10 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Shop for Wines Online



mobile shopping for wines


You can now shop and pay for almost everything online using your mobile, laptop or desktop. Clothes, shoes, lunch, dinner, flowers, appliances, gadgets, even pay for your utility bills online. With probably the fastest we’ve seen in technology development so far, mobility has been continuously changing the way we shop, the way we manage time, and the way we live our lives.

But should you really shop for wines online? Here are 10 reasons why you shouldn’t:

1.  Because you enjoy wasting time to drive to the mall or shop. With the lovely traffic that we have here, especially during peak hours, you don’t want to miss every second that you’re stuck in the car, not moving, or maybe moving inch-by-inch. This may also include the lingering pangs of hunger that you go through while stuck in a jam. No, you don’t want to miss all those.

2.   Because you enjoy going around and looking for parking slots. So after wasting time to drive all the way, of course, you also enjoy circling around the parking lot or stalking people who might be leaving soon just so you can get that one free parking slot. Or maybe you also enjoy occasional acts of illegal parking and eventually getting clamped. What a joy!

3.   Because you love looking like an idiot with all those bottles on the shelves. Oh, yes, you definitely enjoy having no idea on which shelf to start with nor which shelves are just the type you are looking for. You don’t want a website that easily filters your choices for you. You specially don’t like an organized site where you can choose by type, by country, by grape or price range. No, you don’t want easy choices that save you time.

4.  Because you don’t like information about the wine. Wines from Australia, Chile and other New World wines have English information which you can understand. But what you love the most are those from France, Italy and Spain that use languages you don’t understand, leaving you clueless on what you’re buying. As long as it’s a wine bottle, that’s good enough for you. Then you definitely don’t want a website that provides you the key information such as type, grape, body, flavor and even some food pairing notes.

5.  Because you love spending precious half an hour or more looking at wines on shelves and end up buying the same wine you had before. Since you’ve already enjoyed going through traffic jam, looking for parking lot and finally reaching the shop, you might as well spend some more precious time looking at each bottle, deciphering the labels and info, asking the staff about each wine and getting half an answer. Oh, well, you might as well pick up the same wine as before since you know how it tastes.

6.   Because you love carrying the bottles from the shop to your car and from your car to your doorstep. When you’ve finally bought the 6, 12 or more bottles, you definitely want to carry them yourself. It doesn’t matter if it’s around 10kg, you love carrying heavy stuff. You don’t want to order wines online and get them delivered to your preferred address anywhere in West Malaysia. You’d love to carry them around in your arms.

7.  Because you don’t want any satisfaction guarantee. It doesn’t matter to you if the wine is awful or corked. You enjoy drinking awful wine after all the time you spent picking the wines and carrying the bottles. And the best part is you can’t return them. You don’t want to buy it online, at Wine Talk, where you get satisfaction guarantee --- getting a replacement or return in value credits to change the wine. You like wasting money (and time) for bad wines.

8.  Because you don’t want access to a wine expert or sommelier. You prefer asking about wines from shop staff who can’t even tell you the difference between a Sauvignon Blanc and a Riesling, less likely about what’s the best wine to serve for a specific dish. You’re happy to just talk to people who probably know wine a lot less than you do. No, you definitely don’t want to shop online where a sommelier or other wine advisors can personally guide you in picking wines for personal consumption, events, wedding or whatever. A wine site like Wine Talk allows you to chat online and speak with them while shopping, even give you some wine tips!

9.  Because you don’t like wide range of wines that you can easily discover in just a few clicks even at the comfort of your couch. Shopping for wines online allows you to shop anytime anywhere, no closing hours, no need to get dressed and you don’t even need to physically hand over cash or card. But you don’t want these, right? You are happy to chase operating hours of a shop and exert every effort needed to pay for your wines. You don’t want to be relaxing at the balcony sipping a glass of that delicious Shiraz or Chardonnay while shopping for wine at the same time.

