6 Wonderful Wine Gift Ideas for Christmas and New Year

Oh yeah, we're approaching Christmas season again! The 'BER' months always get me excited and happy and nostalgic all at the same time. If you've read my gift posts from last year, you'd know that in Philippines, we start our Christmas shopping early. Malls will be in holiday mood and decoration with Christmas trees, tinsels and other shiny things. Oooohhhh I just love Christmas season! 

It's the time of the year when I start sharing about gift ideas. These include gifts that I'd consider shopping for my loved ones and other ideas that I think would be great for you, too. Isn't it exciting yet sometimes challenging to look for gifts? So here I am to share some thoughts with you. 

First on my list are yummy wine gifts. This kind of gift is more for the unconventional and for those who want to give the gift of experience or fine taste. If your loved one or friend is someone who enjoys really good food, someone who enjoys fine dining and other luxuries in life, wine would be a great choice as this gives them an experience from a bottle (or two). Imagine giving them a bottle of a wonderful French Sauvignon Blanc. It would be like giving them the experience of the beautiful country of France with every sip of that white wine from their glass. Wines are also a great accompaniment to the merriment of dining, making food talk even more enjoyable with the sparkle of wines. 

Wines also make a professional and premium gift for clients, for customers and for bosses. Of course, you need to gauge if your recipients do enjoy wine (but hey, who would throw a bottle of wine?). Some would have specific preference, maybe red wine versus white wine versus sparkling. And those who have been enjoying wines longer would probably have very specific likes, maybe Malbec or Shiraz or Chardonnay or Cava. Some would even want wines only from France or Australia. But whatever their preferences are, giving them wines as gifts will definitely give you a touch of class and elegance. They'll be impressed with your gift choice.  

Here are some wine gift ideas, all available at online wine delivery service in Malaysia, www.winetalk.com.my 

A. For White Wine Lovers

Spanish white wine set at RM128

2 bottles of Val de Vid Rueda blend + Free gift box

Grapes: Verdhelo

Country: Spain

Region: Rueda

Type: White wine

Vintage: 2011

Flavor: Dry

Body: Medium

Australian Sauvignon Blanc set at RM144

2 bottles of Wine Men of Gotham Sauvignon Blanc + Free gift box

Grapes: Sauvignon Blanc

Country: Australia

Region: South Australia

Type: White wine

Vintage: 2012

Flavor: Fruity

Body: Light

Australian Pinot Grigio set at RM144

2 bottles of Wine Men of Gotham Pinot Grigio + Free gift box

Grapes: Pinot Grigio

Country: Australia

Region: South Australia

Type: White wine

Vintage: 2011

Flavor: Fruity

Body: Light

B. For Red Wine Lovers

French Red Wine set at RM150

2 bottles of Chinon 'Les Messanges de Pallus' + Free gift box

Grapes: Cabernet Franc

Country: France

Region: Loire Valley

Type: Red wine

Vintage: 2012

Flavor: Dry

Body: Medium

Spanish Red Wine set at RM184

2 bottles of Bodegas Baigorri 'Crianza' + Free gift box

Grapes: Tempranillo

Country: Spain

Region: Rioja

Type: Red wine

Flavor: Dry

Body: Medium

Australian Red Wine set at RM350

2 bottles of BK Wines 'Cult' Single Vineyard Shiraz + Free gift box

Grapes: Shiraz

Country: Australia

Region: Adelaide Hills

Type: Red wine

Vintae: 2012

Flavor: Fruity

Body: Full

You can also pick your own choice of wine combination. Just choose 2 or more of the wines you want to give as gifts and buy the gift box at only RM11.90.

And here's even better news! Only for my readers, you can use this voucher code - BLOG50CC - to get RM50 OFF when you purchase RM300 of normal-priced wines!

Woohooo! Christmas, Christmas…keep the gifts coming!

Wine Tasting Event for Wine Club Members

It is always delightful to meet and greet fellow wine lovers. Last month, Wine Talk gave its Wine Club members an afternoon of wine tasting at Bricks & Barrels Hartamas.

