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Slideshow
Week in pictures: Hong Kong
This week saw a festive variety of happenings, including an audience with Wolf Blass’ Chris Hatcher, exploring luscious Old Tawnies and a riotous Corsican wine dinner.
A quick shot of the picturesque Mott 32 before Pernod Ricard’s Absolut Elyx lunch which paired the premium vodka with Cantonese food and was hosted by Absolut’s brand ambassador, Gareth Evans.
Gareth nurtures a “soft spot” for vodka, saying that it doesn’t deserve the sometimes bland image associated with it. “I think it gets an unfair reputation nowadays, but it has a very long history and a good vodka Martini is up there with the world’s greatest drinks,” he pointed out.
Positioned as a premium sipping vodka, Absolut Elyx is manually distilled in 1921 copper stills and is made from single estate wheat in Ahus, Sweden.
Chief winemaker at Wolf Blass, Chris Hatcher on the launch of the new ‘Blass Noir’ wines aimed solely at the Hong Kong market. The new range includes a Chardonnay and Shiraz, hailing from Wolf Blass’ higher altitude vineyards in Adelaide Hills, perched 500 to 600 metres above sea-level.
Jeannie Cho Lee MW celebrates the launch of the third series of her TV show, In Vino Veritas which will air on Hong Kong’s TVB Pearl network at the end of this month.
An extremely edible looking gingerbread house at the Continental which currently dominates the entrance. Hong Kong always gears up for Christmas a little too early for our liking but we can make an exception this time. (We also wonder how long it is until some brave soul eats the ‘Look but don’t touch’ sign.)
A lovely single harvest Graham’s Tawny 1972 as part of the Vintage Port Academy’s 2016 trade tasting which this year championed Old Tawnies. Along with Graham’s ‘old gentleman’ 1972, there was an impressive showing of Taylor’s 1966 and 1965 as well as 10-40 year olds from the grand port estates, Croft, Dow’s, Fonseca, Graham’s, Taylor’s and Warre’s.
Hong Kong’s Altaya Wines celebrated its 15th anniversary with a lavish bash at the Hong Kong Club, complete with an unbeatable wine list which included Pontet-Canet, Mouton Rothschild, Pichon-Longueville, Latour and Leoville Les Cases 2001, marking the year of Altaya Wines’ foundation.
An array of Corsican charmers at the Conrad’s Golden Leaf Cantonese restaurant, courtesy of the Corsican Wine Board. A much favoured offering was Clos Canarelli’s late harvest Muscat with Christmassy notes of fig and Mandarin peel and a sweet lychee finish.
Corsican Wine Board’s Asia area manager, Vincent Cervoni alongside president of the Hong Kong Sommelier Association, Nelson Chow and Damon Yuen Dean, from the Hong Kong Sommelier and Bartender training College at the Corsican wine dinner which focused on six wines including a sweet sparkling Muscat and Domaine Sant Armettu’s Myrtus rouge – a voluptuous blend of Sciacarellu, Niellucciu, Syrah and Grenache.