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My favourite picture of James Irvine -- so serious!

“Merlot is the third most planted grape in the world,” said winemaker James Irvine at a wine tasting event held by Vineyards Direct last month. I wasn’t sure what to expect, as I usually buy wines to drink, not to invest. Vineyards Direct is a fine wines Investment Company that offers investors a lower price entry point and consistent, excellent value appreciation.

Vertical Tasting

I learnt a great deal about wines from James Irvine that night – from the grapes they grew, the wine they produced and the benefits of investing in the Grand Merlot. Fine wines like the Grand Merlot has shown increasing returns over the last 30 years and Vineyards Direct’s understanding of market dynamics and appreciation for fine wines assures investors of a unique investment opportunity.

Left: Grand Merlot 1996 (screwcap), right: Grand Merlo 1996 (cork)

Since I’m still very new to this investment business, I’ll get talking about the Grand Merlots I tried that night. We started with the Grand Merlot 1996 right up to the Grand Merlot 2006. My friend liked the Grand Merlot 2005 better than the 2004, but I preferred it the other way round. The 2002 and 2004 were easier to drink on their own – the latter had a more plum-y character and a firm finish.

Grand Merlot 1996

At first taste, the 1996 has a slightly peppery taste. For such an old wine, this held its colour very well. Not my kind of wine, though. The 2002 had a spicy note and plenty of tannins. Some mentioned they tasted chocolate and raspberry, I tasted none of those. Oh well…

With James Irvine

“Merlot is the third most planted grape in the world..."

On a whole, I found the session very educational but was a bit peeved at how rowdy some people got after a few glasses; it was a bit difficult to hear James speak amidst the chatter. I was given a small bottle of Grand Merlot 2006 to take home to drink for investment. Thank you David, for the invitation. Read about Vineyards Direct if you would like to invest or find out more about wine investment. Asking me would be as good as asking a duck to do a catwalk.

Yay! :)

Vineyards Direct
Block C-9-6,
Plaza Mont Kiara
No. 2 Jalan Kiara
Mont Kiara
50480 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03 6201 1699
Facebook Page

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13 comments

ciki January 4, 2012 - 1:01 pm

very nice.. what a captivating outfit.. i mean investment:P

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Bangsar Babe January 4, 2012 - 2:37 pm

Lol!

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Michelle chin January 4, 2012 - 1:59 pm

Investing in wine? Hmm…

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Bangsar Babe January 4, 2012 - 2:37 pm

Apparently, it’s the in thing now…

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Sean January 4, 2012 - 4:15 pm

sounds like a more affordable and less hassle-filled alternative to the property investment craze! though yeah, as someone with practically zero experience in investment ideas, i think it’s safer for me to stick to just drinking wine for pleasure for now :D

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Bangsar Babe January 4, 2012 - 4:18 pm

Hahaha! Some of my friends started investing in wines…so I thought I’d see how it works. :)

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Karl July 26, 2012 - 4:58 pm

Hi Babe, i am new here could you tell me how is this investment…
thanks!
Calvin

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Baby Sumo January 4, 2012 - 4:18 pm

He doesn’t look so serious in the photo with you ah.. :P see lenglui can smile edi.

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Bangsar Babe January 4, 2012 - 4:25 pm

Hahaha…I think it’s because he had quite a few glasses of wine de. Nothing to do with me. :P

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Interesting Knowledge May 18, 2012 - 5:18 pm

Interesting blog post on a mention about Vineyards Direct Malaysia. I may not be a wine expert but I understand that wine appreciation among Asians is growing for the past 10 years or so. Anyway, as a reader, I would like to share something that may interest you. Do you know that there is a special website in cyberspace. which happens to be a search engine for wine retailers’ price lists, wineries, wine stores and in fact it is also an online wine magazine? The url is http://www.wine-searcher.com which is worth checking out for those who love food and wine.

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YS Tho August 9, 2012 - 11:58 am

I like you Bangsar babe. But all readers, do take caution as I invested in 200 bottles of Irving Merlot 2009 and paid for it in Nov 2011 but to date, I have not seen any of it. They say that it is still maturing in oak barrels and only this year after some pushing, they write to say that it has been shipped and arrive Spore 31 July 2012 but up to today 8 Aug, I have not seen anything in the warehouses. I am still checking and pushing. So do take care

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YS Tho March 24, 2014 - 4:29 pm

Google Vineyard Direct Malaysia Sdn Bhd to check the company out and further down the list of website found is my own blogg page on what happened to my wine investment to date. Do take care in investing and check things out first before putting money in.

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Glenn Malycha March 25, 2014 - 12:20 pm

Hello Bangsar Babe,
Thank you for your kind words about James, Australia’s King of Merlot.
Our 2009 Grand Merlot has been officially released ( and won double Gold medals at the 2014 China Wine And Spirit Awards) in 375ml, 750ml, 1.5 litre bottles and Vineyards Direct are still our direct connection for investing in our fine wine in Malaysia.
Keep enjoying our fine wines, Thank you,
cheers from Glenn

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