Nectar of the Gods

    There are numerous references to the "nectar of the gods" throughout history and mythology. It refers to different things at different times. This time however, I'm specifically referring to part of my investment portfolio - wine investment that is. Recently I was given the opportunity to increase my portfolio with a case of Chateau Ausone 2013 en premeur. Prior to purchasing the wine, I did a little research. I figured that writing about it in my blog will help me remember what I found and serve as a point of future reference. So here goes...

    As far as I'm aware, there are two major classifications of Bordeaux (French) wine (there are many more but I'll focus on the major two). On one hand, we have the Official Bordeaux Wine Classification of 1855. On the other hand, there is the Saint-Emilion Classification.

    The 1855 Classificaton came about when Emperor Napoleon III ordered the best Bordeaux wines to be identified for display to visitors of the 1855 Exposition Universelle de Paris. The wines were first ranked according to their trading price and chateau's reputation; which at that time was synonymous with their quality. The best reds were the first growth (crus) wines and extended to the fifth growth. There were originally four first growth wines; namely, Chateau Lafite (now Chateau Lafite Rothschild), Chateau Latour, Chateau Margaux, Haut-Brion (now Chateau Haut-Brion). In 1973, after tremendous lobbying, Chateau Mouton Rothschild was elevated from Deuxiemes Crus to Premiers Crus. All these were from the Medoc region except for Chateau Haut-Brion, which is from Graves. Whites were classified separately. 

My first foray into this asset class was with Chateau La Mission Haut-Brion from Graves. This chateau is considered a potential First Growth, especially after Robert Parker gave the 2000 wine the maximum 100 points; the sixth time this has happened.

My La Mission Haut-Brion 2007 bonded in the warehouse

    One hundred years after the 1855 classification, the wines of the Saint-Emilion region were classified, Unlike the 1855 classification, the Saint-Emilion Classification is more dynamic as it is updated every ten years or so. The best in this classification are termed Premiers Grand Crus Classes A, followed by Premier Grand Crus Classes B (18 Premier Grand Crus Classes) and Grand Crus Classes (64 in all). There are currently four Premier Grand Crus Classes A wine, namely, Chateau Angelus, Chateau Ausone (sounds familiar?), Chateau Cheval Blanc and Chateau Pavie.

    When investing in wine, it is best to buy it "En primeur". This is when the wine is bought before it it bottled, when the vintage is still maturing in the barrel. This happens a year to 18 moths before bottling. It is akin to buying a condominium before the T.O.P. date. Most of the time, it is considerably cheaper at this time as compared to when it is released to be drunk.

    There we have it; details on the classification and a quick intro into wine investing. Feel free to contact me for a more in death discussion. =)

Istanbul Day 3: Private Tour and Convention Dinner

    The sudden glare of the room lights jolted me from slumber. I pried one eye open and found my room-mate, Alam, at the door, all dressed up in running gear. Turning to glance at my watch, I jumped out of bed in horror. 

    "Alam! Why didn't you wake me up?" 

    "You didn't respond when I called you. We'll wait for you downstairs," was his lame excuse. I had a date to keep and I was running late! I rushed to the bathroom, splashing water on my face as I squeezed toothpaste on the brush. Forget about changing, my sleeping attire would do just fine for what I was going to be engaged in. In five minutes tops, my Reeboks were laced and I was on my way down from the 22nd floor. Timecheck, 6.35a.m. Istanbul time - time for the morning run...

    Waiting at the hotel lobby was Alam and Kevin. As we made our way out of the hotel, I wondered if my unworked limbs would give way without a proper warm up. After all, Kevin had a reputation for being a running fanatic. My fears soon turned to relief as my lung filled up with the fresh morning air...

An empty Taksim Square at dawn - running with AIA CEO Mr Tan Hak Leh

     My apprehension was unfounded as the pace was really manageable. Then it started to rain. The rain on that cool Istanbul morning gave new meaning to "cats and dogs". Like mice evading the eyes of a cat, we scampered from shelter to shelter. Little good that did, and I was drenched to the bone when we finally entered the hotel, 6km later. That was how Day 3 in Istanbul began.

    This day was reserved for our private tour. The guide arrived and promptly informed us that our vehicle was caught in traffic due to the unexpected morning rain and the resulting traffic accidents. Fortunately we didn't have to wait long. Our ride soon arrived. Imagine our delight when we realized that the four of us were going to travel in comfort, in a Mercedes minibus built for fifteen. Our first stop, the Chora Church.

