Catherine Gachet at Wine Diva’s Charity Tasting Event

Woman winemaker Catherine Gachet in Hong Kong last night to present her wine.

At the Wine Diva Charity Tasting organized by Cottage Vineyards yesterday held at Lawry’s in Causeway Bay, wine lovers were introduced to wines from 7 top female winemakers from all over the world. (See below for the list of wines.) Proceeds of ticket sales for the night and a percentage of sales went to RainLily, an organization set up to provide crisis management and support to women who have experienced sexual violence*.

Winemaker extraordinaire Catherine Gachet was there to introduce her wines: Clos Les Remparts Graes Rouge Tete de Cuve 2006 and the dessert wine, Clos Dady Sauternes 2006.  Curious about how women winemakers make different wines to that of their counterparts, we asked Certified Sommelier Damon Yuen, as well as other fellow wine lovers at the event, what they thought of the wines, and Catherine to shed some light on her wine-making techniques.

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French Wineries ‘Authentique Sud-Ouest’ and ‘Cellier de Genne’ Visit Hong Kong

Two winemakers bring 15 new wines to Hong Kong via Cottage Vineyards.

Hong Kong retailer and distributor, Cottage Vineyards, invited two French winemakers on a 10-day tour of Hong Kong and Southern China to showcase their exquisite line of French wines.

Frédéric Lornet of Cellier de Genne in Jura, France, and Olivier Allamagny of Authentique Sud-Ouest – a group of six independent wine growers – recently spoke to Winebuzz.hk during a private wine tasting about the very special regions of France where they make their unique wines.

First up, Mr. Allamagny is in Hong Kong representing 6 independent wineries from the primary AOC regions across the French southwest; a wine-producing area situated south of the Bordeaux wine region. All are fiercely proud of their unique terroir, history and grape varietals, and seek to make wines authentic to their Southwest roots.

Five of the six members grouped under Authentique Sud-Ouest available in Hong Kong are:

1. Domaine de Gineste: AOC Gaillac
2. Château La Renaudie: AOC Bergerac, Pécharmant, Montbazillac
3. Clos Cavenac: AOC Côtes du Marmandais
4. Château Cantelauze: AOC Cahors, Vins du Lot
5. Château La Petite Bertrande: AOC Côtes de Duras

Mr. Allamagny’s wineries sell 95% of their wines in France already, so he’s looking to Asia as a new outlet to bring a small portion of his wines out East. His father bought the winery not long ago, and he himself left an executive position at Nokia to pursue his one true passion: wine-making.

Some of the wines we tasted included:

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Arrogant Frog’s French Wine Line Launches in Hong Kong

Affordable French wine is coming to a Wellcome near you.

“Old world wine with new world attitude,” is Arrogant Frog’s slogan, and it couldn’t be more true as this wine label seeks to bring French wine-making to the 21st century.

At the launch of the wine label in Hong Kong yesterday, owner Mr. Jean-Claude Mas explained the reason behind the irreverent name – mixing the imperious nature of French wine-makers who have lost market share in the past decade to New World wines, and the British-coined term for the French “frogs” – for a charming, casual style that suits the taste, price and accessibility for people wanting to get into French wines.

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Stanley Ho’s Very Own Wine: Stanley

The Macau icon has his own wine, who knew?

We discovered this interesting wine named after the most powerful man in Macau: Stanley Ho. You’ll be able to taste it for yourself at this week’s Hong Kong International Wine and Spirits Fair starting on Wednesday.

It’s either very new or a very special secret because there isn’t much written about it online but we met the distributor in Macau and they will be showcasing the wine for sale and for tasting in Hong Kong this week, so make sure you stop by the Nextvector booth to see it for yourself.