Tuesday 27 September 2011

2011 09 27 - Grant Burge - Australian Wine Tasting @ Enoteca


GRANT BURGE
History and Tradition

Grant Burge is a fifth-generation Barossa Vigneron. Throughout his career, Grant has been one of the most respected and innovative forces in the Australian wine industry. The history of the Burge family and their long association with winemaking in the region can be traced back to March 1855, when noted tailor John Burge immigrated to the Barossa from Hillcot, near Pewsey in Wiltshire, England with his wife Eliza and their two sons. With help from his sons Meshach and Henry, John’s farm flourished with wheat, sheep and viticulture. His eldest son Meshach continued the farming tradition and was a prominent community leader. He married Emma in the early 1900s and they had eight children. First-born Percival established the Wilsford Winery in 1916, beginning the Burge winemaking tradition. Percival had two sons, Noel and Colin, and Colin and his wife Nancy had one son, Grant. Following in the footsteps of his father and forefathers before him, Grant now carries the winemaking tradition into the 21st century

Family Owned

Grant Burge Wines was formed in 1988 by Grant and his wife Helen, and is located in the heart of the Barossa Valley on the banks of Jacobs Creek and is still proudly family owned. Continuing the family tradition, Grant and Helen have now brought the sixth generation into the fold. Eldest son Toby is the company’s Vineyard Manager, upholding the premium quality and consistency of fruit produced from the vineyards. Amelia joined the Marketing Department in an assistant role early in 2007, and in late 2008 went out into the world to gain more experience to bring back to the company later on in her career. Trent, the youngest, has been part of the hardworking cellar team at the Illaparra Winery since vintage 2006. All three children share Grant and Helen’s vision to continue this long family tradition of bringing exceptional wines to the world.

“I am a romantic, and I have a real sense of my family history, of my father and grandfather, and what they achieved.” Grant Burge



TASTING WINES
1. BENCHMARK SEMILLON SAUVIGNON BLANC 2010
This is a fresh wine which shows true varietal characters of green melons and tropical fruits, guava, florals and herbaceous notes of freshly cut grass. These notes follow onto the palate which is round and full of generous fruit flavours, balanced with crisp acidity and finishes clean.

2. BENCHHMARK CHARDONNAY 2010
This chardonnay is bright gold in colour with vibrant citrus, floral and tropical fruit aromas. The palate is lean and racy, with the fine natural acidity lending great length to the citrus flavours, with slight rounding of the palate from the time spent on lees.

3. BENCHMARK CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2010
The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon is deep red in colour with intense aromas of blackcurrants and blueberries which are supported by lifted floral notes. The palate is round and fleshy, with concentrated flavour of blackcurrants layered with subtle spices. The soft tannins and fine acidity make this a moreish wine, perfectly suited to roast meats, and best enjoyed in its youth.

4. BENCHMARK SHIRAZ 2010
The 2010 Benchmark Shiraz is deep red with vibrant purple hues. The highly perfumed nose is dominated by aromas of ripe plums and is supported by sweet spices and vanilla. The juicy palate makes the wine a joy to drink, with choc-mint flavours enhancing the dark fruits.

5. BAROSSA VINES CABERNET/MERLOT 2009
The 2009 Cabernet Merlot is deep red with vibrant purple hues. The wine shows aromas of ripe black currants and dark plums complemented by notes of mint and savoury spice. The palate is rich and luscious with black cherry, bramble fruit and a hint of vanilla with elegant cedary oak and f­ine tannins.

6. BAROSSA VINES SHIRAZ 2010
The 2010 Barossa Shiraz is intense red with bright purple hues. The nose reveals a highly aromatic bouquet of red cherries, lifted ­orals and subtle vanilla, while the palate displays ripe red fruits such as raspberries and strawberries. Fine tannins and acidity complement the ripe fruits and provide a fresh ‑finish to the wine.

7. THE HOLY TRINITY 2008
The 2008 The Holy Trinity is a rich, deep magenta. There are vibrant fruit aromas of cherries, blackcurrant and raspberries, with underlying notes of sweet spices, liquorice and delicate florals adding complexity. The palate is silkysmooth, with fine tannins and acidity complementing the flavour of sweet dark fruit and spice, giving the wine abundant length and concentration of flavour.

