Established in the Barossa Valley in 1966, Wolf Blass has grown from a humble tin shed to become one of the world’s most successful and awarded wineries. This Australian winery has certainly come a long way. A recipient of more than 8,000 medals and trophies, including Red Winemaker of the Year at the 2016 International Wine Challenge, the essence of Wolf Blass wines is exemplified by the winemakers who continuously strive to produce wines of quality, character and consistency.
At a sumptuous lunch in Dao Xiang Chinese Cuisine Restaurant in Nexus Bangsar South, we had a chance to sample some of the wines from this vintage.
The President’s Selection Gold Label Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 and President’s Selection Gold Label Shiraz 2015 embody Wolf Blass’ philosophy of blending outstanding fruit from the finest South Australian regions to create quality wines. Both wines also pair well with classic Chinese dishes, a great gift for dinner parties.
Cabernet Sauvignon, selected for its fruit intensity, soft, rich mid-palate, length of flavour and fine tannin structure, was fermented on skins until the optimum release of colour and flavour was achieved, without excessive tannin extraction. Selected batches completed fermentation in barrels to build complexity and mid-palate texture.
Seafood Hotpot
At the lunch, the Cabernet Sauvignon was excellently paired with Dao Xiang’s signature Seafood Hotpot, Deep-fried Chicken Nuggets and Braised Pork Knuckle. The hints of eucalyptus in the wine helped to refresh the palate after consuming those few dishes with strong flavours.
Deep-fried Chicken Nuggets
Braised Pork Knuckle
The President’s Selection Gold Label Shiraz 2015 is a rich, full-bodied shiraz with dominant blueberries and blackberries on the nose with hints of attractive mocha oak. This wine pairs perfectly with meat dishes with a sweet touch such as Dao Xiang’s Sweet Sour Chicken and Sliced Pork Neck in Spicy Broth. The sourish flavours of these two dishes were nicely balanced by the soft rich fruity notes of the shiraz.
Sweet Sour Chicken
Sliced Pork Neck in Spicy Broth
Both bottles are available at any Giant, Mercato, Cold Storage, Max Value supermarkets and other reputable retailers at RM119.90 each.
We also tried Wolf Blass’ Yellow Label Sauvignon Blanc, which turned out to be my favourite and went well with the seafood dishes.