    I will not belabour you with the rich history of this place (you have Google and Wikipedia for that). The walls and ceiling of the Chora Church is covered in intricate mosaic depicting the life of Mary, the mother of Jesus, in the Orthodox Greek tradition.

Mary as a teenager

     What struck me was that the scenes were not positioned in chronological order. I asked the guide and was told that they were actually chronological; not in the sequence of which happened first, but which takes place earlier in the year. This is to facilitate the celebration of ceremonies throughout the year.

Nativity Scene. It is interesting to note that the craftsman depicts Joseph (lower right-hand corner) as being in a pensive mood, unlike the usual exultation depicted at Christmas. I too would be contemplative if my virgin wife is about to give birth and I'm about to be father to the Son of God - what an awesome responsibility.

    On the way to our next destination, we drove past the ancient triple walls of Constantinople. Istanbul has been the capital of many empires; the Holy Roman Empire and the Ottoman Empire to name two.

    Our next stop - the Basilica Cistern. This underground reservoir was built during Roman times. As explained by our guide, the Romans, who were Christians then, recycled the pillars from pagan temples. This allowed them to complete the cistern in record time.

    We had to traverse a long, wooden platform, as we made our way among the ancient pillars. At the far end of the gloomy darkness were the highlights of this leg.

The severed heads of two Gorgons greeted us. Instead of building new pillars, the Romans used the Gorgon heads as bases for shorter pillars. According to legend, whoever stares into the eyes of a Gorgon will turn to stone. It is perhaps because of this superstition that the ancients placed the heads in their current position; so as not to look directly into their eyes.

    We left the comfort of our vehicle and travelled on foot as the vehicle was once again stuck in a traffic jam. As we wandered through the quaint Istanbul neighbourhoods, I stopped short. Right at the side of the street was one of Turkey's "national treasures". These national treasures are not allowed to be taken out of the country. Highly-prized, they can go for as high as US$80,000 for one. I found it quite incredulous that someone would leave a potential US$80,000 at the side of the road.

On further research, this adorable fellow is probably a Turkish Van Cat (originally bred in the UK), rather than the highly-prized Turkish Angora Cat. The Angora has longer fur. What makes them so unique? Check out the colour of the eyes.

     We walked through the Grand Bazaar (a great place to get ripped off) and pass an ancient coffeeshop. Past more winding streets, up, down and over the hilly terrain of this city, and finally found ourselves in the courtyard of the Suleymaniye Mosque.

The Emerald Tower

This mosque is the largest in Istanbul. It was built on the order of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent. According to the guide, the architect, Mimar Sinan, was a genius. One reason why the mosque has stood the ravages of nature (earthquakes) and time is because the foundation was allowed to sink into the bedrock before further construction commenced. This delay gave rise to rumours that Sultan Suleyman lacked the funds to continue building. According to legend, the Shah of Persia heard about it. He sent emeralds and other precious stones to help in the construction. This was taken by Suleyman as an insult, because the Shah was a lesser ruler. Suleyman was bound by Islamic code to accept help in building the mosque, so he couldn't send the gifts back. To show his contempt, he commanded the emeralds to be smashed and mixed in to the mortar. The concrete was then used to build the "Emerald Tower". Some say you can glimpse the greenish shine when the sun strikes it at a certain angle, even till this day. 

    Inside, the guide continued to regale us with stories of Sinan's genius. The use of "Turkish Triangles" and the buttresses built into the walls allow a single layered dome. It even has a ventilation system to allow smoke from candles to rise to the ceiling and be sucked out of the mosque. The soot is then collected and made into black paint. Although arguably not as beautiful as the Blue Mosque (designed by Sinan's student), I find this mosque much more interesting.

Turkish Triangles

Holes in the ceiling are actually the open mouths of clay jars. This aids in the acoustics of the mosque, allowing the voice of the cleric to travel to the end of the hall.

Ostrich eggs hung between candles on the huge chandelier, to keep spiders away

View of the city from Istanbul's Third Hill, in the backyard of the Suleymaniye Mosque.

      The finale to our private tour saw us hopping back into our air-conditioned Mercedes and heading uphill. Pierre Loti hill, one of Istanbul's most famous landmarks, is named after a French novelist and naval officer who supported the Turkish War of Independence (1919-23). This site affords one an excellent view of the Golden Horn. Our rainy afternoon had given way to excellent weather. With the sun at our backs, the view was indeed breathtaking.

At the summit of Pierre Loti hill. Also accessible by cable-car.

