The week in pictures: Hong Kong

Canadian vodka comes to Hong Kong! In an elegant reception at the Canadian Consul’s official residence, people queued for Cosmos and Martinis mixed with a myriad of flavours from Tag Vodka. Made from corn and hailing from Maverick Distillery in Ontario, Tag turns its hand to a decent Elderflower Martini and ‘Maple Twist Screwdriver.’

Albiera Antinori visited Hong Kong and (re)introduced the Super Tuscan classics of 2010 Tignanello, 2011 Guado al Tasso 2011 and 2011 Solaia. Speaking over a decadent Italian lunch at the Hong Kong Club, Antinori commented: “Italian fine wine has a long way to go before equalling Bordeaux and Burgundy [in the Asia market] but we’ve built up a steady band of followers and we’ll continue to do our best and make the finest wine we can.”

At the China Club, the HK drinks trade sampled a 2010 flight of Louis Jadot with Thibault Gagey, deputy general manager (pictured right). “The buzz around Burgundy is so exciting,” he said. “People are seeing it as a surer bet than Bordeaux and wines from the Côte de Beaune are offering the best in value and quality right now.”

It’s #TBT! Going back nearly 40 years, the problem of ‘drunk crabs’ made headlines in the SCMP on 16 February, 1976. A Chinese delicacy at the time was to immerse live crabs in wine overnight and then boil them the next morning. Unfortunately, a lot of these crabs were found to harbour a parasite which produced symptoms akin to tuberculosis up to 10 years later. After the scandal, ‘drunk crabs’ were banned in most Hong Kong restaurants.

Dancers interpret the magic and elegance of Dom Pérignon’s newly released 2005 vintage at a five-star event hosted by BBR and Möet Hennessy Diageo. Over dinner, guests tasted the unique style of the ’05 introduced by cellar master, Richard Geoffroy.

The iconic Dom Pérignon logo dramatically illuminated against Hong Kong’s skyline.

Importers Northeast Wines & Spirits and Royal Oak jointly won the Discover South African Wine Competition and a six-day trip to Cape Wine in September this year by increasing sales by over 50 per cent. Wines of South Africa ran a month-long contest in Hong Kong during May which was open to customers and wine merchants.

Members of the trade gathered to listen to BIVB’s latest instalment broadcast from Burgundy and tasted their way through village and premier cru levels of Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet and Saint Aubin.

And to round off a hectic week, the db HK team sought refuge in the cool suburb of Kennedy Town and while enjoying salt and pepper squid and Louis Latour Chardonnay, snapped this heartwarming picture of a very small boy hugging a very large (and patient) Samoyed.