18 August i-1-wine journey (I WANT WINE!): As storm clouds brew

Our arriving wine journey participants glance nervously at the gathering clouds, wondering perhaps if they should have opted for the No. 1 Malaysian activity on a rainy day - sleep.

Greeted by our usual array of tasting glasses and decanters though, they are soothed and even start to look forward to the private wine cellar tour that marks the initiation into this very private and exclusive of clubs: the KL wine lover.

Then the class starts in earnest! What are single varietals vs blends? How to recognise a wine fault? Is there a spicy edge to Chilean wines that's a distinguishing characteristic? How to go about organising a visit to a wine region? Are all wineries open to visitors, even the prestigious chateaux? How to open a bottle of bubbly? What is an "Ah-so" and how to use one? How to decipher those darned Italian wine labels? We discuss all these and more till the angry skies thunder us a warning and strongly hint that we should be moving onto the tasting.

A 9th bonus wine is added to the growing list of wines we taste, and soon our participants lose their initial shyness and reserve, getting into heated discussions of the flavours they smell and taste in their wines. The spittoons are seen as merely decorative items, and we're pleasantly surprised that none of the shiny glasses ends up in shards on the floor.

As dinner-time draws near and the storm clouds all spent, we proudly pat ourselves on the back to have swirled, smelled, tasted and debated the following wines:

• Nederburg Brut Sparkling Wine N.V., South Africa
• Pasqua Pinot Grigio Garganega 2011, Italy
• Ohau Gravels Pinot Gris 2011, New Zealand
• Santa Luz Gran Reserva Sauvignon Blanc 2012, Chile
• Marqués de Cáceres Blanco 2011, Rioja, Spain
• La Forge Estate Syrah 2010, Pays d'Oc, France
• Manzoni Barbera D'Alba, Piedmont, Italy
• Fleur du Cap Merlot 2009, South Africa
• Carlos Serres Reserva 2005, Rioja, Spain