EXERCISES IN THE DISCERNMENT OF THE SPIRITS (SIXTH
IN A SERIES)
“The enlightened man has a wisdom sent down to him from God, wherein he knows and discerns the truth
Vino Rosso, Mastroberardino, Taurasi, Radici
Reserva 2018, Aglianico at Ristorante Belvedere, Caruso, a Belmond Hotel,
Ravello, Amalfi Coast, Italy
This fine red wine from southern Italy makes a good first impression
with a fruity fermented grape aroma—the wine is lightly, unmistakably sweet,
swimming in delicious, mildly bitter tannins, delectably acrid and warming,
especially to the upper throat.
Rating: 5 stars
Birra Artigianale Ravello (Craft Beer) at Palazzo
Confalone, Ravello, Amalfi Coast, Italy
A finely brewed lager from the coastal highlands of Western
Italy—fresh, crisp, lightly aromatic, mildly sweet, deliciously bitter,
memorably dry, with a keen briny texture and dusky golden shine. Chiller, the
better. Goes well with holidays.
Rating: 5 stars
Rosé Wine, Azienda Agricola, Bosco de’ Medici at
Bosco de’ Medici, Pompeii, Italy
Pink, transparent, enticing and appealing, with a fruity
aroma...peachy, citrusy, with a briny texture, lightly sweet, pleasantly
acidic, imbued with sour notes, faintly bitter and acrid.
Rating: 4 stars
White Wine,
Azienda Agricola, Bosco de’ Medici at Bosco
de’ Medici, Pompeii, Italy
Delectable, fruity aroma, lemony, satisfyingly sweet, with a full body
and smoothness, bitter and acrid notes all around...finely bittersweet
aftertaste, lasting. Shines light golden yellow, transparent.
Rating: 4 stars
Red Wine, Tinto Pesquera Reserva 2019, Ribera del
Duero, Spain at Emirates Airways Business Class, October 9, 2023
A complexly aromatic dark wine finely evocative of fermented grapes, swirling with sourly sweet berry notes and underscored by variegated, woody tannins. Strongly, pleasantly bitter with a satisfying body and lasting bite. An ideal companion to Mediterranean cuisine and a friend especially to tender, well-seasoned beef.
White Wine, Pouilly-Fuissé Louis Latour 2021,
Burgundy, France at Emirates Airways Business Class, October 28-29, 2023
Exceptionally transparent, beautifully refractive lambent golden
hue...floral fragrance, faintly fruity...citrusy, lightly sweet, tasty bitter
fermented white grape flavor, mild yet very satisfying...palpably, curiously
textured...all in all, delicious and agreeable.
ASKA BOLGHERI ROSSO D.O.C. BANFI 2020 at Osteria dell’Oca, Florence, Italy
ReplyDeleteA wine of fine quality with a sweet, fermented, distinctive Cabernet Sauvignon fragrance, smooth body and notable density, and a satisfying, flavorous mixture of bitter, sour, and delicately sweet—slightly acidic, perceptibly acrid, dry and woody, with pleasantly, lightly sour notes, all liquidly warming to the throat and chest. Good companion to any main course, especially French or Mediterranean.
Rating: 4 stars
Gonzalinho
PERONI NASTRO AZZURRO
ReplyDeleteNastro Azzurro or “Blue Ribbon” is Peroni’s most popular beer internationally and also the most available outside Italy. Delivered in a visually appealing green bottle accented by red-and-blue on white labels, it reveals itself as a pale golden yellow lager, irrepressibly bubbly and lightly frothy—height of the head depends on how aggressively you pour—effusing an appetizing beery aroma. Mildly sweet throughout and perceptibly bready, it is flavorful, tastily bitter and refreshingly crisp, with a briny texture, fully agreeable and pleasurable. Unfailingly, it delivers a buzz…just wait for it. Overall, it is balmy, tonic, and quieting the way most lagers go. Aftertaste, however, is not altogether palatable, to speak plainly. Chill extravagantly for best effect.
Blue ribbon? Yes, for some.
Rating: 4 stars
Gonzalinho
I’m not a lager fan and like hoppy beers and pilsners particularly.
DeleteMost decent drinks get 4 stars from me…3 stars mean it’s just passable and that I wouldn’t go out of my way to drink it.
Nastro Azzurro is okay—it’s probably satisfying for a lager drinker, and that’s why I give it 4 stars. For a pilsner drinker like me, I’d honestly give it 3.5 stars, but I don’t use decimal points on my scale.
The Peroni I like is Peroni Red, which is hoppy, but they don’t sell it in the Philippines. That one I’d happily give 4 stars.
Gonzalinho
ASAHI SUPER DRY
ReplyDeleteVegetal, grassy, freshly and lightly aromatic...generous head, subtly sweet, allusively woody…notably crisp, richly textured, briny...stringy finish almost like bamboo fibers…sure to satisfy any aficionado of Super Dry variants. Highly recommended.
Rating: 4 stars
Gonzalinho
SAN MIGUEL PALE PILSEN
ReplyDeleteThe flagship brand of San Miguel Corporation was first brewed in the Philippines under a Royal Grant from the Spanish Crown in 1890.
It’s an everyman beer in the Philippines and Hong Kong that delivers value for money. The drink locates in the economy end of both markets.
San Miguel Pale Pilsen pours with an ample head slowly diminishing, exuding a fresh, vegetal, appetizing aroma. Refreshing and pleasurable, it serves up medium sweetness intermixed with moderate bitterness—taste attributes that have become its signature trademark—together with the briny texture so characteristic of pilsners. A fine brew very deserving of commercial success.
Rating: 4 stars
Gonzalinho
CRAGGY RANGE TE MUNA ROAD SAUVIGNON BLANC WHITE WINE at Willow Root Bar, Manila Polo Club, Philippines
ReplyDeleteRobustly acidic, uniquely lemony, with a highly pleasant, citrusy aroma…mild, finely sour, lightly sweet, brightly mineral…aroma and flavors work well together, resulting in an indefinably complex taste experience. Best when cheerily, assertively chill…the effect is memorably, delectably refreshing. Conjures up sensibly fresh, verdant, expansive, unspoiled panoramas of the New Zealand of our dreams…well worth several sips and possibly even a second glass.
Rating: 5 stars
Gonzalinho
DELIRIUM NOCTURNUM BELGIAN ALE
ReplyDeleteDense, opaque dark brown Belgian ale...frothy, abundant head slowly diminishing...sour aroma, unusually pungent...granted, faintly fragrant...it makes a highly textured first impression. Notably woody fermented flavor, unmistakably tart and acidic, roundly bitter, briny throughout, lingering, not altogether pleasant, it conjures up memories of wet brown paper bags. Definitely, an acquired taste...330 ml is enough to knock your head sideways...Delirium Nocturnum, diurnum, any time of the day, actually. Here’s to pink elephants!
Rating: 4 stars
Gonzalinho