10. Because you want to go through points 1 to 9 over and over again. Ahhh, the time wasted, the pain and other difficulties you experience when buying wines at the shop are worth it, aren’t they? If you enjoy all these and would not shift to easy, convenient, comfortable shopping, then online is definitely not for you. A wine site like Wine Talk exists to provide wine lovers the best possible shopping experience. But, hey, you don’t want that. So go ahead and continue using more time, energy and possibly more money by going to your normal shop.


buy wine at largest wine shop malaysia



10-Label Wine Tasting Event and Yummy Tapas


delicious canape ball in yummy sauce


Who wants to try 10 different wines together with a delicious buffet of canapés? Raise your hands! The best Wine & Tapas Event is back and you are invited! 

La Bodega and Wine Talk's famous, fun-filled wine tasting is back! If you missed it before, now is your chance to catch it. And if you've joined them last year, then you know you're in for a good treat! 

Date:       5th of March 2016, Saturday
Time:      4pm - 7pm
Venue:    La Bodega, Bangsar Shopping Complex, Kuala Lumpur
Price:      RM140 
Early Bird Price: RM120 (buy at this price until 29th Feb 2016)

You can buy wine & tapas tickets online at Wine Talk or you can also book thru La Bodega restaurants. 

la bodega and wine talk wine event invitation

Sometimes, you're going to want a chilled white and sometimes, a nice full bodied boozy red. Discover the wines you like best on chilled Saturday evening of good wine and light bites. You'll get to enjoy a sample of 10 different wines, each handpicked by Wine Talk's French sommelier and sourced from around the world. If you find something that makes you happy, purchase it on the spot at a special price that will make you even happier! 

I enjoyed delicious tapas served by La Bodega in January during a Craft Beer tasting event. I can't remember what you call these but they are soooooo good!!!

yummy food during beer event

food served during beer and wine event


Wines to enjoy during this event are:

  1. Luis Felipe Edward 'Alto Los Romeros' Sauvignon Blanc (Chile)
  2. Domaine Maby Cotes du Rhone White (France)
  3. Printhie 'Ashburnham' Sauvignon Blanc (Australia)
  4. Leeuwenkuil Marsanne (South Africa)
  5. Printhie 'Mountain Range' Pinot Gris (Australia)
  6. Luis Felipe Edward 'Alto Los Romeros' Carmenere (Chile)
  7. Chinon Les Pensees de Pallus (France)
  8. Leeuwenkuil Cinsault (South Africa)
  9. Bodega Antidoto (Spain)
  10. Printhie Mountain Range Shiraz (Australia)

See you soon over glasses of great wines and good food!
red wine pouring on wine glass





Korean Black Raspberry Wine: Bokbunja-Um


bottle of korean black raspberry wine bokbunja


And the Korean fever has also invaded fruit wines! If you like sweet, fruity wines or liquor in general, this one will be great for you. I also heard that this kind of wine has additional health benefits, including healthy skin. Is this one of the secrets that give Koreans healthy, glowing skin? I gotta try and find out more!

Bokbunja is the name of the raspberry that belongs to rosaceae family. The Bokbunja-Um is a luscious fruit wine with a rich aroma of natural freshness and a burst of ripe raspberry flavours. It is made from Korean black raspberries from the city of Gochang, located in North Jeolla province, famous for Bokbunja that ripen in the month of June. Aside from making Bokbunja, these black raspberries are also used to make juice, jams, jellies and sweets.

This wine comes in a deep brown glass bottle with a screw cap, making it easy to open without using a bottle opener. The bottle’s label is silkscreened with a Korean artist painting, including the floral motifs.

wine bottle from korea with flowers
Beautiful floral motifs on the bottle


bottle of wine with free glass and red box
Limited edition 2-bottle set with a Free Italian glass


Bokbunja-Um Korean Black Raspberry Wine
Country of Origin: Korea
Fruit: 100% Korean Black Raspberry
Alcohol Level: 12%
Bottle size: 375ml
Price: RM52.90 per bottle / RM92.90 per set with FREE glass
No artificial flavours
No preservatives, no sulfites
No colouring
Best served chilled. Keep refrigerated after opening.

