Podere Forte Wine Dinner @ Enoteca Italiana Bangkok

Cuisine: Italian

Map: Podere Forte Wine Dinner @ Enoteca Italiana Bangkok

Charged Price: THB3,500 per person

Visited: 21 April 2015

Food: 6/10

Atmosphere: 7/10

Value for money: 5/10

Services: 6/10
Scale: [1=poor ---- 5=average/standard ---- 10=outstanding/exceptional]

It's another night of wine dinner and again at Enoteca Italiana Bangkok. It had been Valdicava wine dinner back in November 2014 and this time was Podere Forte wine dinner. The night started with Champagne from Larmandier-Bernier as aperitif, followed by Petruccino, Petrucci, and finished with vertical of Guardiavigna 2008 - 2010. They were all fantastic and delightful. Here are brief notes:

Champagne Larmandier-Bernier Latitude NV (91/100): Excellent champagne with good qpr. At the price around EUR30 a bottle, it's awesome. This is Blanc de Blancs aka chardonnay. Larmandier-Bernier Latitude is an example of pure and elegant style. It is creamy and it is full. But yet complexity and smoothness lie within. Aroma of pear, anise, and orchard. Full on the palate with minerality, lemon, and stone. Mild honey and almond. Lovely aperitif to enjoy within a few years of release. (~ EUR30)

Podere Forte Petruccino 2012 (90/100): This is a lovely sangiovese-merlot blend (70:30). It is drinking beautifully now. Exhibit cherry and raspberry flavour. Mild spices and mint on the secondary note. Attractive aroma of red fruits and floral. Fine finish. Medium-full structure. Modern. (~ EUR30)

Podere Forte Petrucci 2010 (95/100): It's WOTN for me. Still a little young but accessible. Sexy bouquet of cherry and raspberry jumped out aggressively followed by flowers and spices. Savoury sangiovese fruits on the palate. Medium bodied and fine tannins. Outstanding texture and acidity integrated well. Gentleman of the night, it was. 100% Sangiovese. (~ EUR100)

Podere Forte Guardiavigna 2008 (93/100), 2009 (92/100), 2010 (94/100): Guardiavigna is bordeaux blend with cabernet franc and merlot as the key grapes and petit verdot as the final touch. Three of them were nice but presented totally different characters. In common, they showed bouquet of cassis, black currants, eucalyptus, spices, and hint of tobacco and earth. All of them have full structure with oakiness especially 2009 vintage which was broodingly chewy too. To me, 2010 vintage is more of finesse and elegant, whilst 2009 vintage is about power and muscle. As for 2008 vintage, it might not be as as beauty as vintage 2010 but the opulent style of 2008 clicked with my sense more. These are fine wines but they come with some price tag as well. (~ EUR80)

Champagne Larmandier-Bernier Latitude NV

Podere Forte Petruccino 2012

Podere Forte Petrucci 2010

Podere Forte Guardiavigna 2008

Podere Forte Guardiavigna 2009

Podere Forte Guardiavigna 2010

Podere Forte Wine Dinner @ Enoteca Italiana Bangkok
39 Soi Sukhumvit 27
Sukhumvit Road
Khlong Tan Nuea, Watthana
Bangkok 10110

Thailand

Open Hours: daily from 06:00pm - midnight

Tel: +66 (0) 2258 4386
Web: http://www.enotecabangkok.com/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/EnotecaBangkok

Cantina Follie @ Tremezzo, Como, Italy

Cuisine: Wine Bar

Map: Cantina Follie @ Tremezzo, Como, Italy

Price: EUR18 per person (what we paid for)

Visited: 6 October 2014

Wine Range and Food: 6/10

Atmosphere: 7/10

Value for money: 8/10

Services: 6/10
Scale: [1=poor ---- 5=average/standard ---- 10=outstanding/exceptional]

Have you ever encountered a situation that you don't want much food but just a place to sip wine (and some bites of food) with friends while travelling or you just want to try different varieties of local wine? This is a kind of situation I have always encountered. If you are perhaps one of a kind and need to find a place for wine around Cadenabbia, Lake Como, here is one for you: Cantina Follie at Tremezzo.

Cantina Follie is tucked in a small alley in Tremezzo commune. It may just be a small little cave-like place but it is full of wine, Italian wine. The selection of wine here comes from many different commune in Italy, from North to South. There are also good selection of wine by glass: around 5 to 6 choices of red and white as well as a few choices of sparkling.

Cantina Follie @ Tremezzo, Como, Italy

nice and cosy wine bar

more wine

sparkling corner

As said, this is a place to enjoy sips of wine. Hence, food is just the secondary thing. I only ordered platter of hams and cheese (EUR10) to go along with wine. Nevertheless, Deadly Bunny also had Ghiottone Panini (EUR4), which was Parma ham, mozzarella, and tomato, just to taste and it was not bad at all. For wine, I had three from different regions: Trentino-Alto Adige, Valtellina, and Tuscany.

Trentino-Alto Adige - J. Hofstatter Mazon Riserva Pinot Nero 2010

Valtellina - Plozza Grumello Riserva DOCG 2009

Tuscany - Ruffino Urlo IGT 2006

Of the three, Hofstatter Mazon was not bad at all for its price for pinot noir. Plozza Grumello Riserva, on the other hand, impressed me with experience of nebbiolo out side Piedmont region. Lastly, Ruffino Urlo is a rare modern blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Alicante, and Petit Verdot that showed a rather fascinating aroma. I wouldn't say it was excellent but pleasurable.

More or less, my evening at Cantina Follie did satisfy me enough. I would not hesitate to recommend this place to anyone around Cadenabbia at all. Cheers!!!!!!

tagliere misto di salumi e formaggi

J. Hofstatter Mazon Riserva Pinot Nero 2010 (EUR7)

Plozza Grumello Riserva DOCG 2009 (EUR4.5)

Ruffino Urlo IGT 2006 (EUR8)

in wine, there is truth

here is the name card

Cantina Follie @ Tremezzo, Como, Italy
14/16 Via Alessandro Volta
Tremezzo 22019
Como
Italy

Open Hours: daily except Tuesday 11:00am - 11:00pm

Tel: +39 0344 42311
Web: http://www.cantinafollie.it/