[Special Event]

Rachel and I headed over to Saujana Resort & Hotel on 5 April 2016 for the Jacob’s Creek Heritage Wine Collection wine pairing dinner. Jacob’s Creek is one of Australia’s leading global wine brands, that offers quality contemporary wine styles with great varietal expression. The brand was first launched in 1976 and is named after the place where Johann Gramp planted his first vines on the banks of Jacob’s Creek in 1847. His vineyard was Barossa Valley’s first commercial vineyard, and the Gramp & Sons business has a history of winemaking that dates back over 165 years.

The wines are crafted with consumers and their evolving tastes in mind. As such, their wines have earned over 7,000 medals at wine shows over the last 30 years. Led by Chief Winemaker Bernard Hickin, great care is taken by his team to deliver the highest quality wines possible within each range.

The Heritage fine wine collection is distinctive for its individual personality style. Each wine is named in honour of a special person or place in the winemaking history of Gramp & Sons. The collection consists of Reeves Point Chardonnay, Centenary Hill Shiraz, Steingarten Riesling and Johann Shiraz Cabernet.

With Rachel and the beautiful brand ambassadors

We started off the night with a cocktail while waiting for the rest of the guests to arrive. We had the Jacob’s Creek Chardonnay Pinot Noir – a rich sparkling wine structured with generous citrus fruit flavours enhanced with creamy nutty yeast characters.

The five stars of the night from Jacob’s Creek

The beautifully decorated main dining room of The Restaurant in Saujana Resort & Hotel

The lovely table setting which added to the ambience

We eventually sat down to a lovely three-course wine pairing dinner in a candlelit setting at The Restaurant, The Club, Saujana Resort. We were entertained by a live band performances by Poova and her band, and the Jacob’s Creek brand ambassador from Australia also shared some of her extensive knowledge on wines with us.

Also present at the event were the management of premium and exclusive lifestyle brands such as BMW and Valiram whilst celebrities – Wilson Tan, Nadine Ann Thomas, Raj Aria, Jeremy Teo and Yuri Wong also made an appearance.

First course: Marble of Lobster and Tomato Confit, paired with Jacob’s Creek Steingarten Riesling

The Steingarten Riesling was a great example of a complementing wine pairing, with the delicate and slightly dry flavours perking up the sweet lobster appetizer. 

TASTE: Delicate fresh blossom aromas teamed with juicy lemon flavours.

SMELL: Finely balanced, showing juicy lemon and lime flavours, supported by elegant mineral acidity.

COMPLEMENTS: Oysters with mirin dressing or seared scallops with mediterranean vegetables tossed with lemon dressing.

Second course: White Tomato – Smoked Rolled Quail in Young Coconut. Paired with Jacob’s Creek Reeves Point Chardonnay

This was the first time I was served a soup in a coconut shell! It was sweet, piquant and had a nice umami taste so much so that I really couldn’t stop drinking it. The wine provided a nice acidity to balance out the soup.

TASTE: White peach, melon and citrus fruit flavours with nutty, cedar oak flavours balanced by a fresh acid finish.

SMELL: Intense white peach and citrus fruit with a nutty oak and buttery backdrop.

COMPLEMENTS: An ideal accompaniment to cream based pasta dishes or roasted chicken.

Third course: Grilled Black Angus Beef Tenderloin paired with Jacob’s Creek Centenary Hill Shiraz

I chose this one and the spicy notes of the wine complemented the beautifully grilled tenderloin making every mouthful a medley of flavours! I could have easily polished off a few portions of this as it was my favourite dish of the night!

TASTE: Rich berry flavours with intense plum and spice aromas.

SMELL: Full bodied, yet soft and supple with ripe berry fruit flavours, well integrated stylish oak, leading to a long, fine finish.

COMPLEMENTS: Chargrilled venison fillet with cherry glaze or barbequed kangaroo fillet served on hummus with roasted baby beets and spiced yoghurt.

OR

Pan-fried Blue Eye Cod Fish, paired with Jacob’s Creek Reeves Point Chardonnay

Fourth course: Royale Chocolate Gateaux with Berries, paired with Jacob’s Creek Johann Shiraz Cabernet

The Johann Shiraz Cabernet went well with the rich chocolaty dessert which was balanced out by the sweetness and piquancy of the berries. A very decadent ending to a fine meal indeed!

TASTE: Complex, Intertwined, and Intriguing with notes of liquorice, blackcurrant, and oak.

SMELL: The rich fruit flavours of the Shiraz are intertwined with the structure and fine tannins of Cabernet Sauvignon.

COMPLEMENTS: Red meat dishes with robust and concentrated flavours.

Poova with the girls from Genting group

Jacob’s Creek is distributed by Pernod Ricard Malaysia and is available in entertainment outlets, leading restaurants and supermarkets in Malaysia. For more info, head over to http://www.jacobscreek.com/

Published by Tim Chew

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