Happy Holidays: Raise A Glass to See Out 2010 and Welcome in the New Year

Have a great time drinking all that wine you’ve collected this year.

Well, its that time of year where we lock up the cellar, bring up a few bottles to enjoy with friends and family and let ourselves decant for the next few days. We’ll be back in January with all new stories and features for the wine-loving community of Hong Kong.

And of course drink responsibly, there’s no reason not to in Hong Kong with the number of great transportation options.

See you in 2011 – it’s promised to be the best wine year yet!

Sotheby To Auction Bordeaux Winebank 2000 Collection

The next big wine auction is scheduled for January 23rd, 2010.

The Bordeaux Winebank 2000 collection auction is set to go under the hammer on January 23rd, 2010. 2000 marks the first year of the new century and “the Bordeaux 2000 is a sumptuous yet classic year combining everything that this noble region of France represents,” Serena Sutcliffe, MW, Sotheby Worldwide Head of Wine stated.

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“How to Taste Like a Pro” Wine Tasting Workshops

A wine tasting workshop based on WSET’s systematic approach.

A series of wine tasting workshops based on WSET’s tasting techniques help you learn how to taste wine like a pro. The course is specifically designed to help students understand and identify the core structural components of wine and how this relates to balance which is one of the key elements to top quality.   Classes will be conducted by JC Viens, a Certified Tutor of the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) and a holder of the WSET Diploma, at the Berry Brothers & Rudd Fine Wine Center in Causeway Bay over 3 consecutive Saturdays in January 2011.

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Hong Kong Wine Judges Association to Promote Local Wine Appreciation

New group forms to promote wine appreciation locally.

As the wine scene continues to show explosive growth in Hong Kong, so too is the need for more localized measures and groups to continue the development and promotion of wine culture in Hong Kong. So we are happy to see the formation of a new organization called the Hong Kong Wine Judges Association.

Their intentions are to promote the wine appreciation culture by conducting wine competitions with constructive insights by experts and critics. The founding members of the group consist of professional, experienced wine specialists from different segments of the industry – namely sommeliers, winemakers, journalists, educators, lecturers, executive chefs and merchants. A few of the honorary judges include Master of Wine Debra Meiburg, Nelson Chow the Chairman of the Hong Kong Sommelier Association and Wilson Kwok a French Wine Expert, Wine Judge & Critic.

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Hong Kong Wine Academy Offers WEST Certificate Courses

Wine enthusiasts sets up wine school.

Today, we see a myriad of wine lessons or tasting classes on offer to Hong Kong’s growing wine enthusiasts who are only too keen to learn about wine. Most are conducted by wine merchants so there is a tendency to be biased toward some particular brands.

That’s where the Hong Kong Wine Academy comes in. The Academy, established by three wine enthusiasts – Mabel Lai, Karl Lung and Mickey Chan – aims to cater to the need for more independent and informative wine courses, free of bias.

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Pondering The Record-Breaking Prices of 1869 Lafite Rothschild

Sotheby’s auction achieves new milestone for Lafite Rothschild.

“Crazy, insane, stratospheric, overpriced, ridiculous, shocking” were just some of the words used by merchants, collectors and other insiders in reaction to the record-breaking prices fetched by Lafite Rothschild bottles from the Sotheby auction held in late October 2010.

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