Eat Drink KL: Carmen's Vinothek

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Carmen's Vinothek

Carmen's: Round Two. Earlier entry: June 10, 2010 (seems like a lifetime ago!).

In a boost for our education in wine, Carmen's has been serving tasting sets this year that pair various vintages with cheese & chocolate _ a wonderful way to wrap up a meal. On one recent evening, we chose a particularly creamy combination that comprised camembert, parmigiana & gorgonzola cheese on crunchy crackers.

Venchi handmade Italian chocs: Cremino Giandujato Fondente, Frutatti Mirtillo Sfuso & Tartufo Nocciole Piemonte IGP. All of them go marvelously with mellow wines, which complement both the luscious savoriness of cheese and the luxurious sweetness of chocolate.

Red, red wine, stay close to me _ three varieties, each from distinctly different regions: Dr Martino 327 Vineyards Reserva (Carmenere, Chile), Kaesler Cabernet Sauvignon (Barossa Valley, Australia) & Beringer Clear Lake Zinfandel (Napa Valley, California). Prices for the various tasting sets range between RM98++ to RM118++.

Also check out Carmen's wide range of wines in 25ml tasting portions (one-fifth of a usual glass). This enables us to pay fair prices for small sips of expensive wines that we can't afford by the bottle, such as this Gibbston Valley Gold River Pinot Noir (Queenstown, NZ).

Chateau Picard Cru Bourgeois.

Pianirossi Solus (Maremma, Italy).

An enomatic wine dispenser, also found at Menara Hap Seng's Hakka Republic.

Carmen's Vinothek,
Changkat Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur.