Dear fellow wine enthusiasts:

Once again, thank you very much for your continued interest and support of these non-promotional wine tasting events.

Let me to give you a sneak preview of our upcoming Grand Wine Tasting (GWT) here on Thursday 19th March, 2009. This time I plan to take you on a tasting journey through five interesting wine regions, namely USA, Spain and Portugal, France, South Africa and Italy. I actually wanted very much to squeeze Australia/New Zealand into the itinerary but the GWT format doesn't lend itself well to more than five categories. South African wines are less known to most so I decided to throw that in to the line-up. Perhaps I will do one that features regions that are more famous for their white wines. That would bring Australia/New Zealand, Germany/Austria and a few others into my little map.

USA produces wine of stupendous quality often testing the glass ceiling of perfection. The amount of technology and precision involved can almost be tasted in the wine itself even in those with a modest price tag. The pursuit for technical perfection is quite apparent in the wine.

Spain and Portugal - the latter especially - remain underrated, thankfully so from a consumer's point of view. These wines are fine examples of a very important aspect of great wine - typicity.

South African wines are often the result of fusing traditional wine-making skills with new-money technology. This results in high-quality wines like those from Napa but bearing a rustic undertone reminiscent of those from Europe.

Italy is so diversified that it is futile to try to generalize about its wine. However when compared against other wines from Europe, Italian wines stand out for its accent on vigor, an appetite for fresh flavors and a lack of interest in intervening with nature.

Finally we have France, a benchmark for many things - good or bad - about wine, even until today. French wine is a foundation for comparative tastings because it is probably the nearest thing to "classic" in the modern era. Typically, French wine is about balance, elegance and a curious notion called finesse.

Here is a preliminary line-up of the wines for you to choose from. Some minor additions and substitutions will occur before the actual event. If you are on the mailing list, you will receive it on email. If you are not, please send us an email on
wine@Yats-International.com with your contact information.

I hope that a comparative tasting of a lineup comprised of carefully selected wines will help you broaden the horizon of palate preferences. In all honesty, I will not expect everyone to fall instantly in love with a new wine tasted in these events. Some wines are an acquired taste and not each one can become a favorite for everyone. Nevertheless I should be very happy if you manage to find something that is interesting enough to try it again one day.

There are no promotional activities in these events. All of us are left in peace to enjoy our evening without the ubiquitous bombardment of sales pitches pressuring us to buy something. I did however receive some complaints about the absence of food in these events. Hors d'œuvre is served but that's not a full meal to be sure. I am working on the possibility of an optional dinner for those who prefer to dine either during, before or even after the event. It might take me a few more months to come up with the perfect solution. Until then, my apologies for any discomfort caused.

Thank you once more for your company and your continued support of our Grand Wine Tasting events. Again, special thanks also to our host venue Enderun Colleges for allowing us to enjoy an evening together over a few bottles of fine wine. I hope to say goodnight to you before you leave but in case I don't get to do that, I hope to bid you welcome when I see you again very soon.

Cheers!

Sincerely,

Denny Wang
Denny@Yats-International.com