Week in pictures: Hong Kong

Hong Kong’s drinks trade saw an eclectic week, including the art of Japanese cocktail making and lashings of bubbles in the form of Pont des Arts’ new cuvee and tasting the ‘Christian Louboutin’ of Champagne.

It’s beginning to look a lot like… a reception area made out of gingerbread. The Foreign Correspondents’ Club annually decks out its front-of-house in real gingerbread which takes two days of ‘building’ and weeks of preparatory baking.  

Hong Kong wine importer, Evercohol hosted a wine dinner highlighting Ankara winery, Vinkara, to reinforce the idea among Hong Kong’s wine consumers that high quality Old World wines can come from lesser-known regions. The Kalecik Karasi red was a smash hit with Beijing cuisine in Old Beijing restaurant in Causeway Bay. 

A lovely line up of Napa all-stars, including Beringer, Sterling and Beaulieu Vineyards at the picturesque China Tang restaurant in Tsim Sha Tsui. TWE launched its 90+ Club in Hong Kong in honour of the wines in its portfolio which have been rated over 90 points by Robert Parker and James Halliday.

Beautiful Beaune wines courtesy of Gregoire Bichot of Domaine des Clos. Bichot also owns vineyards in Chablis where he makes the most “untypical wines” with full use of stainless steel, fermentation at relatively low temperatures between 14-15C and maximum skin contact for 40-50 days.

Gregoire Bichot and his wife, Yanting Liu pose at the bar at the Royal Yacht Club in Wan Chai. 

Naoya Mizugish, Japan’s finalist for the Chivas Masters 2016 was in town to whisk up fabulous Japanese cocktails at Hong Kong’s Mizunara: The Library. 

Zen and the art of Japanese cocktail making: A standout favourite was Mizugish’s Hot Spring Cooler which won him his place at the Chivas Masters final last year. Using Chivas Regal 12, the Hot Spring Cooler was an utterly refreshing blend of Yuzu, green peppermint liqueur, peppermint bitters, ginger and Pernod Absinthe, served in a wooden onsen. (Clearly cocktail glasses are so last season.)

Tan Ying Hsien MW of Singapore spoke on the important of professional blind tasting at a conference hosted by Debra Meiburg MW. Covering how to improve tasting technique, the afternoon session also included a blind tasting challenge for the audience to try their hand (and discover how difficult blind tasting can be).

Next up was the launch of Pont des Arts’ new grand cru Champagne. Both hailing from Pierre Peters estate in the Cotes des Blancs, the cuvees are of extremely limited production of 900 and 150 bottles respectively.

Pont des Arts’ Chairman, Arthur de Villepin looks at one of the beloved bottles. The Champagne project started in 2015 between de Villepin and Paul and Thibault Pontallier who worked with Pierre Peters’ winemaker, Rodolphe Peters in Mesnil-sur-Oger.

Champagne Legras’ winemaker Julien Barbier at the BBR office alongside his Chardonnay-dominated cuvees from Chouilly. Known for producing private label Champagne for some of the world’s best restaurants, including La Tour d’Argent, the estate has also recently started using distinctive red bottomed-bottles in a move, said Barbier, to make Legras the ‘Christian Louboutin’ of Champagne.