Wednesday 5 April - The crazy spicy aromatic offline at Chinta Kechil

[Bobthebuilder]

I'm battling to get rid of a cold by tomorrow, complete loss of smell and taste. If it doesn't clear up and return by tomorrow night I'll need to withdraw, and will be extremely disappointed as aromatics are a favourite theme.

If another wishes to take the spot or you need to make the call that I'm out, I fully understand.

Otherwise I was going to cling on to the hope that smell and taste return by tomorrow afternoon.

Very sorry for the complication!

Sometimes I find the wine can have healing properties and restore that smell and taste
Most important thing is you aren't coughing and sneezing and likely to spread the cold
Gastro and nausea with flue like symptoms too have been hammering my family, including the inlaws and my brothers family for over a week now
My older daughter was vomiting all weekend and with a high temperature

[Bobthebuilder]

What is really frustrating is I was hoping Michelle would have slotted into a last minute reserve spot

[Bobthebuilder]

She's seeming a lot better in the last couple of hours
Don't write me of yet!

[TiggerK]

Chilli will help too Mich and Nick!

[odyssey]

Not coughing or sneezing, just blocked sinuses. I stuck my nose deep into a jar of Tiger Balm to try to detect something, anything. Not a skerrick, may as well have been smelling water.

@Nic, good luck mate!! Kids! Familiar story and explains it all. Son and wife also sick, I've been had spit and more coughed directly into my face all weekend by my son, so I'm not surprised...

[TiggerK]

No sense of smell must be so annoying odyssey, hoping everyone gets better!!

[rooman]

Not coughing or sneezing, just blocked sinuses. I stuck my nose deep into a jar of Tiger Balm to try to detect something, anything. Not a skerrick, may as well have been smelling water.

@Nic, good luck mate!! Kids! Familiar story and explains it all. Son and wife also sick, I've been had spit and more coughed directly into my face all weekend by my son, so I'm not surprised...

I have asked a friend of mine who is a wine rep to join us. He is more than happy to have spicy and riesling (and he has a nice kiwi gewwurzt) so if you still feel miserable no problems with the spot. And if you feel better there is always more room. They won't be busy at 6.30 so we can add seats if necessary.

[odyssey]

Thanks Tim! Senses are returning, so I'm definitely onboard!

Really appreciate the flexibility you offered Mark.

I'll bring along an array of interesting Alsatian wines and we can open any or all of them as interested. Hopefully it makes some amends for the confusion and a couple of offline cancellations in the past year!

[Hacker]

No Migraine! I am bringing a 2011 Pierro Chardie at the request of Mark. See you guys soon.

[rooman]

No Migraine! I am bringing a 2011 Pierro Chardie at the request of Mark. See you guys soon.

Knock me over with a feather!!! Great to see you have risen from your bed and are alive.

[rooman]

Thanks Tim! Senses are returning, so I'm definitely onboard!

Really appreciate the flexibility you offered Mark.

I'll bring along an array of interesting Alsatian wines and we can open any or all of them as interested. Hopefully it makes some amends for the confusion and a couple of offline cancellations in the past year!

Good lord the planets are aligning. Next we will see Bobthebuilder also turn up and there will be chaos and confusion.

[mse]

On my wayyy!!! Save me some aromatic good drops pleaseeee!!!

[dave vino]

Great night.

Nice food, nice company and nice wines. Even had an early finish to boot all for the princely sum of about $50.

[rooman]

Guys

As usual thanks for a great evening and as always people were ridiculously generous.

As for the wines without doubt the best thing about attending the offline dinners is the continual opportunity to keep learning about new wines. Probably the highlight of the evening for me was the chance to try my first VT gewurzt - in this case the 1983 Trimbach. I've read about VTs but never tried wine. A superb wines and many thanks to Andrew who also brought along another 4 wines just in case.

The other new and fascinating wine was also courtesy of Andrew, this being the field wine or Giesbieg by Marcel Deiss. This wine was a combination of a whole range of different grapes which as I understand matters all grow in the same field.

Also of interest was the Grosset Polish Hill 2001 which is living proof there is no point opening a PH inside 15 years. This wine was lovely but only just beginning entering its drinking windows again with a decade or two to go.

At the end of the day every wine was both excellent and educational.

Many thanks
Mark

[odyssey]

A very enjoyable night, thanks to Mark for organising and to everyone for generousity, lots of excellent wines, great company and passion for wine all round.

Marcel Deiss. This wine was a combination of a whole range of different grapes which as I understand matters all grow in the same field.

Coplanation and "field blends" as they are called, are a common practice for table wine in Alsace, but it's unusual for Grand Cru/Premier Cru vineyards, which Marcel Deiss uses.

As I understand it, a mix of varieties that have naturally attributed themselves towards the terrior of a particular vineyard over the decades, are left to grow there. Jean-Michel Deiss picks whatever grapes are optimal/ripe at that time, regardless of variety and those go into the blend. The precise ratios of each variety in each barrel are therefore somewhat unknown.

Appelation laws in 1975 legislated that Grand Cru wines list the grape variety, which was the death of coplantation and field blends in top vineyards. In 2005 some winemakers led by Deiss fought and won the right to not label the grape varieties on Grand Cru wines, which therefore allowed coplantation and field blends there, (to the disappointment of a few more "modern" operators).

As per his website:

While the grape variety has always been optional for AOC Alsace (Order 1945) and many plots on hillsides were still co-planted in the 60s, the introduction of the legislation which requires the mention of grape variety for Grand Cru (1975 ) can be considered as a historical mistake because it has resulted in a dramatic loss of biodiversity of vineyards, establishment of productive clones and a shift in all varieties. Fortunately, some winemakers have the perseverance and obstinacy, and in 2005, to reform this unjust law (the grape variety is now entirely optional for AOC Alsace and the Grand Cru).