Author: Jacky I.F. Cheong
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The Chinese Expedition
Traditionally a baijiu and huangjiu country, the concept of Chinese wine may at the first sight appear as peculiar as employing Oriental brush strokes and paper ... -
The Catalonian Littoral
(Continued from “The Catalonian Priory” on 8 May 2015) Situated southwest of Barcelona and northeast of Tarragona, Penedés (or Penedès in Catalan) is one of the ... -
The Sub-Alpine Secret
Sandwiched between Burgundy and Switzerland, Jura is perhaps France’s best-kept vinous secret, one with idiosyncratic character and Byzantine complexity. Named after the Jura Mountains, it refers ... -
The Swashbuckler Spirit
Armagnac is both the name of a historic province – for long in existence under the Ancien Régime and replaced by the département system subsequent to ... -
The Austro-Italian Legacy
Austria and Germany are brothers in various ways, and Trentino-Alto Adige (Trentino-Südtirol in German) is to Austria what Alsace (Elsass in German) is to Germany. Both ... -
The Southern Powerhouse
At just over 1 million km2, Argentina is as big as France and Spain combined, while its population is roughly equivalent to the latter. To its ... -
The Summery Zest
Situated in the northwesternmost of Portugal braving the Atlantic Ocean, the Vinho Verde region is indeed green, and in various aspects – its landscape, Portugal’s comfort ... -
The Mediterranean Heart II
(Continued from “The Mediterranean Heart” on 15 May 2015) There are but a handful of wine regions that are simultaneously UNESCO World Heritage Sites, eg. Austria’s ... -
The Sindhu Revival II
(Continued from “The Sindhu Revival” on 24 June 2015) Lying between 6th parallel north (on a par with Central Africa) and 37th parallel north (on a ... -
The Kiwi Emblem
Situated in the northeastern corner of the South Island along the 41st parallel south, Marlborough is not only the cradle of New Zealand wine, but also ... -
The Australian Boutique
Situated some 130km north of state capital Adelaide, Clare Valley is the northernmost wine region within the Mount Lofty Ranges zone of South Australia, one of ... -
The Protestant Roots
Wine has been inseparable from the Christian faith since the institution of the Eucharist during the Last Supper. Notwithstanding the East-West Schism, both Roman Catholicism and ... -
The Sindhu Revival
Home to one of the four cradles of civilisation, India has a viticultural history which can be traced back to the 4th millennium BC, when vines ... -
The English Garden
Possibly the most northerly wine-producing area of Europe, England can trace its viticultural history back to 1st century AD, when modern-day England and Wales were conquered ... -
The Wildness of Beauty IV
(Continued from “The Wildness of Beauty III” on 24 April 2015) In the 16th century, Corsica became a major battleground for Habsburg Spain and Valois France ... -
The Southern Bastio
Due to economic and historic reasons, mighty Bordeaux often overshadows its neighbouring areas such as Bergerac, Buzet, Côtes-du-Marmandais and Monbazillac. The one bastion that Bordeaux fails ... -
The Mediterranean Heart
Prior to the Age of Discovery, the Mediterranean area had for centuries remained the centre of Europe and its history. Owing to their geopolitical locations, if ... -
The Catalonian Priory
Situated in southwestern Catalonia, Priorato (“Priorat” in Catalan) is, alongside Rioja, one of the only 2 DOCs (Denomenación de Origen Calificada) in Spain, occupying the pinnacle ... -
The English Connection
Partly due to its geographical location, the inland Alentejo region is by no means as heavily influenced by the English as the Douro region. However, in ... -
The Wildness of Beauty III
(Continued from “The Wildness of Beauty II” on 27 March 2015) For those who enjoy not only the sensual pleasure brought about by the vinous experience ... -
The Latino-Slavic Crossroad II
(Continued from “The Latino-Slavic Crossroad” on 20 March 2015) By 1914, Moldavia had become the winery, indeed the largest wine production area, of the Russian Empire. ... -
The Heart of Oak
Located in northern Spain along the Ebro between the towns of Alfaro and Haro, Rioja is one of the only two DOCs (Denominación de Origen Calificada) ... -
The Shades of Green III
(Continued from “The Shades of Green II” on 9 January 2015) For its viticultural diversity and outstanding price-quality ratio, Vinho Verde is no doubt one of ... -
The Wildness of Beauty II
(Continued from “The Wildness of Beauty” on 28 November 2014) Although similar in size, Alsace and Corsica could hardly be more different – the former is ... -
The Latino-Slavic Crossroad
Subsequent to the dissolution of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (a.k.a. USSR or Soviet Union), the former Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic (a.k.a. Moldavian SSR) became ... -
The Ascending Villages
Situated south of Côte Chalonnaise, Mâconnais is the southernmost subregion of Burgundy in oelonogical terms. Prior to the 20th century, Mâconnais used to be famed for ... -
The Bavarian Royalty
Wine for aristocrats, prelates and officers; rum for pirates and seamen; beer for foot soldiers and workmen… This ultra-traditionalist perception, bordering on the feudal and held ... -
The Burgundian Newcomer
With 100+ appellations, 600+ premier cru and 30+ grand cru climats, Burgundy is quite possibly the most intellectually demanding region to understand. The pleasure of studying ... -
The Southern Alps
With its 10 wine regions lying between the 36th and 45th parallels south, New Zealand is the most southerly wine-producing country in the world. Representing merely ... -
The Czech Enigma III
(Continued from “The Czech Enigma II” on 16 January 2014) While Austria and Germany have left an indelible mark on Czech history, France might be the ... -
The Franco-Iberian Enclave
Located in northern Spain, immediately north of Rioja and east of the País Vasco (Basque Country), Navarra is both a Denominación de Origen (since 1933) and ... -
The Portuguese Guardian
Of the various wine regions in Portugal, Douro is no doubt the jewel in the crown. It is one of the very few wine-producing UNESCO World ... -
The Franco-German Crossroads
Alsace (or Elsass in German) is perhaps the focal point of Franco-German relations, itself having changed hands for no less than 6 times in history, a ... -
The Czech Enigma II
(Continued from “The Czech Enigma” on 19 December 2014) For more than a millennium, the Czech lands were part of the mainly German-speaking Holy Roman Empire, ... -
The Shades of Green II
(Continued from “The Shades of Green” on 1 October 2014) The term “Vinho Verde” not only refers to the particular style of refreshing and often slightly ...
