Bird in Hand Sparkling Pinot Noir 2013 Adelaide Hill

I haven't updated my blog for a while. I have been busy recently, taking exams.

As I am finishing my master degree, planning for the future has becomes the most pressing thing so far. Where I am going to stay and what kind of job should I apply for? Are they going to value me in China? 

Last night, mum said they have been living in the small apartment for a while because her wheelchair needs elevators. If I go back, I cannot live with them because there is no room for me anymore. Well, I don't mind living in the other two big apartments and I can cook for myself. They asked me whether I will be happy or not. I don't know, but I can always find myself something interesting to do in China. 

Anyway,my tasting course will begin tomorrow. I got a bottle of wine for my friend's graduation ceremony. She is my best Chinese friend Helen and she really cares of me. Today she even sent me an email about the internship in Beijing. No matter what the future will be, we should celebrate it anyway for ourselves and for surviving the hash double degrees. 

A Japanese wine drama

Last night I was reading the cooking manga my boss gave to me and I found in the last page there was an introduction of a wine manga. Yeah, they really have manga for wine. So I googled it and found it is also a TV drama now. As a lucky Mandarine speaker I could watch illegal pirate episodes on a Chinese website. (I could heard my Japanese friend saying: You are really a Chinese. Yes, only when crossing the road or watching pirate TV dramas)

The TV show was very Japanese. The main character Shizuku 雫 was employed by a beer factory who hates wine because of his dad who was a top critic of wine. One day his father passed away and left him wine collections that worth 20 million yen. (God, I hope my father was a wine critic) One of the collections is named "the drops of god神の雫" which is also the name of the manga. Based on his father's last will遺言, the young man Shizuku has to solve all the wine puzzles and compete with other famous critic by telling the right name and vintage of 12 wine after tasting (they called 12 apostles十二使徒) The one who gives the most correct answers will win all the collections.

Why I said the drama was so Japanese? Because it inherits the unrealistic style of all the Japanese dramas. When I was doing Auditing, there was a very popular auditing Japanese drama in my class. It is very unrealistic as all the auditors acted like superheroes and dressed like bodyguards. 

This "the drops of god" is called the wine version of 中華一番. People see pictures and flowers when they taste something delicious. (Many audiences said the characters in the drama have really big brain holes 脑洞, which mean wild imagination） Shizuku, his competitor saw pictures such like the famous painting "The Angelus" by tasting wine. They also have "不跑不日剧“ style when means if you didn't see a character running on the street then you are not watching a Japanese TV drama. I only watched two episodes so far and Shizuku was running in the first episode. 

Anyway I think this is a nice TV drama and I heard the popularity of the mange even boomed the Asian and French wine industry. 笑 I want to keep watching it as I can study wine and Japanese at the same time. すごい！！And I also learn something from Shizuku as he always says :"(見醒めよ、　バッカス) means Wake up, Bacchus (the god of wine)" before tasting wine. I think I will do the same for my wine tasting. 笑. "見醒めよ、バッカス!" Then I will see flowers and paintings as well. How cool is that! 

Here is the link of the drama for my Japanese friends and for my Chinese wine friends. 
http://www.bilibili.tv/video/av993996/index_1.html

Now I will go back to watch 神の雫 with my Merlot. でわ〜

Cow Bombie Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2013

I had very short day today as I got get at 11:30am and I had my breakfast 1pm? Haha. The pasta for breakfast was tooooooo large serve that almost killed me. After the heavy breakfast I swept the yard and watched my favorite Korean comedy. I love that High Kick drama so much. It was all the memory in my high school and I used to have the pirate DVD and watch with my best friend. We picked up lots of Korean new words from the drama, like how to say "shit똥" "Idiot바보" and "meal,rice 밥". Lots of memories. 懐かしいね〜 I hope she is doing well in the US as a an asset manager.

Anyway, I got a bottle Semillon Sauvignon Blanc today from Cow Bombie. It has nothing to do with a cow. Cow Bombie is term for surfers in Western Australia. The Margaret River there is famous for their Semillon wine I think. Does anyone know I was going to study in University of Western Australia? Perth was my favorite city in Australia. I got the offer and I loved to be there — the most lonely city in the world. How cool was that?

