A new generation of young vintners are injecting a dose of casual cool into the region’s traditional winemaking scene
Pop culture and Bordeaux wine are unlikely bedfellows. The Bordeaux establishment is more than happy to perpetuate the historical image the region has thrived on: the wine labels’ sketches of glitzy chateaus and gritty farmhouses remind drinkers of this sepia-hued zeitgeist. That is why winemaker Thibault Bardet is quite an anomaly: he has named his quaffDornish Wine, a reference to the red ambrosia portrayed in the medieval fantasy TV series, Game of Thrones. The wine label even depicts the orange sun and spear insignia associated with the Dornish kingdom in the show.
The fresh-faced 28-year-old Thibault is a big fan of Game of Thrones, and his wine is his geeky way of “recreating something real from the show”. “I had the support and trust of my family, even if this project was completely different than those we used to have,” recalls Thibault, whose father Philippe manages the Saint-Émilion-based Vignobles Bardet. “Even those who don’t really watch Game of Thrones like the idea [of a wine] inspired by the most famous TV show at the moment.”
Since there was no mention of the wine’s taste in Game of Thrones, Thibault scoured books and memorabilia to get clues from the fictional environs the ambrosia was made in. He learned that the wine was “powerful and as dark as a blood” and the vines grew in sandy soils. He decided to make his Dornish Wine as a straight Merlot, which also grows in his sandy parcels in Bordeaux.
Clever marketing aside, the Dornish Wine 2016 is delicious—rich, round and fruity, with lingering dark chocolate and leathery accents. In short, it’s masculine, and it feels like the kind of quaff the hirsute characters would be sipping in the show. Thibault has also made a sulphur-free version of the Dornish Wine to cater to the growing demand for natural wines.
Denne historien er fra May/June 2018-utgaven av WINE&DINE.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra May/June 2018-utgaven av WINE&DINE.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
New Blood
The next-generation is breathing new life into the forgotten art of spice-mixing, peppering the traditional trade with renewed ideas and fresh perspectives.
Sharing Is Caring
Compared to its flagship at Serene Centre, Fat Belly Social at Boon Tat Street is a classier and bolder affair, in more than one sense.
Nutmeg's Role In Singapore's History
From tales of it being used to ward off the plague in mid-1300s Europe to one of the ingredients in dessert, we have all known, tasted, or at least heard of nutmeg. But not many know of the spice’s role in Singapore’s history.
New And Improved
The ever-profound chef-owner Kenjiro ‘Hatch’ Hashida finds more room, three to be exact, to express a Ha Ri philosophy at Hashida Singapore’s new location at Amoy Street.
Pairing Spice-Driven Cuisines With Wine
Pairing spice-driven cuisines with wine has long been a challenge but with a little imagination, it doesn’t have to be.
Let Land Grow Wild
Niew Tai-Ran has worn many hats: aeronautical engineering major, investment banker, avid surfer, and, for the last 14 years, winemaker. Discover how this Malaysia-born, Singapore-native is championing the “do-nothing farming” philosophy at his vineyard in Oregon.
The South Asian Misnomer
Incredibly diverse and varied than most know, Indian food is far more intriguing than butter chicken or thosai. Here is a crash course on the extensive cuisine from region to region, recognisable for the seemingly infinite ways of using spices.
Keepers Of The Spice Trade
From its glory days along trade routes to pantry staples all over the world, spices have become so commonplace that we’ve taken them for granted. For these three trailblazers, however, spice is their livelihood and motivation: Langit Collective working with indigenous rural farming communities in Malaysia; IDH’s Sustainable Spice Initiative; and chef Nak’s one-woman mission to share forgotten Khmer cuisine.
Sugar, Spice And Everything Nice
Like food, spices bring vibrancy and variety to alcoholic beverages. Surfacing in unexpected ways on the palate, find everything from cumin to tamarind, cloves to cardamom enriching these drinks.
Building Blocks From The Archipelago
For the smorgasbord of dishes found in Indonesian cuisine, it is a little known secret that the modest bumbu, in all its variants, is the bedrock of such flavourful fare.