Bird's Nest Soup? Chiao Kuo White Fungus Drink, Taiwan

To start your day right - once again it had to be - this morning - a classic Asian soft drink. This time it was a white fungus drink from Taiwan. The ingredients were: 83,1 % water, 8,9% sugar and 8% white fungus (apparently morels). I had comparable drinks like this quite a few times. You might consider them as a more honest and similar tasting version of those bird’s nest drinks (see the little swallow on the can). Most of those drinks look like bird’s nest soup and even taste a bit like that. Maybe because there isn’t so much overwhelming taste in these soups? Well, OK I better shut up about this delicacy. I once had the opportunity to have a cup some years ago. This won’t make me an expert in this field ;-). Back to the drink:

Nose-Heavy Dry Roughness: Dveri Pax Šipon 2009, Štajerska

Today’s Sipon, or its internationally better known Hungarian brother Furmint, comes from one of the most renowned wineries in Slovenia: Dveri Pax in Maribor region. Far better known for its crisp and subtle Sauvignon Blanc and Renski Riesling wines, I most definitely had to grab this for another autochthons adventure. Well OK, in Slovenia Sipon/Furmint might be not that overwhelmingly adventurous. What else to know about this wine: it is part of the Benedict series (standard wines for quick consumption), the grapes were cultivated on sand and loam soils in Ljutomer-Ormoz region and the aging took place in stainless steel.

Pinot de Catalunya: Can Bonastre Pinot Noir 2008, Penedès

Once more a Pinot from Spain! This time from the mainland! More precise: from Penedès region in Catalonia. Actually a region of Spain were Pinot Noir isn’t that exotic, but pretty established for quite a while! Once more thanks to our friends from the Order of Cistercians! The producer is a luxurious boutique hotel –spa –restaurant – winery called Can Bonastre in the up-country area of Barcelona and rather close to the Montserrat Mountains. The winery itself isn’t that big. Besides the Pinot they produce a mildly barrel fermented Chardonnay and a pretty dense Syrah + Cabernet Sauvignon blend. The grapes for today’s Pinot were cultivated on Santa Magdalena Vineyard (clay loam soil). The maceration took 47 days (!) in stainless steel tanks and the barrel-ageing just 4 months (!) in American and French oak.

Supermarket Sweep Part 1: Driada (ICS Suvorov Vin S.R.L.) Tamianca N.V., South-Eastern Moldova

In commemoration of my childhood's most liked game-show [Ups! Yeah Baby, I admit it ;-)] : it is „Supermarket Sweep“ time!

Well you guys probably can imagine which shelf would have been my favourite one! Enough of this wishful nostalgic blather! 
In the coming weeks I intent to have a couple of Supermarket wines! More specific: Eastern European Supermarket wines. Therefore, I paid a little visit to a small, but rather fine Russian supermarket over here in Teutonia! Let’s sweep this Russian Supermarket and see what the outcome will be:

The new - and "certainly" much better - Oh Dae-Su Score

Celestial ******** / Einfach Himmlisch ******** = 98 - 100 P

Semi-Celestial ******* / Fast Himmlisch ******* = 95 - 97 P

Fantastic ****** / Fantastisch ****** = 92 - 94 P

Very Decent ***** / Sehr Anständig ***** = 89 - 91 P

Decent **** / Anständig **** = 86 - 88 P

So-So *** / So La-La *** = 82 - 85 P

Consumable ** / Trinkbar ** = 79 - 81 P

Miserable * / Miserable * = 75 - 78 P

Horrible / Direkt aus der Hölle = 0 - 74 P

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The once new Oh Dae-su Score:

Bharat Cab and the Sociandos: Four Seasons Ritu Barrique Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2008, Maharashtra

Salaam Maharashtra once again! This time with Cabernet Sauvignon from Four Seasons Winery, a project of the Bouvet-Ladubay Empire and the actual Indian owner of B-L, in Pune District. Besides the Maharati Cabernet I had a triumvirate of Sociando–Mallet wines from three different decades.  

Langmeil Winery Blacksmith Cabernet Sauvignon, Barossa Valley SA

Today I just make a very quick Pit-Stop with a Cabernet Sauvignon from Barossa Valley and a wine from Pfalz region in Germany made of a relativly scarce varietal. But first things first! Langmeil in Barossa is rather famous for its Shiraz wines. Allegedly they own the oldest Syrah vines (from the mid 18th century) on the planet. Well, whatever today's wine is a Cabernet Sauvignon which was aged in primarily "seasoned (indicated on the back label)" French oak (ratio 20/80) for 24 months.

White Floral Douro Spice: Quinta Nova Pomares Douro Branco 2010, Douro

After my last endless blather I’ll cut it short. At least this time! Phew, what a relief! Well, today’s wine is the Pomares Branco from Quinta Nova. It is a white blend composed of the autochtonous varietals Viosinho (well known for light, floral and acidic wines), Gouveio (probably identical to Verdelho Branco, well known for its hearty and stronger in alcohol character + some stronger botrytis tendencies) and Rabigato (other name: Rabo de Gato, or kitten tail, is well known for its muscat’y character and slight tendency to produce wines with high alcohol volume).