Chinese New Year

Kung Hei Fat Choy!!

Well, it is finally the end of the year of the Ox. This means it’s time to stop dragging that heavy plough and lighten the load so you can leap into the year of the golden tiger with grace and speed! The year ahead will be a flighty one, but ultimately very rewarding - particularly for those of you born in the year of the Sheep, Horse and Dragon (I’m reliably told…sadly this doesn’t apply to me)

For me, still relatively new to HK, I have learnt the great pleasure of being able to celebrate New Year twice as well as getting a second chance at those botched New Year's resolutions!

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Hong Kong has quickly become a major hub for fine wine in the world, thanks to the freshly eliminated taxes (from 80%) and fueled by China’s ever growing economy.

A new wine bar and/or merchant is opening every other day, and a wine-drinking revolution is afoot among locals and expats alike. Even a winery can be found on the 8th floor of an industrial building in Ap Lei Chau!

For a wine lover like me, being in the middle of this revolution is an incredible place to be.

Friday night, for example, was Burgundy night, and white Burgundy at that (a real treat, given that the majority of wines consumed in HK are red).

After getting hideously lost outside Mongkok MTR (the tube, but not as you know it Londoners), a lovely security man rescued me and escorted me to the 8th floor of the Langham Hotel.

Arranged on the tables were ten full glasses of delicious white Burgundy. Having done the meet and greet with Hong Kong’s wine enthusiasts and bon vivants, the tasting began.

Tasting wines

Raveneau: Chablis Les Montmains 2002
-Rather a stern, almost bitter wine which filled the nose with scents of lemon sherbet and pear drops. By the end of the dinner, the wine had blossomed with more integration and weight.


William Fevre: Chablis Les Clos 2000
-A touch oxidized on the nose, but with minerally, sea shell nuances. Going back to it half an hour later, the scent of pear drops filled the glass. Good cut of acidity but somewhat austere and showing more maturity than I would have predicted.

Les Heritiers de Comtes Lafon: Macon Milly Lamartine Clos du Four 2004
-Floral, and faintly flinty. Brimming with rich, well weighted fruit; kept fresh with nice minerality running through it. Excellent for the money.

Colin Morey: Meursault 2004
-Toasty oak with hints of almonds. Missing something on the middle palate.

Chateau de Puligny-Montrachet: Meursault Les Perrieres 2004
-Creamed corn and rich, tropical ripe fruit…International in style. Well made, but lacking some refinement. Thankfully more subtle on the palate and rather good.

Carillon: Puligny Montrachet 2002
-TCA

Marc Morey: Puligny Montrachet Les Referts 2006
-Opulent, rich, caramelly nose. Nice use of oak. Lovely acidity and stunning purity of fruit. Long, lingering finish. Delicious.

The winners of the night (and what do you know…two C&B wines!)…

Colin-Deleger: Chevalier Montrachet 2002
-Classic. Beautifully made. Rich, full and perfectly balanced. Wonderful steely minerality and a lovely finish.

Domaine Leflaive: Batard Montrachet 2001
-Sublime elegance. Nuts and rich caramel fill the nose. Oak is well worked into the background, but is in support throughout. Minerality elegantly provides a backbone to this complex masterpiece.

Bonneau de Martray: Corton Charlemagne 2001
-Subtle hints of vanilla, and dried apricots. Taut, but what a delicious and memorable finish.


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Saturday, feeling a little on the delicate side, instead of nursing myself better the old fashioned way, I decided to head off to Middle Island off the South coast of HK Island to cut my teeth at Dragon Boating. Having never seen a Dragon Boat before, I had no idea what I was letting my sorry body in for. It’s a unique and truly amazing sport, each boat containing 18 paddlers, someone to steer and someone to beat a drum. Unlike rowing or sculling, the momentum is only generated by twisting one’s entire torso, holding the paddle in one of the most uncomfortable positions imaginable. It seems we were using muscles that most of us didn’t even know we had… until the following morning…and a further 3 days!

At the end of a very painful afternoon, all 40+ weary paddlers sat down to a sumptuous barbecue, sampling some of the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club’s Wine list. A list I hope to fill with C&B wines shortly…

The Joys of BYO

One of the many things that I love about HK is that most restaurants offer BYO, this is something where London is sadly still found wanting.

The concept of BYO is great. It offers you the chance to drink something really nice without being hosed on the corkage rates. Of course the other great benefit is that you don't have to slave away in the kitchen preparing a meal to go with that special Burgundy or Barolo you've been storing away all those years. Some wines cry out for slightly more adventurous dishes such as delicate fish dishes with lobster, sea bass or meatier dishes of venison. Most of us, despite our valiant attempts at following Jamie Oliver or Gordon Ramsey, simply are not able to whip up these dishes in our kitchens (particular HK sized-kitchens) on a Saturday afternoon. Restaurants here let you bring along your own bottle and charge between 100 - 350 HKD, although if you smile sweetly and offer the waiter a sneaky sip, corkage is often waived!

The reason behind my waxing lyrical about BYO restaurants is that I went to a great one here in HK. A fantastic Cantonese restaurant called Fook Lam Moon. I've been here once before and did a nice run of 97s from the Left bank, whilst being treated to the delicacy chicken's testicals! Having munched my way through the first one, fairly happily, but completely unaware of what it was that I was eating, my host kindly gave me it's mate and just as I was about to swallow allowed me in on his little secret. Somehow despite my brain's sudden repulsion towards what had been a great dinner, disaster was averted!

My second visit to Fook Lam Moon provided excellent, but much less adventurous food plus some seriously delicious wines. We started with a great bottle of 96 Batard Montrachet from the Queen of white Burgundy - Anne-Claude Leflaive. This wine is fab and just got better and better as the evening progressed: rich, nutty (brimming with almonds), toffee and caramel, but held up with lovely acidity and minerality. This was then followed by 66 and 70 l'Evangile. The 66, despite a fight with the cork, just pipped the 70, but both were on top form that night. The 66 just had a bit more concentration and reminded me of mulberries. The last 2 bottles of the evening were definitely worth the wait: 88 Clos de Beze and Chambertin from the great Armand Rousseau. Tonight the Clos de Beze was the winner. The nose was wonderful, the tannins were like cashmere and the fruit, now showing secondary and tertiary characteristics of leather and Indian tea, were dancing. The Chambertin was richer and more intense, but it was lacking some of the charm and feminity that made the Clos de Beze such a joy to drink. All in all though a fab night and one I definitely hope to repeat.

Good Morning HK!

Well after two years of nagging my company to send me out to the presently hot and very humid Hong Kong, they finally caved!!

I moved into a great new apartment half way up the peak almost 2 weeks ago and despite lacking a bit of furniture, I have the essentials - sofa, bed, glasses and the all important eurocave!

So, celebration time it is - (and in my gorgeous Swaraovski flutes kindly bought by my lovely fiance as a house warming gift) - a bit of Bolli NV to start - always a reliably good drink. This was followed by a bottle of one of my favourite wines this year, Cupole di Trinoro 06 from the very talented and fantastically suave Andrea Franchetti. The blend is 47% Cabernet Franc, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13,5% Merlot and 9.5% Petit Verdot. It is a profound ruby-cherry in colour. The nose reveals vibrant, aromatic, black and red fruit, accessible and inviting, with earthy undertones. The palate offers some violet freshness, autumnal fruit and cassis with a creamed, silk texture and a complementary, beautifully integrated tannic structure. God, I love this stuff, especially paired with a bit of roast, Chinese duck !