[Event]

 

Janet and I headed over to the Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur on 4 April 2017 for An Evening with Taittinger At Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur. Taittinger is an independent and family owned Champagne House with a history dating back to 1734. It is a company of growers and craftsmen and the company owns the 2nd largest vineyard in Champagne (288ha). Taittinger has a worldwide presence, with independent agents in more than 1 50 countries and sold 6,2 million bottles sold in 2015, making them among the top 6 champagne brands worldwide. renowned for their unique, elegant and feminine style, and iconic cuvee – the Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs.

 

TAITTINGER BRUT RÉSERVE

Taittinger Brut Réserve is a blend of Chardonnay (40%), Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier (60%) wines from over 35 different vineyards and vintages matured to perfection. This high proportion of Chardonnay, unique among fine nonvintage champagnes, and a minimum ageing of three years in the cellars, where it reaches the peak of aromatic maturity, makes Taittinger Brut Réserve a delicately balanced champagne, known for its consistently excellent quality.

TASTING NOTES

The brilliant body is golden yellow in colour. The bubbles are fine, while the foam is discreet yet lingering. The nose, very open and expressive, delivers aromas of fruit and brioche. It also gives off the fragrance of peach, white flowers (hawthorn. acacia) and vanilla pod. The entry onto the palate is lively, fresh and in total harmony. This is a delicate wine with flavours of fresh fruit and honey.

DRINKING SUGGESTIONS

Taittinger Brut Réserve is a versatile champagne that’s suitable for any occasion.

 

TAITTINGER PRESTIGE ROSÉ

Taittinger Prestige Rosé immediately stands out for its intense, shimmering hue whose secret lies in the fact that it is a blend, which is more complex and costly to produce. A quantity of still red wine (15%) produced from the best Pinot Noirs from Montagne de Reims and Les Riceys is in fact added to the final blend, to give this cuvée its unmistakable colour and vibrant intensity on the palate.

The high proportion of Chardonnay (30%) that completes the blend brings the elegance and delicacy that underpin Taittinger’s signature style.

TASTING NOTES

The intense and brilliant body is bright pink in colour while the bubbles are fine, and the mousse persistent. The full nose, wonderfully expressive, is both fresh and young, providing aromas of red fruits (freshly crushed wild raspberry, cherry, blackcurrant). On the palate, this wine strikes a fine balance of a velvet texture and full body taste, The flavours are reminiscent of fresh, crisp red fruits. On the palate it is lively, fruity, fresh and elegant.

DRINKING SUGGESTIONS

Taittinger Prestige Rosé can be enjoyed both early on and at the end of an evening. Deliciously fragranced for an aperitif, it is also a subtle accompaniment to fruit desserts, including fruit tart, fruit salad and red fruit crumble.

 

 

Taittinger champagne is now available at THIRTY8, Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur.

The champagne is distributed in Malaysia by Luen Heng F&B Sdn Bhd. For more info, contact them via:

Tel: 603-91730398

Email: Iha@luenheng.com

Website: http://www.luenheng.com

For more info on Taittinger champagne, head over to http://www.taittinger.com/

 

Fast & Furious 8

 

2015’s Fast & Furious 7 was one of the fastest movies to reach $1 billion worldwide in box-office history and the sixth-biggest global title of all time, hence it was inevitable that the studio produced another chapter in one of the most popular and enduring (and money making!) motion-picture serials of all time: Fast & Furious 8. 

The rough story outline goes like this (and no I’m not giving any spoilers) – Dom and Letty are on their honeymoon and Brian (Paul Walker sadly having departed too early) and Mia have retired from the game, while the rest of the crew has been exonerated—the globetrotting team has found a semblance of a normal life.  But when a mysterious woman (the older but still very gorgeous Oscar® winner Charlize Theron although I must really question her hairstyle in this movie) seduces Dom into the world of crime he can’t seem to escape and a betrayal of those closest to him, they will face trials that will test them as never before.   

From the shores of Cuba and the streets of New York City to the icy plains off the arctic Barents Sea, the team will crisscross the globe to stop an anarchist from unleashing chaos on the world’s stage…and to bring home the man who made them a family.

For Fast & Furious 8, Vin Diesel is joined by a returning all-star cast that includes Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Nathalie Emmanuel, Elsa Pataky and Kurt Russell.  In addition to Theron, the series welcomes newcomers Scott Eastwood and Oscar® winner Helen Mirren.  The film is directed by F. Gary Gray (Straight Outta Compton) and produced by returning producers Neal H. Moritz, Michael Fottrell and Diesel.

I watched every single Fast & Furious movie, from the street racing focused Fast & Furious (1) to Fast & Furious 7 which has evolved to become more like a Transporter meets James Bond type movie. Fast & Furious 8 takes the action up another notch, with huge and fast paced action scenes and lots of new cars and vehicles in this chapter. However I can’t help but mourn the loss of Paul Walker as there’s clearly an element missing in this chapter (Paul Walker played the character Brian in every single preceding Fast & Furious movie bar Fast & Furious 3 – Tokyo Drift) as the chemistry between him and Dom (Vin Diesel’s character) was something really enjoyable to watch.

Fast & Furious 8 opens in Malaysian cinemas on 13 April 2017.

 

 

Visuals courtesy of UIP Malaysia.

For more info, head over to http://www.fastandfurious.com/