Alcoholic Diary

What is Reka? It’s a Malay word which brings you the meaning of create! And that is what this latest bar that exhibits a strong science lab vibe with a long bar that welcomes you at the front of the room and brings you the relaxing and homey vibes too! Once you’re seated there’s a menu presented with the concept of the bar and it revolves around a continuation of flavours combination that will be highlighted in specific colours and you can see it on certain ingredients in the descriptions that will be their inspiration for the next drink. This is known as The Domino Effect! It is an interesting and at times mind blowing on how the flavour combination would able to work! The drink I had was called Better Together and it is quite balanced with the flavours of gin and the Sherry with some hints fruitiness of the papaya and that acidity coming from the Tomato and calamansi juice. It is a very refreshing drink to start the night with!

“I think of music as creating a space. I like to put things in that are comforting to me and are nostalgic. To me, that’s what sampling does in songs; it’s making deeper layers for people who know where it comes from, but also referencing another part of my history and my memory or a memory that I have.”- Jamilla Woods
Trying out an Islay Single malt whisky tasting which has a rather reserved yet smokey notes that is slightly aggressive for the 8 year old which is best to enjoy it with either a clear ice cube or a drop of water to help in open up its other dried fruits and sweet baking spices but it gets better with the 10year old which exudes a more umami together with smoky and slight sweetness.. The most enjoyable whisky from Laphroaig is the Quarter Cask as it has an attractive aroma that just reminds you of a Christmas cake with the sweet baking spices accompanied by a hint of dark chocolate and slight sweetness from toffee! Quite surprised being that it is the most full bodied and austere peppered with a hint of tobacco and smoky notes amongst them all!

"Elegance is inferior to virtue."- Mary Shelley
The Western Australia has always been blessed with incredible Maritime climate and weather along with it's picturesque views of the ocean that makes it the ideal place to craft a Bordeaux Blend varietal wines!
The Bartondale Cabernet Sauvignon is a rare find in it's style as the winemaker of Churchview took the inspiration from the famous Bordeaux Blend which is the most sought after style as its gives the wine a full bodied finish alongside some medium range acidity accompanied by the dark chocolates and dark fruits be it ripe and juicy or sun dried and intense and with time in the barrel aging will help the wine to evolve into a wine that is bursting with elegance, roasted coffee aromas, violet, leathery notes and sweet baking spices! It's a fantastic wine to go along with roasts or red meats! #afoodiesaffair #sommelier #australianwines #margaretriverwine #bordeauxblend #burpple

The price of victory is high but so are the rewards."- Paul Bryant
A great St Helga Riesling that exudes ripe and juicy peaches, apricot, honey suckle flowers and very perfume like aromas alongside the medium yet refreshing acidity that just made it such a perfect aperitif wines for a lunch wine! It goes fantastically with the raw kingfish #afoodiesaffair #burpple #burpplekl #foodie #foodporn #sommelier #sommelierlife #love #australianwines #barossa #barossavalley #sthugowines

The one surprising find for me would be the opportunity to stumble upon a Greek grape varietal; Assyrtiko that mainly found in the Santorini Island! Jim Barry winery are really adventurous in importing this cutting of such an unique varietal to be planted in Clare Valley which produces the most amazing, dry yet complex Riesling! It was really exciting to try out as I always get to read about it in books but didn’t imagine in my wildest dreams to be able to try it out in SA! Well the color of it is quite pale straw somewhat similar to Riesling of Steingarten.. It isn’t a very aromatic grape varietal as it was rather reserved but slowly it teases you with a profile of juicy pear and zesty lime! On the palate, it has this medium body to it and alongside it was a medium acidity that makes an excellent aperitif drink to excite you for your meal and it also has a rather prominent note of the ocean minerality somewhat reminiscent to a Sauvignon Blanc.. This wine would go mighty fine with a plate of seafood #afoodiesaffair #burpple #winetasting #greekwine #jimbarrywines #affwine #nationalwinecentre #uniadelaide #aussiewine #barossawine

