Uncorked: Andy Au

In a short span of seven years, Andy Au had quite a transformation. From first becoming a sommelier in 2000, he rose through ranks and is now the chief sommelier at the InterContinental Hong Kong. Au is in charge of the hotel’s wine programme and sommelier team at all of its restaurants including the two Michelin-stared Yan Toh Heen and Spoon by celebrated chef Alan Ducasse. Au is also the Winner of Greater China Sommelier Competition in 2012. The Hong Kong native chats to dbHK about his wine bucket list and his dream party with fellow Hong Kong native sommeliers.

What vintage are you? 

1986.

What bottle sparked your love of wine?

In 2009 when I was a waiter at InterContinental’s Yan Toh Heen, my colleague gave me some Riesling for tasting during a training. It had a very aromatic nose of floral, peach and stone fruit. That was an unforgettable wine moment for me. That was when I wanted to learn about wine and it became part of my life. I will never forget the name of that wine. It was a Penfolds Bin 51 Eden Valley Riesling 2007.

What would you be as a wine?

A Château Pavie 2002 . Many people know that 2002 was not a perfect vintage for Bordeaux wines. But the winemaker didn’t give up and still tried his best to make a great wine.

Where are you happiest?

I love attending sommelier gatherings and meeting people in the wine business or those passionate about wine. As a sommelier, I have many opportunities to meet people of different backgrounds such as international guests, restaurant patrons who are wine lovers, wine suppliers, winemakers and consultants. Apart from sharing wine knowledge, we learn from each other’s different cultures from different countries, which can enrich my life and my experience.

What’s your greatest vice?

Sometimes I spend too much money to buy a special wine.

Best advice you ever got?

I would like to share a famous quote by Steve Jobs that says, “Stay hungry. Stay foolish”. 

Your cellar’s underwater, which bottle would you dive in and save?

It should be a bottle of Château Lascombes 2010. I celebrated becoming a sommelier in April 2010 with a bottle of this wine. Although the wine is not very expensive or rare, it is very important and meaningful to me.

What’s the best and worst thing about the wine business?

The worst part is that quite a lot of people think it is very easy to become a professional sommelier. Actually one must put in a lot of efforts to become a professional in this field. You need to sacrifice your personal time for studying and wine tasting.

The best part is that we have many opportunities go to different wine producing countries for wine tasting and continuing education. The winemakers often share very old vintages and exclusive wines during our wine tours. Some of wines have never even been released onto the market. 

What’s on your wine bucket list?

To try an old vintage of Riesling from Germany that has wonderful aromaa, a well-balanced body and long length. Maybe a Egon Müller-Scharzhof BA 1976. 

Who would you invite to your dream dinner party?

John Chi, William Chan, John Chan and Terence Wong. These five sommeliers represent different generations of InterContinental Hong Kong’s past sommelier team. All of them are now among the best sommeliers in Hong Kong.

Personal satisfaction (Parker points – out of 100)

I think it’s around 88-90.

Which wine would you like served at your funeral? 

Château Mouton Rothschild 2009. This was the label that impressed me most when I first started learning about wine.