Winebuzz

Hong Kong International Wine Challenge 2011: First Judging

HOFEX 2011 has begun with the HKIWC this past weekend.

Over the weekend of 2-3 April,  judging for the Hong Kong International Wine Challenge 2011 took place at L’Hotel in Tin Hau.

One of the main HOFEX’s wine and spirits events, the event is co-organized together with the Hong Kong Sommelier Association. Wine exhibitors submit their wines to be judged according to 7 categories of grape variety and 3 categories of Chinese cuisine and wine matching.   This year, the total number of entries received increased to 269.

Chairman of the Hong Kong Sommelier Association Nelson Chow said that the increase in entries, especially for the Chinese cuisine and wine pairing categories, shows that overseas wineries are keen to get feedback on how their wine will fair in the local market and how best to pair their wines with Chinese cuisine. As Hong Kong and China’s wine consumption is on a rapid upward trend, the “Wine Challenge” gives winemakers an idea of what the Chinese wine palette is like so that they can tailor their wines to an Asian palate.

There are new awards in this year’s Wine Challenge with the opening of the Organic and Biodynamic Wines award and a vote for Gentlemen’s Favourite and Ladies’ Favourite awards. These are interesting awards to see if there really is a difference with wine preferences for men and for women.

The judging is conducted by committee members of the Hong Kong Sommelier Association which consists of certified sommeliers from some of the city’s leading hotels and dining establishments. Some of the committee members on the judging panel include: Anson Lai from Hyatt Regency, Debbie Chan from Disney, Jordi Chan from Mira and Zachary Yu from The Langham Place. The judging is performed in a blind tasting format with scores given to every wine tasted according to Vice Chairman of the Hong Kong Sommelier Assocation, Edwin Chan.