“I think I’m unique to the game ‘cause of my versatility.”- Ice Cube
That quote perfectly sums up the versatility of the Austrian grape of Gruner Veltliner! It is not a fruity and refreshing like the Sauvignon Blanc but it somehow sits in between the Chardonnay and Verdejo with a dash of Pinot Gris for its body and complexity alongside the tropical fruits, Stone fruits, some lime and floral notes that is accompanied with a medium acidity that isn’t too overpowering and a dash of sea shell minerality at the background.. Perfectly said by the people of Austria that it is a food friendly wine where it has this amazing ability to pair with the Schnitzel which is fried and slight oily or even Italian food but for the case of Malaysian food; it would go nicely with the Chinese restaurant food that is consist of a combination of some fried, stir fried vegetables and sweet and sour meats as they have the appropriate level of acidity that manage to cut through the fatty meats and also it acts fantastically as an accompaniment to all the dishes! It doesn’t hurt to also try out with Indian dishes or Malay dishes; best yet the diverse and spice eccentric Nyonya dishes! It’s always fun to explore and play a game of food and wine pairing #afoodiesaffair #austrianwine #schlossgobelsburg #foodie #foodpairingideas #sommelier #winetasting

"Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is God's handwriting."- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Its was truly an exceptional honour to have a beautiful dinner with this beauties of the Barossa! The one that was my favourite would always be the Meshach Shiraz 2012! Their approach on Shiraz was truly a stark contrast from the usual full bodied, dark and red fruits bursting with juiciness and spices alongside the black pepper that would pepper the aroma as well the palate too! But for this Shiraz is actually a very elegant wine that is very reserved in the beginning even though it was given some interactions with the oxygen through decanting yet it just being a very laid back wine that with some patience; it gradually warms to you with its dried and dark berries, dark bitter chocolates sprinkled with some herbs like thyme and tarragon alongside the eucalyptus aroma! The tannin was really elegant and supple as it glides through your palate with that rich structure that makes you wanting more just to discover its hidden secrets! No wonder it is such an icon! #grantburgewines #barossawines #barossavalley #aussiewines #winegini #winetasting

“Knowledge will give you power, but character respect.”- Bruce Lee
Basked in the Tuscan sun lies a hilly appellation which features the greatness of Sangiovese with its elegance, refinement, complex characteristics yet with an amazingly velvety tannins and a heavy weight in terms of taste! Brunello di Montalcino has a special requirement of ageing for at least 5 years to be qualified as a Brunello and also the ageing is usually done in a French oak barrels for its ability to tame the harsh tannin to evolve itself into a rich and luscious powerful wine with greater complexity of dried fruit that slowly turns into secondary aroma and taste of tobacco, smoked meats and also earth #afoodiesaffair #winetasting #winelover #wineeducation #sommelier #italianwine

"There comes a time in every woman's life when the only thing that helps is a glass of champagne."- Bete Davis
Tuscany has always been famous for its Chianti classico, brunello and Super Tuscans but we tend to take for granted the one style which includes two wine styles into 1 bottle.. That style is known as Rosso di Montepulciano. This style vary from every winemaker or tenuta but its a lovely compromise for those who love a medium to full body reds, alongside velvety mouthfeel with a touch of acidity to round off the wines yet it's aroma permeates a flower yet juicy and ripe red fruit notes and herbs! On the palate, the tannins wasn't over powering or too grippy as it gives a very silky and velvety texture and the balance between the tannin, minimal ageing with the oak barrel has brought this wine some elegance and great structure with slight hints of olives, leather and thyme.. It goes amazing with grilled meats or game

“Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough.”- Og Mandingo
Its truly an honour to try out this premier grand cru of Sauternes from the 1855 classification.. A dessert wine that made primarily with a blend of Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and a touch of Muscadelle to give this wine a sweet and rounder balance on the palate. It is made with the help of the noble rot or known as Botrytis Cinerea which is a gift for this region as it helps to concentrate the grapes sugar level and intensify their flavour even more to create a sweet yet luscious wines for us to enjoy with honey based or dried fruit based dessert or even a plate of foie gras.. This dessert wine has a great balance of sugar, acidity and also alcohol as if it was being orchestrated by the great Mozart! It was being filled with an attractive aromas of dried apricots, tangerine, honeysuckle, beeswax, golden raisins that makes you inquisitive about the wine itself. In terms of taste, it is really well balanced with a balance of sweetness that wasn’t overpowering yet the texture on the palate isn’t too cloying. It has great balance with that fruit flavoured being intensified! It surprisingly goes well with that Fluffy and creamy rum baba with raisins and rum ice cream!