Chateau Andy Taipei 安迪城堡

Chateau Andy Taipei 安迪城堡

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台北市松山區健康路185巷6號

(近松山線，南京三民捷運站1號出口)

No. 6, Jiankang Rd., Songshan  Dist., Taipei City, Taiwan

(Near Nanjing Sanming MRT Station Exit 1)

Phone: (02) 2528 4921

Hours:

Monday            Closed

Tuesday-Saturday     6PM-12AM

Corkage:

$300nt      for wine

$500nt    for spirits

Foodie? Cult wine junkie? Chateau Andy's is what a foodie’s wet dreams are made of! A spot popular among the wine geeks in the city, Chateau Andy offers table seating which is snug while remaining private.  How can a place be snug and private at the same time?

 Well…everyone is so engrossed with what’s on their plate, or the deliciousness in their glass to bother with who’s stilling at the next table. 

If you are looking for a more intimate setting, Chateau Andy also has a side room with sofas, which put you apart from the rest of the restaurant, and is the perfect area for a bigger party that just wants to sit around a table and share some great wine.   

Guests are also welcome to bring their own wine for a nominal corkage fee. Remember your manners! Try not to bring a bottle that is already on their list.

Photo from Chateau Andy's Facebook page

On top of Chateau Andy's fabulous menu, they also offer meat and cheese boards.  My favorite!  

These lovely little bottles may give you an idea on what's being served at Chateau Andy.

Photo from Chateau Andy's FB profile

Photo from Chateau Andy's FB page

 Ahh yes! Burgundy and the famous Domaine Romanée-Conti, said to be "god like" possessing hypnotic aromas. Leaving us asking questions like… What is that otherworldly scent? Sometimes the aromas in certain wines have the power to enchant us for eternity, much like the scent of lost loves or the crushes of our youth.  This cult wine, much like the infatuations we yearned for in our youth...are sadly for most of us, unattainable.  But not the fret! Chateau Andy has some bottle on offer.

Find out more?

www.romanee-conti.com

Photo of Chateau Andy's cellar from of their Facebook page

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Le Sommelier Wine Expert Taipei

Le Sommelier Wine Expert Taipei 天母樂索門酒業

www.sommelier.com.tw

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士林區天母西路3-81號1樓

No. 3-81, Tianmu Xi Rd., Shi Lin Dist., Taipei City, Taiwan

(Near Patio84 Bar & Grill, & Tianmu Creative Market)

Phone: (02) 2872 3531

Hours: 

Monday-Friday            10:30AM-10PM

Saturday-Sunday               11AM-10PM

Le Sommelier Wine Expert a wine bar and shop tucked away in Tianmu offers a range of bottles from (France) Bordeaux, Burgundy, Loire Valley, Alsace, Vin de pays South of France & bubbly from Champagne.  Italy, Spain, Portugal, Chile, New Zealand, Sparkling wine & a variety of spirits and liquors. 

Wine List

This place also throws a great end of the month wine party which includes free flow wine and a French/Western style buffet starting at around 7PM-10PM and 150nt per glass after 10PM

There are no reservations for seats, but you can purchase early bird tickets that start at (NT 1,000) and at the door price at (NT 1,200)

Le Sommelier asks "To prepare enough food and drink, and make sure nobody hungry or thirsty, we'll be grateful if you could make the reservation before.

For the reservation, you can contact us directly, or leave us a message on FB or by e-mail. 

Please specify your name and how many people will come with you."

Contact : (02) 2872-3531

Email : sommelier@sommelier.com.tw

You will definitely want to practice a bit of wine etiquette at Le Sommelier's month end parties, since there is such a variety of bottles to try, and this is not a spit your wine type of party! Everyone drinks, roams around, chats and is merry. 

The way it works at their parties is you get a glass and pour for yourself. If you want to try a bit of everything, I suggest pouring yourself about 15ml (one mouthful) so you can taste a variety of different wines, while still remaining functional by the end of the night.

