM65, I would say that this is a good bottle of Chardonnay to pick from the shelves or order online.

Ep 1: Finally, uncorked.

Well, this is something entirely new to me. But since I started working for a wine company in January this year, it definitely became a mission for me to learn more about this intriguing beverage.

 

I am not much of an alcohol lover before, definitely not a regular drinker in that sense. Of course, I also had those youth days when I drink liquor with friends…Jose Cuervo, Vodka Ice, Gilbey’s Gin, etc. When I was already working and went to bars instead of just drinking at friends’ homes, I got exposed to frozen margarita and it became a personal favorite. But it’s more like having juice rather than real alcohol drinking. I enjoyed a few sparkling wines but not on a regular basis.

I still remember those days in my home country where we order frozen margarita by the pitcher. Yes, it’s much cheaper than here in Malaysia. My husband likes the fact that alcohol is cheap when we were there which to me is a bad thing.  You can just imagine the daily drinking binges that he does there.

Since I arrived here 4 years ago, I barely had drinks. First, it was expensive and then I became a mother so my world totally changed.

But then here I am. Out of curiosity and search for something different to explore, I decided to join the wine industry. Aside from the undeniable truth that wine is simply classy, it will also challenge me to learn and explore something that is completely new to me. 

I already had several wine tastings and I’m so delighted to have a boss who happens to be a GM and sommelier at the same time. So from a total ‘wine idiot’ who knew almost nothing about the drink, I am learning to appreciate the drink bit by bit, getting more interested to understand the heritage and intricate process involved in this beverage. 

So this marks my ‘uncorking’. I’ve started having dinner with a regular glass of wine. Every bottle is something new that I’ve never tried before. Previously had a Chardonnay, Portuguese rosé from an exclusive label, Riesling, Pinot Gris and now browsing for more new wines to buy…and review. I want to share my personal feedback so at least there will be more wine opinions out there from ordinary people like me who are not experts but simply enjoy a glass (or two!) of wines. 

To all wine lovers or to anyone interested with wines, cheers! Wine reviews from a mummy who loves wine (not an expert) coming soon...