Sorry, changing the topic back to wine. I like the taste of Semillon Sauvignon Blanc. It keeps the flavor of Sauvignon Blanc (fresh, herbal and tropical) and it is a little bit sweet. Maybe because the Semillon. I don't know, but I can tell it is different. I think I will make some pasta with salmon tomorrow for breakfast. That sounds like a good match for my wine.

Tomorrow I will get up early, I have a volunteer for the Japanese Children's Day こどもの日. I am not very interested in the festival. I don't like children and I am not really interested in Japanese culture. I just want to see my Aussie "friend" and see whether he has put himself together yet. Just a little catch up: 最近どう？元気？How is your sweet Chinese girl friend? How is our crazy Japanese ex-girl friend etc. It will be fun I hope.

皆、おやすみなさい〜

Coonawarra

Today I went to National Wine Centre for the wine course register. The course will start from 29th April and it will last from six weeks. I was very surprised to find they even offer wine courses in Mandarin. How does that work? I was curious. Maybe one day I should be the lecturer there.  Haha. 

Then I went to school for the accounting exam. I was reading the Adelaide Review before the exam and my friend asked me: How can you read a wine magazine when other people are reading their notes? Well, I just felt like reading a magazine. Why other people taking exam so seriously? I don't understand. 

Anyway, the exam was stupid to me and I got it done in 30 minutes and spent the rest of 40 minutes considering whether I should help my Australian friend correcting his answers or I should tell the Arabic guy next to my Australian friend that he got at least one question wrong. 

Then I went to Woolworth and got some Fetta cheese for my pasta. I had pasta and kept drinking my coonawarra wine. I really like the taste. To me it is not that boring like Pinot Noir (Sorry Junko, I know it is your favorite. I don't know whether you read my blog or not. If you do one day then I am sorry. ごめんなさい ）It is not spicy like Shiraz. It has the highest tannin just like my life. After years, the tannin stays at the bottom of the bottle and my bitter experience stay at the bottom of the heart. When other Chinese students are working hard on their study and competing with other in the "who gets the highest mark competition", I am enjoying a complete different journey by myself like a loner. 

My ex-freind Megumi said everything had changed since she was 18 when her parents passed away. To me everything had changed since last Easter when I was 22. It has been  almost one year. Many times I really wanted to thank my friend but I was too shy to say it. 

”いつも応援ありがと。よかったね。”　　ーはな

Rymill The Yearling Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 and Barrosa Trip

The first step of my wine plan is to taste different types of wine in the BWS and get to know the taste. So far I have tired Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Shiraz, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Rose and Moscato. (My wine friend said Moscato is not wine. I am also not sure what her opinion about Rose) Today I am trying Cabernet Sauvignon.

To be honest this is not the first time I buy it but the first time I try it. Last time I got a 1998 Coonawarra wine for my friend, I had a careful check of the old label though. I had never got a chance to taste it. I know to taste Cabernet Sauvignon the best choice is to choose something from Coonawarra religion which is famous for it. Interesting to notice that Coonawarra religion used to have lots of Shiraz instead of Cabernet Sauvignon.

The lecturer of my Brand Management course said his friend has done an experiment to find out how people choose their wine by manipulating shape of bottle, label colour, label style, Region, Brand and price.

 

Then he measured the importance of the each utility and segmented the customers into four groups. Group 1 focuses on brand and label style and to a lesser degree price and label colour. Group 2 focuses overwhelming on label style and a bit on label colour etc. 

If you are interested in detail you can check the following web link.

http://www.winepreferences.com/resources/expresults/files/webpage_Results%20DCE%20pretest.pdf

I think I am in Group 1 so far because I like the label with the horse picture. lol Haha. But I will get better with my wine knowledge just like what I have done with my Japanese. Improving slowly~

Tomorrow I will have the accounting test and then I am on holiday. I think I probably will not go to Barrosa with my friends for some reasons. Maybe I will go just by myself.

I will also go with the wine course in National Wine Centre after finishing my IELTS test.

Hummm. Now I think it is time to go home and try my Coonawarra wine. 

では、おやすみなさい～