Here's an idea of what different pours look like. Remember to hold your glass by the stem, because if you hold your glass by the bowl you'll warm the bowl and your wine. 

Picture & Information provided by: fundraisingwine.com.au

As you see Le Sommelier's parties get pretty packed so come early to enjoy more food, wine, and company. 

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168 Wine Cellar 酒窖 Taiwan

168 Wine Cellar  酒窖 Taiwan

www.168wine.com.tw

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中正區汀州路一段68號

No. 68, Sec. 1, Ting Zhou Rd., Zhong Zheng Dist., Taipei City, Taiwan

Phone: (02) 2338 1008

Hours:

Monday-Saturday   12PM-7PM

Sunday            Closed

168 is an if you are in the neighborhood sort of shop, or if you are in the mood to attend a wine tasting class. Most of their classes are conducted in Chinese, but if you are lucky a winery representative may be present, if the importer has invited them to Taiwan.

 To keep in the loop about 168's upcoming events follow their Facebook, just click the FB icon above.

You know that term, "stop to smell the roses?" That is exactly what you should be doing when you are sticking your nose into a glass of wine.  Sometimes when I attend a tasting, or are giving a tasting, I'll ask what other people smell in their glass...many rookie wine drinkers will tell me," It smells like wine." But what does "wine" even smell like? How is it that some tasters can smell all these amazing fruits and spices and go on and on about what they are smelling and you can't pick out one distinct aroma if it were to save your life.

Wine smells like a great many things! here are some tips on sniffing those "things" out. 

Step one: Train your nose! Smell everything! When you are in a supermarket take extra time to smell the produce. If there are spices out, take time to smell them. If you have spices readily at home, open them up and take a whiff. If you are having a slice of cheese, or even putting some whip cream on your hot chocolate, smell it! familiarize yourself with what dairy products smell like, because yes...certain wine making practices and ageing techniques in wine, can mimic the scent of dairy products.

  When you are at the park or in a garden, try to remember what fresh cut grass smells like vs. dried. Smell all the flowers that you can. Compare fresh roses to dried ones. Compare fresh fruits, to dried fruits, to fruit pies, to fruit jams.

 I tend to think we take our sense of smell for granted and don't think about its' use much, but if you do stop to smell the roses every once in a while, you'll then start to build  a memory bank of aromas that you can refer to the next time you attend a wine tasting. 

Step two: Utilize the Aroma wheel.  Keep an aroma wheel handy when you attend tastings. Sometimes seeing the words on paper can give you that extra push in deciding if that red you are smelling displays aromas of under ripen strawberry, or cranberry, or maybe even both. 

From Wine Folly's Aroma Wheel article: winefolly.com/tutorial/wine-aroma-wheel-100-flavors

Step three: Take a trip down memory lane. Just the other day I tasted a Shiraz from Heathcote, Australia and right away I got big whiffs of pine needles, cedar, and blackberry straight off the vine. This wine took me back to being at my great grandparent's ranch house in Sonoma, California. Right away I was in love with this wine, because it brought me back to such a fond place in my memory as a child.

Step four: Don't second guess yourself. When you dive into a glass and start smelling, write down what you think you smell right away. Don't second guess it! Wine is subjective and personal, so what you may be smelling in your glass, may be a bit different from what your neighbor is smelling. I've had Cabs that smelt of mint, Beaujolais that smelled like bubble gum, and even a Sauv Blanc that smelled like Orange Julius. Yes! Orange Julius, that orange beverage that was a mix of ice, orange juice, milk, powdered egg whites, and vanilla flavoring that you could find at the many malls in America. Now...if you weren't a teenager in America walking the malls during the time Orange Julius stands were still in business, you would have no idea what I was talking about. Again pointing out that picking up different aromas in wine is a personal experience. 

At this tasting the class was about wines from Austria. 

In this glass (Zweigelt) the most popular red wine variety in Austria.

Zweigelt: A deep colored easy drinking red, with soft tannins that can display flavors of cherry, bramble fruit, spices and at times leather. 

