400 rare Penfolds examined at re-corking clinic in HK

For the first time since the inaugural event was hosted in 2011, Penfolds’ chief winemaker Peter Gago brought the Penfolds re-corking clinic back to Hong Kong this week, assessing and recorking more than 400 wines including extremely rare, limited release wines such as Block 42 Kalimna Cabernet Sauvignon, Bin 90A Coonawarra Cabernet Barossa Valley Shiraz, Bin 333 Shiraz and Bin 747 Claret.

The re-corking clinic is open to clients free of charge, which will allow the Penfolds winemaking team to examine, assess, re-cork and certify rare Penfolds wines as well as stamping out suspicious bottles, according to the company.

Only wines of 15 years or older are assessed and each wine can only go through Penfolds’ team assessment only once during a session, said chief winemaker Peter Gago when speaking to the media.

Among all the wines submitted, the collection also included the first vintage releases of Magill Estate Shiraz and RWT Barossa Valley Shiraz dating back to 1983 and 1997 respectively as well as well-cellared collections of Penfolds Grange and St. Henri Shiraz spanning several decades.

“The rarity and breadth of the serviced wines from Hong Kong collectors underscores the city’s status as one of the most sophisticated wine markets in Asia,” said the company.

Since 1991, well over 150,000 bottles from collectors around the world have been assessed at the re-corking clinics.

At the Hong Kong clinic, wines were carefully assessed and serviced, with some bottles opened, topped up, and re-capsuled for continued cellaring. Collectors from Hong Kong also received tailored cellaring recommendations from Penfolds winemakers to ensure the ultimate care and maintenance of their wine in the future.

Wine experts from leading auction house, Sotheby’s, were also present to consult on wine auctioning and drinking investments for the secondary market.

Gago, said, “It’s extremely exciting to share this unique Penfolds experience with wine lovers in Hong Kong. We have been staging Penfolds Re-corking Clinics around the world for more than 25 years. Each clinic is special, as every bottle of wine tells a different story. Through these clinics, we can also confirm that even in different weather conditions such as Hong Kong, Penfolds wines can be still be kept perfectly sound, and will cellar well when stored in the proper conditions.”

A travelling event hosted around the world, the Penfolds re-corking clinic was also held for the first-time ever in Japan this year on 28 July at Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills.