Bringing quality and afordable wines to the table tops of Bangkok

Q Shop is an independent wine retailer carry­ing a carefully selected range of old and new world wines in the comfortable price range of 500-2,000 baht. They recently opened two branches in Bangkok to cater for the needs of a clearly identified focus group keen to gain more knowledge of wine.

They selected two areas to launch their shops; the first in Ekkamai as an estab­lished up market residential area; the second in Ladkrabang, an emerging resi­dential area adjacent to Suvarnabhumi International Airport. They will pro­mote their wines through a series of personally invited, small exclusive wine tastings where the customers can learn more about the wines.

Wines to be found at Q Shop
Carpineto
Carpineto was founded in 1967 by acclaimed winemakers Giovanni C. Sacchet and Anto­nio M. Zaccheo. Their original goal was to produce a world class Chianti Classico, a radical change from the way most Chianti was being made at this time. Using modern viticulture and winemaking techniques they untapped the potential of the Tuscan landscape to produce truly great wines with bottle aging potential. They age their “riserva” wines for a total of six to twelve months longer than the minimum time required by DOCG appellation rules. As a result of their new approach to wine making in Tuscany there are now producing some of the regions DOCG appellations to varietal specific wines of great structure as well as innovative proprietary blends. Approximately 96% of Carpineto’s wine production is red wine, with the majority being “riserva” wines that are aged three or more years before their release date.

Chianti Classico Riserva
Their Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG is a blend of a minimum 80% Sangio­vesse and a maximum of 20% of Canaiolo from the olive and cypress-stud­ded countryside between Florence and Siena. The wine is aged in medium sized Slovenian and French barrels for a minimum of one year then trans­ferred to steel tanks before bottling. In the glass I noticed an intense ruby red colour with garnet reflections; on the nose the aromas are elegant, full and harmonious with a hint of vanilla and raspberry; finally in the mouth the taste is long and velvety, full generous and warm.

Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva
Vino Nobile di Montepulciano Riserva, D.O.C.G is a blend of a minimum of 70% Sangiovese (Prugnolo Gentile) and a maximum of 30% of Canaiolo, Merlot and other authorized grape varietals. The vineyards are situated on South South-East slopes with excellent sun exposure above the Renaissance town of Montepulciano. The majority of the wine is aged for two years in large 5,500 liter Slovenian oval oak barrels, with a small part in French oak barrels. In the glass I discovered a brilliant ruby red with a tendency to gar­net; on the nose the aromas are extraordinarily elegant with hints of violets and wood; finally in the mouth the taste is dry harmonic, fruity and velvety, with an elegant texture and a long finish. I would recommend this wine with aged cheeses and game, especially wild boar.

Almos
Catena Zapata is located in Mendoza Argentina and has many unique mi­croclimates. Since 2001 they have adopted a new winemaking philosophy of blending the different microclimates and with the exception of Catena Alta Chardonnay and labeling them as the Mendoza appellation. Their reasoning is – as in Bordeaux – the art of assemblage produces a more delicious tasting wine than from a single vineyard.

Almos is the second label of Bodega Catena Zapata and was launched in 1993. The fruit used in these wines are sourced from some of the Catena family’s younger vineyards in the best areas of Mendoza’s high altitude wine country. Yields are kept low and all their vineyards are hand harvested.

Their Almos Malbec 2005 has been aged for nine months in 50% French and 50% American Oak, of which 25% are new barrels. In the glass the wine has a dark purple color with violet highlights. On the the nose I discovered bright black cherry aromas with light floral notes and a touch of toast. The mouth feel is full and rich, with ripe, concentrated cassis and black raspberry fruit flavors interwoven with a touch of chocolate and sweet spice from light oak aging. This finish is long and lingering, with ripe, velvety tannins.