Panoramic view of the Golden Horn, captured by my trusty Samsung S3

Finishing off the tour with a cup of strong Turkish coffee at the Pierre Loti Coffee Shop. Order your coffee "less sweet" or "sweeter", cos you can't add sugar later. It's just too thick.

     This private tour is testament to what an extra bit of research and liaising can do to enhance the experience. For a few dollars more, we got a comfortable Mercedes and a private tour guide (who was actually an attorney at law, working on the side during his lull period). Forgive me for gloating, but I bet my other colleagues who went on the mass company tour didn't enjoy as much. 

    This trip was wonderful as it is. What could've made it even better is if my wife were there too.

Istanbul for the Second Time

    I've qualified for many of AIA's conventions, but it's been many years since I last attended one. This is also the first time that I'm on a long-haul trip without the wifey. Although I've been to Istanbul before, the reimbursements that AIA offered on this trip made it practical to attend the convention. It was also a good chance to take a break from work. Hence I found myself on the long ride to Turkey...

    The weather was surprising warm (much like Singapore's). It was fortunate that we were put up at one of the best hotels in the city, the Hilton Bomonti.

View from the hotel room on the 22nd floor

   There wasn't time to do much as we arrived late in the afternoon, so we decided to go for dinner while doing a bit of wandering. We soon found ourselves in the famous Taksim Square. We then made our way down the adjoining Istiklal Street where we had our dinner. The main thoroughfare of Istiklal Street is flanked by old buildings which now house modern brands such as H&M and Adidas. In between the buildings small roads branch off into many small alleys with quaint drinking holes and restaurants, much akin to Singapore's Clarke Quay or the area around Paris' St Michel. When the sun goes down, things start to heat up...

My colleague commented that the festive atmosphere resembled Chinatown during the Lunar New Year light-up launch. 

     Day 2 consisted of a hosted tour, organized by AIA. It was a time to bond with colleagues and I especially appreciate the time conversing with Kevin Toh, one of the more senior consultants in the district. We visited the Dolmabahce Palace and took a cruise along the Bosphorous. You can check out my Facebook for more pictures. Dinner was hosted by the district in one of the trendiest clubs in Istanbul, Reina. The restaurant overlooks the Bosphorus. One thing I've learnt in Istanbul, never order steak. "Medium" comes out "well-done", dry and hard (on both occasions that I had beef).

     Day 3 was by far the most enjoyable. Thus I've reserved a whole new blog post to it...

Dancing with Dolphins - Our Adventure at the RWS Dolphin Trek

    It started as a surprise birthday gift for the wifey. Unfortunately, the wifey was too apprehensive to enjoy it on her own. As it turned out, the weather didn't play along on our first day. That gave the wifey her chance to postpone her treat and make sure that I went along the next week. So there we were, at the entrance of Dolphin Island, inside Adventure Cove, in Resorts World Sentosa. 

    There are many different dolphin-related activities. The one we chose was called Dolphin Trek. There are only two sessions per day. One at 10.20am and another at 3.00pm. We chose the morning slot. There were a pair of friendly twins at the same slot as us. However, we were divided into two groups, with a dolphin-trainer assigned to each couple. As we walked along the water, the inquisitive dolphins came by as if to say "hello". We were told not to wave as the dolphins communicated with the trainers through hand-signals. We might confuse the dolphins.

    The "diving-gear" consisted of a standard oxygen tank connected to a state-of-the-art helmet. The tank hardly weighed anything. The helmet was a totally different story. It weighs 32kg at sea-level and 6kg under water. I was reminded of my first time wearing the SBO during NS. This seemed a lot heavier. The wifey went down the ladder 4m under water without any problem. I took a longer time as my right ear just refused to reach equilibrium. Thanks to the expertise of the staff, I finally managed to descend; pinching my nose and blowing while moving down each rung. Yes the helmet allows you to place your hand into it, even while under water - the wonders of technology. I found it useful to slightly bend my knees to keep my balance. Movement under water was understandably slow and deliberate. Nevertheless, besides the weight on our shoulders, it wasn't uncomfortable.  

    We had the opportunity to interact with the Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin and see how it behaves in its natural undersea habitat. The dolphin felt rubbery like a huge tyre. We were told that it sheds its skin every 2 hrs, hence it's smooth skin. Time passes extremely fast when you're having fun. Soon we had to ascend the ladder back to the surface.

    We were then led to a shallow area. Here we got to smooch and be smooched by Hui Hui the dolphin. Every dolphin has a name and every trainer could identify all the dolphins.