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Wine Not Taipei

Wine Not 

https://goo.gl/XlkyU1

台北市 106 仁愛路四段300巷26弄21號

(近信義安和捷運站）

No.21, Sec. 4, Ren'ai Rd., Da’an Dist., Taipei City, Taiwan

(Closest MRT Station Xinyi Anhe)

(Near Pregame restaurant & bar)

Phone: (02)  2755-0829

Hours:
Monday-Thursday   6PM-1AM
Friday-Saturday      6PM-3AM
Sunday                    6PM-1AM

This is your neighborhood wine dive bar, or better yet, a place you spot while walking through the random streets of Da'an district and think...Wine Not? This is exactly what happened to me on one of my aimless walks about the city. Some areas in Taipei are perfect for just walking around and discovering little places like this. 

Rustically decorated with vintage props that have no use, except for pretty Instagram posts maybe... Wine Not seems to favor French and Italian wine over no other. Take a seat at the bar or in one of their comfy cigar chairs and the staff will come around to give you a recommendation on a bottle based on your preferences. I always love a place that genuinely wants to satisfy their customers. After checking out the place for a bit I was still unsure what to try, to my surprise the wine steward gave me a glass of red from Rhone to wonder around with.

Wine Not's wine list courteously of their google +

Wine Not's wine list courteously of their google +

Wine Not's wine list courteously of their google +

Wine Not has a neat wax seal stamp collection, pick your initials and put it on a bottle. 

 Remember to drink water if you're drinking lots of wine on a night out! It may save you from a headache the next morning. O yes and take advantage of the comfy cigar chairs! 

Wine Not's food menu is subject to change, but if they continue to carry meat and cheese platters I'll be happy =)

Wine Not's cheese platter courtesy of their google+

~Fried cheese sticks

~Cheese platter

~Meat platter

~Cheese sausage platter

~French fries

~Nachos

~Chicken wings

~Grilled fish

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WINE-derful Taipei

 WINE-derful

www.wine-derful.com

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104台北市中山区民生东路三段27号

(近中山國中捷運站)

No.27, Sec. 3, Minsheng E. Rd., Taipei City, Taiwan

(Near Zhong shan Junior High School MRT Station)

Phone: (02) 2518-2122

Hours:
Restaurant:
 Monday-Saturday
Afternoon:   12PM-2:30PM
Evening:          6PM-10PM
Bar
 Monday-Thursday
12PM-10PM
Friday-Saturday
12PM-10:30PM

 A favorite among the wine crowd in Taipei, Wine-derful prides itself in its atmosphere. This place gives you the feeling of being in a wine cave. One could really lose their self in a glass of wine here.

A view of the bar

WINE-derful has may bottles on offer starting at $1000nt

The House Wine List: http://goo.gl/Xt8gj5

The Connoisseur Wine List: http://goo.gl/KhhCLh

Customers are also welcome to bring their own bottles of wine, "two of the same kind" a corkage fee will be charged. I also love a place that allows me to bring my own bottles. But remember! be courteous, and don't bring bottles that are already on the bar's wine list. 

Hosting a big party, or need somewhere private to bring a few clients out for drinks? WINE-derful has a huge dining area in this dimly lit den.

This place also holds wine tasting events, take a look at their Facebook page for their next event. 

There is also a vineyard themed back room, which is perfect for food and wine pairing parties, or if your group gets a little rowdy. 

Tasty finger foods are always delightful, if you don't want to go for a full on meal. More room for wine it is! 

Wine Storage Service

http://goo.gl/NKjvqe

 Need somewhere to cellar your wine? WINE-derful has a temperature and humidity controlled cellar which you can access 24hrs a day, if you are renting space in their pebbled floor cellar. Ask for a tour, you might see some interesting bottles.
 I spotted a unit with Hello Kitty wine! In my mind I imagine it might taste like cotton candy and strawberries, but I think I'll take my chances with a bottle of Beaujolais for those aromas.

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