It is currently available in limited edition 2-bottle gift set that includes a free glass.

korean wine bokbunja um with glass


What are the other ways you can serve this Korean wine?
This is fun! If you are the adventurous type or someone who enjoys experimenting with your drinks, instead of drinking it directly, you can serve it as a mixer blend with vodka, crushed ice and soda.

And I’m sure you’ve heard or read about the health benefits of wine. This Korean wine is not an exception:

  1. The Bokbunja-Um is rich in antioxidants
  2. It promotes healthy skin
  3. It is high in vitamins C & E and Anthocyanins
  4. It relieves frequent urination
  5. It contains anti-inflammatory and sterilizing effects
  6. It prevents thrombus or blood clot and hardening of arteries
  7. It revitalizes kidney and liver

Food pairing / drink mix suggestions:
  • Chocolate cheesecake
  • Japanese food
  • Vanilla ice cream
  • Raspberry sorbet
  • Lemon Twist
  • Mojito mixer
  • Black Sangria

bokbunja red wine in glass

bokbunja wine inside italian glass


The color of the wine itself is crimson red, reminds me of Shiraz or Merlot. It has a sweet aroma, coming from the black raspberries flavours. On the palate, it has light tannins and sweet fruity taste, somewhat "berry-ful" haha! It definitely goes well with desserts, like yummy ice cream topped with cherry and chocolate cake! Yum!

korean bokbunja wine goes with chocolate cake
Recommended to enjoy with chocolate cake!


food pairing with korean bokbunja wine
Even delicious ice cream with my favorite cherry topping!


Whether you’d want to have a good drink to enjoy with desserts or liquor that comes with health benefits, this is a good fruit wine to try. I’m particularly interested with its benefits on the skin and prevention of blood clot.  


You can find the Bokbunja-Um black raspberry wine at AEON outlets, Chinese Medical Hall in Klang Valley and wine shops (The Winery SS2, Denise TTDI).


bokbunja um korean wine bottle

Find your Perfect Match at La Bodega’s Lock & Key Party

Single, unattached this coming Valentine’s Day?

la-bodega-lock-and-key-party

Here’s another reason to celebrate this month of Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day: La Bodega's annual Lock & Key Singles Party is back!

This is a great time to enjoy your singlehood with great music, great company and BOND good time at La Bodega Lounge in Jalan Telawi.

                    
If you are currently unattached, block this date, get ready to suit up and dress up with your hair slicked and heels high. 

Date: 12 February 2016 (Friday)
Time: 7pm onwards 
Location: La Bodega Lounge, Jalan Telawi 2, Bangsar
Dresscode: James Bond
Admission: FREE


The party will be kicked off with DJ MELISSA-JO setting the good vibes on the dance floor. Stand a chance to win exclusive bottles and many more throughout the night! 


la-bodega-lock-and-key-party-poster

How does the Lock & Key Party work?


First step, check in at the registration counter and pick up a lock for the ladies, and a key for the gents. 

Second, proceed to meet as many single ladies and gents to unlock your perfect match. Every couple that finds their matching lock and key will receive one lucky draw ticket each and a whole new set of lock and key.

And then repeat. The more matches, the higher your chances of getting lucky with the lucky draws happening throughout the night!

Who knows? You might land a date for the weekend! So don’t just sulk this Valentine season. Get out, do something fun, bring your other single friends and have a great time at La Bodega!


kuala-lumpur-la-bodega-location


La Bodega Tapas Y Vinos is popular for its numerous and unforgettable Spanish dishes, including the classic Paella, which is the best version I’ve tasted in my life. With branches in Jalan Telawi, Bangsar Shopping Center (BSC), Pavilion KL, Empire Subang and the Shore in Malacca, La Bodega continues to delight us with their appetizing menu and other fun-filled activities.