Wine Talk, online wine delivery service in Malaysia, celebrated its passion for great wines together with its Wine Club members in May, at the famous Bricks and Barrels Beer Garden in Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur.

A wine afternoon like this won’t be complete without Wine Talk’s French sommelier, David Stephan, who served 6 different delicious wines. The guests experienced premium service from David as he personally filled wine glasses with white, rosé and red wines fresh from Wine Talk’s exclusive wine collection. The French wine expert personally handpicks all the wines that are available for ordering online via www.winetalk.com.my

The event was closed to Wine Talk’s Wine Club members and friends. During that afternoon, the members did not just enjoy wines but were also treated to delicious canapés and finger food from Bricks and Barrels.

What made that afternoon even more fun and exciting for the members was the lucky draw where David gave away bottles of wine, crystal decanters, crystal wine glasses and a grand prize of Pascal Jolivet magnum size wine bottle! (FYI, a magnum size wine bottle is equivalent to 2 x standard size 750ml wine bottle)

The Wine Club members had a great time sampling wines while hanging out with friends, fellow members, Wine Club ambassadors and David. The afternoon was filled with laughter and good cheers, just like how a wine tasting should be.

With special thanks to Uber, Wine Club members who chose not to drive to the venue were transported by Uber's premier private drivers. They enjoyed hassle-free traveling within KL and a worry-free, pleasurable time at Wine Talk's wine tasting event.

So the question is, what is the Wine Club and how do wine lovers join the Wine Club? The Wine Club is an easy and pleasurable way to enjoy wines where David personally handpicks wines for you and sends them to your preferred delivery address on a monthly or bi-monthly basis. With the Wine Club, you discover more and taste more wines from around the world that you might not have tried if you were picking them from a shop.

There are 4 ways to join:

1. Sign up online via www.winetalk.com.my/wineclub where you will choose the quantity, frequency and type of wines that you like.
2. Call 1300889788 to speak to a Wine Club ambassador and state your preferences.
3. Arrange for a personal wine tasting session where a Wine Club ambassador can share more details with you, click HERE
4. When you visit La Bodega or The Pressroom, you can grab a Wine Club booklet, fill-up the form and fax/email to Wine Talk

And that’s it! David will start sending you a personalized selection of wines based on your preference. So far, I’ve been enjoying selections of white wines that I’ve never heard of before. If you want to learn more about wines, I agree that the only way is to keep tasting more! And as David says, “Life is too great to drink bad wines!”

Visit http://www.winetalk.com.my or call 1300 88 97 88 for more details and wine selections.

Stay up-to-date with Wine Talk via their Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/winetalkmalaysia  

You can also enjoy RM50 OFF by using my special code - BLOG50CC - valid for purchase of RM300 on normal-priced wines at Wine Talk. Simply key-in the code upon checkout to redeem discount.

Welcome the Chinese New Year with Great Deals from Wine Talk!

With the Chinese New Year just 2 weeks around the corner, preparations are getting more and more hectic as the big celebration comes close. In my husband’s family, Chinese reunion dinners bear a big importance in keeping close ties and are the best times to catch up with cousins who are overseas. And as dinners are filled with sumptuous Chinese dishes, it is also the time for merriment together with some drinks: beer, whiskey or wine.

Celebrations with wine

Putting together a great re-union feast is no mean feat, something the current Y generation would be hard pressed to do.  But fret not, as you can add to the joyous occasion by turning up with a good bottle of wine that goes well with the Nian Ye Fan menu. Wine Talk ushers in the year of the wooden horse with great deals that are perfect for this season.

Want to bring wines or send wines without adding load into your already-loaded car? This lunar New Year, Wine Talk is offering customers FREE DELIVERY for orders above RM300. Send wines to your home town or for your loved ones without the hassle of carrying the bottles! Wine Talk makes your celebration fun, easy and travel-friendly by delivering the wines for you. Simply place an order via www.winetalk.com.my and key-in NODELCNY on the voucher code box upon checkout. Place the orders on or before 24^th January 2014 to get the wines delivered in time for Chinese New Year’s Eve.

