HK gears up for LBBC 2017

Eight universities in Hong Kong and South Korea are preparing to take part in the annual Left Bank Bordeaux Cup competition on Saturday, 25 February for a chance to win an estate tour around Bordeaux.

Last year’s Left Bank Bordeaux Cup

Chaired by Baron Eric de Rothschild, owner of Château Lafite-Rothschild and organised by the Commanderie du Bontemps, the Left Bank Bordeaux Cup competition is aimed at students of business schools and universities who will compete in regional heats to scoop a place at the finals which will be held this year on Friday, 16 June at Château Lafite-Rothschild.

Established in 2002 in France, the competition aims to introduce leading students to Bordeaux Classed Growths and since its inception has now grown to incorporate educational institutions from America, UK, Denmark, the Netherlands, Hong Kong and China.

New for this year is also the participation from Korea University from South Korea and the team will join seven teams from Hong Kong’s universities, including the Chinese University (CUHK), City University (City U), Hong Kong Baptist (HKBU), HKU School of Professional and Continuing Education (HKU SPACE), Hong Kong University of Science & Technology (UST), School of Hotel & Tourism Management – Polytechnic University and the University of Hong Kong (HKU).

The Hong Kong heat will take place on Saturday, 25 February at the Grand Hyatt and will involve a multiple-choice questionnaire and a blind tasting presided over by the following judgesL

• Emmanuel Cruse, grand maître de la Commanderie du Bontemps and managing director of Chateau d’Issan
• Eric Berti, French General Consul in Hong Kong and Macau
• Jean-Michel Cazes of Château Lynch Bages, Château Les Ormes de Pez and Château Villa Bel-Air
• Robert Cottin of Dubos Frères
• Douglas Demichel of Bordelaise des Grands Vins
• Thomas Montagnac of Maison Montagnac
• Vincent Cheung grand maître de la Commanderie de Bordeaux à Hong Kong and grand maître Territorial Asie (tbc)
• Wilson Kwok, member of the Hong Kong chapter of the Commanderie de Bordeaux
• Claudio Salgado, member of the Hong Kong chapter of the Commanderie de Bordeaux
• Adam Bilbey, head of wine for Sotheby’s Asia

The winning team will go on to compete against one team from China and two teams from the US, Europe and France in the June finals.

All candidates will receive a selection of wines from the Médoc, Graves, Sauternes and Barsac appellations with the number of bottles awarded depending on the team’s position in the finals and during their stay, the Commanderie du Bontemps will arrange an estates wine tour and wine tasting sessions for each student to explore the terroir and chateaux of Bordeaux’s Left Bank.

For the last two years, Hong Kong’s Baptist University has won the Hong Kong heat of the Left Bank Bordeaux Cup.