    The rest of the day was spent at the various water attractions of Adventure Cove. The Dolphin Trek package also came with complementary set meals at the Bay Restaurant, which consisted of a main dish (I had chicken thigh, the wifey had fried rice), drink and ice-cream (i.e. popsicle. We wanted to choose the mango mouse and Cornetto ice-cream but was told it wasn't included). 

    Some may disapprove of the whole programme, especially with the negative publicity that ACRES has been putting out. However, at no time did we feel that the dolphins were in dire straits. In fact, the dolphins came across as very comfortable, and even happy, in their environment. They readily came to "greet" you when you walked near the water's edge. Each dolphin had a trainer assigned to it (we know this because another dolphin came along when we were with Hui Hui and our trainer called for the other dolphin's trainer). Each dolphin also has its personalized diet plan according to it's weight. For a facility of that size, the large number of marine specialists and trainers also surprised us. We were even told that the dolphins which interact with guests were "volunteers". They were chosen based on how enthusiastically they behaved. I would conclude that the dolphins here are very well taken care of. I believe all of us should be very discerning when consuming media and information, and not just accept it at face-value (especially from those pushing a "green" agenda or otherwise).

France Again - Part Un (more UNESCO Heritage sites)

    There are two reasons why I agreed to return to France for vacation. The first is that the wifey loves the country (she claims to be French). The second is that I didn't manage to buy a special memento when we were there the last time. Presenting, "Napoleon at the Saint-Bernard Pass" (also known as "Napoleon Crossing the Alps") by Jacques-Louis David. The plaster model now stands on the shelf in my library. All thanks to the wifey who braved a hungry tummy to accompany me to the Montmartre area in search of Napoleon. In spite of his eventual defeat at Waterloo, I admire the man for his "never-say-die" attitude. He didn't give up even after being forced into exile after the defeat at the Battle of Leipzig. Instead he managed to escape, returned to power and amassed his army for one last hurrah.

    We started off this trip with a day in Paris. Dinner was at the "Le Relais de Venise" restaurant. It was the first time in an "ang moh" country that I came across a long queue waiting to enter the restaurant. They only serve steak there. The special thing about this restaurant is that they first serve half of your steak. Only when you finish, do they serve the second half. This is to keep the meat hot. Jireh would love this place with its never-ending serving of fries.

     We left on the SNCF train to Avignon the next day. Our castle for this leg was the magnificent 16th Century residence known as the Hotel D'Europe. Formerly the residence of the Marquis de Graveson, this handsome property has seen prestigious guests of the likes of Victor Hugo, Charles Dickens and Queen Astrid of Spain. In fact, it was Napoleon Bonaparte himself who gave it it's name. 

    Avignon, the city of popes. A visit to the Palais des Papes (Palace of the Popes) is a must. This was the Pontifical seat of power from 1309. The lure of prestige of Saint Peter's Tomb proved too strong and the popes moved back to Rome in 1377.

      What's a visit to Avignon without a trip to the half-collapsed Pont d'Avignon, over the river Rhone. No, we did not dance on it. The popular song was originally about dancing under the bridge instead of on it.

Lavender ice-cream anyone?

My first go at Boeuf  Tartare - marinated raw beef. Yummy.

    We wanted to join a group tour but they were all fully-booked. As a result we ended up with a local guide - just the wifey, myself and the guide in a brand new Peugeot with hidden backdoor handles. First we visited Arles, where Vincent Van Gogh spent about a year but produce over 300 paintings.

Roman coliseum in Arles

The "Yellow House" where Van Gogh stayed and painted (painted the picture, not the walls)

Tasting olive oil at the Chateau d'Estoublon - Mogador

Lunch in Les Baux. One of my must-eat when I'm in France - lapin (rabbit)

    We also visited the sanitarium where Van Gogh checked himself into. It is here where he produced some of his most prolific works of art.

      Then it was off to Chateauneuf du Papes. The wine from this region can rival that of Bordeaux. I have never tasted such full-bodied reds that went down so smoothly. The white wine was gorgeous; this coming from someone who doesn't really drink. 

Wine-tasting at Chateau Mont Redon. Easily the best whites I've ever tasted. The reds were excellent too.

The castle at Chateauneuf du Papes - recreational residence of the Popes and Cardinals. Bombed out by retreating Nazis during WWII.

View from the hills overlooking the valley of wine and olive groves. 

Margret de Canard for dinner - another "Must Eat" down.

Wifey going for more local fare - scallops.

      Stay tune for Part Deux of our Avignon adventure.