FREE Decanter for orders above RM500 on red wines

The love for red wine around the world is also shared by a lot of Chinese for its health benefits and maybe because red wines are red! Wine lovers can take home the perfect gift for 2014 or add a piece of beautiful crystal ware to their homes. Upon purchase of RM500 on all normal priced red wines, Wine Talk customers will get a FREE Crystal decanter by Luigi Bormioli, made in Italy. Perfectly shaped for the perfect pour; Luigi Bormioli decanters add the right amount of sophistication to any table. This mouth-blown, hand-crafted glassware can hold up to 2.6L and also rivals other fine crystal in appearance and elegance. For more about Luigi Bormioli, visit www.luigibormioli.com

Wine Talk sommelier and self-professed “wine geek” David Stephan said, “This lunar New Year, savour our wine selection with your CNY feast. I’ve carefully paired some of the red wines in the Chinese New Year festive packs as they go well with the traditional Chinese New Year dishes like fish, chicken, yee-sang and dumplings (jiaozi).”

Moet and Chandon at special price

And what can be even more stylish and classier than adding a burst of bubbly to the occasion? Fans of the world's most iconic champagne Moet & Chandon can enjoy a bottle for only RM180! “This is the best price in town!” said David. Champagne lovers can choose to order 3, 6 or 12 bottles in time for your Chinese New Year celebration so you can Gong Xi Gong Xi in style!” he added. Moet & Chandon’s style is distinguished by its bright fruitiness, seductive palate and elegant maturity. Limited stocks available.

Food vouchers from Room Service worth RM88

For any purchase from now until Chinese New Year, Wine Talk will be giving away RM88 worth of Room Service MyDeal food vouchers to 8 Lucky Winners every day from now till 30^th January! Simply make any order at www.winetalk.com.my to be part of the draw. Every order of any set of wines entitles a customer to an entry. Vouchers will be delivered together with your order of wines so you can order food to be delivered once you have your wines from Wine Talk!

If you want to receive your wines in time for CNY, please make your orders thru Wine Talk by 24^th January 2014.  Wine Talk wishes everyone a Happy and Prosperous New Year.

Need advice on which wines to serve? Easy, breezy. Let Wine Talk’s French sommelier do the choosing for you. Give Wine Talk a call at 1300 88 9788 for the best wine advices. Visit www.winetalk.com.my for more details. 

You can also get connected to their FB page at

http://www.facebook.com/winetalkmalaysia

Spanish Food, Great Wines and a French Sommelier in Malaysia

It’s a rare occasion to have the opportunity to dine and enjoy wine with a sommelier. So when this gem-of-a-chance came, I was thrilled to be part of something that I’ll truly treasure and enjoy.

One lovely Thursday evening, I found myself treading the classy pavement along Bangsar Shopping Centre where my desire for good Spanish food and good wines brought me to The Pressroom. I was about to indulge into a delightful wine experience.

In this country, it is not easy to find wine experts even in wine shops. So for wine lovers who need to shop for wines and even for those who just need wine for an event or occasion, picking wines off the shelf can be challenging or even frightening. Imagine yourself walking in to a shop full of walls and shelves of different types of wines, different countries, different regions, different winemakers, different vintages and, of course, price. Which one to pick? Most of the time, when you ask the staff around the wine shop, you also wouldn’t get much advice except for the price difference.

Let’s say you were brave enough to try something you haven’t tried before. If you don’t like the wine or if it’s corked, can you bring it back and change for a new one?

Great news to fellow wine lovers (or to those who are interested to discover more about wine)! Wine Talk, an online wine delivery service, makes wines easy. It provides easy access to different labels of wines from different countries, regions with different price ranges in just 1 wine shop online. What makes Wine Talk even better is that they have a French sommelier, David Stephan, who chooses the wines and who also provides wine advice to every wine lover, beginner or connoisseur.