Sunday 25 September 2011

2011 09 25 - Formula One Race

2011 09 25 - Lucaris - Tokyo Sensation - Bordeaux Wine Glass

2011 09 25 - Samsung Galaxy Ace / Nokia C2-01


2011 09 25 - Top 10 - Malta and Gozo ( Eyewitness )

2011 09 25 - Wine & Dine Fest @ RTC

Wine & Dine Fest 2011













Date:
25 September 2011 (Sunday)
Time:
1-6pm
Where:
The Dunearn Ballroom, Raffles Town Club,
1 Plymouth Avenue. Tel: 63232 323
Cost:
$60 per pax for the Public
$ 54 per pax for Raffles Town Club Members
(entrance ticket includes a goodie bag worth S$60)
At the Wine & Dine Fest you can expect to
Sample wines that are leading the trends in the world
Have tutored wine tastings and talks by Lim Hwee Peng (CSW)
Discover gourmet coffee and tea and luxury stemware
Taste a delicious spread of gourmet food
Participate in cooking demonstrations
Purchase wines and gourmet products at very special prices
Try innovative cocktails
… and more!
Talks and Demonstrations program:

1.00pm-1.45pm:
Canon Photography talk.

2.00pm- 3.20pm:
‘Welcome to the World of Bordeaux Wines’ Seminar by John Chua.

3.25pm-3.45pm:
Edwin Soon on his book ‘The Wines of France – Revised Edition’

4.00pm- 4.45pm:
Wine Glass talk by John Chua

4.45pm- 5.30pm:
New Zealand Wine Talk by John Chua

5.30pm- 6.15pm:
Cooking Demo by Raffles Town Club Executive Chef Catan Tan

Tuesday 13 September 2011

2011 09 13 - SFS - Deep End

Deep End
by Jerzy Skolimowski
1970 / Germany, USA / 89 min / Digital Beta
In English

"Deep End is one of the greatest and most under-seen films of the seventies. Its cinematic mastery is simply breathtaking" – Anthology Film Archives

Neglected and relegated to the occasional late-night television slot since its initial release, Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski's fable-like tale of obsessive love Deep End finally got its due recognition and acclaim after a recent restoration by Bavaria Film.

John Moulder-Brown plays Mike, a shy and awkward 15 year old who takes his first job out of school as an attendant at a public bathhouse in London. His co-worker is Susan, a beautiful redhead played by Jane Asher (former girlfriend of Beatle Paul McCartney) who inducts him into the sordid dealings of the bathhouse where they help the patrons to indulge in their sexual fantasies in exchange for tips.

Between fending off the lusty advances of overweight middle-aged women and learning the ropes at his new job, Mike soon falls for Susan. When he finds out that she is having an affair with her former teacher while being engaged to another man, his infatuation grows into a dangerous obsession and he begins to find ways to sabotage her relationships.

Like how Mike's seemingly innocent crush on Susan spirals out of control, Deep End starts out as a playful coming of age story but soon reveals itself to be a chilling study of obsession. From the casting of former child of the sixties Jane Asher as the cynical and manipulative Susan to the stark contrast of Susan's bright yellow day-glo mac against the drab brown and green hues of the bathhouse, the film brilliantly captured the changing of the times as the optimism and idealism of the sixties gave way to a growing sense of disillusionment and spiritual emptiness as the decade turns.

Funny, unsettling and tragic, Deep End remains one of Skolimowski's most accomplished and astute works that takes an unflinching look into the darkness and depth of human desire.


About the Director Jerzy Skolimowski

One of the greatest living Polish filmmakers and the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Polish Film Awards, Jerzy Skolimowski was born in 1938 and attended the National Film School in Łódź with Roman Polanski, whose first feature film Knife in the Water, he co-scripted. In the 1960s, Skolimowski's films contributed to the revival of cinema in central and eastern Europe in the wake of the French New Wave. He gained international renown for his 1967 film Le Départ starring New Wave icon Jean-Pierre Léaud, which won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. In his subsequent films, Skolimowski has matured into a formidable talent with works such as Deep End (1970), The Shout (1978), and Moonlighting (1982) which starred Jeremy Irons. His acting career includes roles in his own films and, more recently, in Julian Schnabel's Before Night Falls and David Cronenberg's Eastern Promises. After a break from directing for seventeen years, Skolimowski made a triumphant return with Cztery noce z Anna / Four Nights with Anna (2008). In 2010, he directed Essential Killing starring Vincent Gallo which won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice International Film Festival.