For starters that evening, we were served with the first white wine of the night, Kiwi Walk Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand. This classic NZ wine is a very fresh& easy-to-drink wine, packed with great tropical aromas. Kiwi Walk is an addictively crisp & fresh wine, sourced from premium vineyards in Marlborough.

The second one, which later on turned out to be the ‘favorite of the night’, was Louis Guntrum ‘Royal Blue’ Rieslingfrom Rheinhessen, Germany. The ‘Royal Blue’ is an off-dry wine, boasting some sugar and a very soft 9.5% alcohol level (this is a good clue to know if a Riesling is sweet or not; 12% & over: dry; 8-12%: off-dry; below 8%: sweet). It showcases an elegant and classical Riesling scent, paired with aromas of tropical fruits, with green apples and citrus, pineapple and melon. It has an excellent balance of sweetness and acidity. It can be enjoyed by itself as an aperitif, or with lightly spicy food, roasted duck or smoked meats. This is my personal pick for the night!

My mouth was watering when the dishes started coming.

The third wine, which is also the most interesting in terms of color, was the Gérard Bertrand ‘Art De Vivre’ Grenache Rosé from Languedoc, France, costs RM60 per bottle. This Rosé wine is a perfect introduction to the classics of the region. Made from 100% Grenache, it shows a delightfully light color, lots of fruit flavors and a fresh and aromatic palate. Great for a wide range of dishes, from seafood, fish to Barbecue meats. I seriously think that this is great for weddings mainly because of its color, which somehow appears romantic and sweet.

The fourth wine was La Closerie des Lys Pinot Noir from Languedoc, France, costs RM58 per bottle. This Pinot Noir has an expressive nose of black cherry and spices with a beautiful attack; this is ample and fruity with a fresh final and delicate oak hints. Beautiful wine, serve it slightly chilled with some roast duck, or grilled lamb chops. I’m not a fan of red wines yet but this is something I can enjoy.

The fifth wine was Logan 'Apple Tree Flat' Shiraz from Mudgee, New South Wales, Australia, costs RM65 per bottle. This Shiraz shows a deep, rich red color, and a softer palate than regular Aussie Shiraz, with flavors of mixed berries and sweet spices. So if you aren’t into big, bold, juicy Shiraz, this will be your friend. If you like the big wines, you can still enjoy this wine. It won’t hurt you! A great match with classic roasted lamb or cheese platters.

The last wine was Finca Sobreño ‘Crianza’from Toro, Spain, costs RM69.60 per bottle. It has a pretty bouquet of blueberry jam and raspberry that is well defined. The palate is well balanced, with a smooth, silky texture, crisp acidity and a citrus, fresh, primal finish. David recommends decanting for this wine before consumption.

It was truly a wonderful experience to dine and enjoy wine together with a wine expert or sommelier. David guided us through each wine and gave a lot of helpful tips about each type. You’ll feel more ‘clever’ and familiar about the wines you’re drinking. David Stephan is a French sommelier who has been in Asia for 10 years now so his palate has been familiar to Asian cuisine aside from European. He enjoys the variety of food in Malaysia and finds excitement in exploring new dishes while enjoying them with wine.

Wine Talk’s wines are personally selected and handpicked by David Stephan. With Wine Talk’s brand promise, GUARANTEED SATISFACTION, GUARANTEED PRICE, DELIVERED TO YOUR HOME, experiencing wines is now even more pleasurable. With GUARANTEED SATISFACTION, customers will get a new bottle if they don’t love the wine they received and notify us within 30 days of purchase. With GUARANTEED PRICE, customers will get refunded with the price difference if they find the wine cheaper in major super and hypermarkets in Peninsular Malaysia up to 14 days from the date of purchase.

Wine Talk makes wine fun, simple and easy.

Visit www.winetalk.com.my or call 1300 88 97 88 for more details and wine selections.