Following the success of the first ever China Wine Awards in 2011, the CWA are back for 2012 – this time looking for the best value wines and spirits. The competition is the biggest of its kind specifically for the China market and its consumer.

Aiming to find out what wines offer the best value and best suit the Chinese palate, more than 40 judges made up importers, distributors, restaurant owners and sommeliers will judge all the wines entered in a huge blind tasting on 20 February 2012.

Last year saw hundreds of entries from old and new world producers, and this year is set to be bigger. The Chinese Wine Awards were specifically designed to award wines with consideration of Chinese consumer tastes. Although originally wine was drunk as more of a status symbol in China with popularity tending heavily towards high alcohol red wines from Bordeaux, in recent years consumers are tending to drink sweeter and lighter wines which pair better with Chinese food.

Most wines coming into the country are from medium to lower price range and so this year’s awards will give Gold, Silver and Bronze medals to those entry level to medium range wines of good value.

Wineries and distributors can enter as many wines as they wish, but all entries must be received by 6 February 2012.

Details: 

• Date: 20 February 2012
• For more information, www.chinawineawards.com

Wine Future Hong Kong 2011 blew in fast and furious on Sunday and finished yesterday at the AsiaWorld Expo here in Hong Kong.

Pancho Campo’s amazing wine conference finally came to Hong Kong bringing such wine luminaries as Robert Parker, Jancis Robinson, Francis Ford Coppola, James Suckling, and so many more to town with informational panels, grand tastings and enough wine networking to make Vinexpo jealous.

Herein lies a delightful photo gallery of the sights of this historic wine event in Hong Kong:

We had a bit of a treat this week at the Hong Kong Wine Fair 2011 as Senior Consultant in International Wine and wine journalist, Fabio Piccoli,  took us through some amazing Sicilian wines, paired of course with some equally amazing Italian food. Our task: to find the best food and wine match. Yes, it’s a tough job but someone’s gotta do it!

As an introduction, Fabio took us on a personalized ‘tour’ of Sicily, starting with this amazing fact: Sicily is the biggest island in Italy with a total vineyard surface that is bigger than Australia, at 120,000 hectare compared to 110,000 hectare!

Another key element to understanding Sicilian wines is the geographical diversity the island has to offer. There are literally vineyards everywhere – along the sea, on the slopes of hills, mountains and volcanoes – which brings us to the second most amazing fact: harvest generally starts as early as July, but finishes only in November. Add to this combination many different kinds of grapes and many producers (350 wine cellars) and you get a diversity unmatched in any other wine region of the world.

As the tasting began, we were presented with a beautiful sample of Italian food: Fiochi di Patata (a pretzel-shaped potato croquette), Baccala Montecato (a delicate fish puree), Tortellini with cheese, a delicate filet of lamb, porcini mushroom with beef tenderloin, risotto with porcini mushroom and finally a freshly cooked brioche. So, the moment has arrived for our verdict: which wine went best with which food?

Top wines from the tasting:

Top white wines

Brugnano Lunario Catarratto with Castellammare del Golfo

A pale lemon, bright and clear wine with herbaceous and fresh fruity aromas of lemon and white peach. On the palate, it combines balanced acidity and freshness, and is a perfect match for the Baccala Montecato.

Cantine Colomba Bianca with Gazzera Grillo

Pale lemon and bright colour, the wine combines floral and fruity aromas with distinctive grapey notes. The palate is fresh, dry and delicate, and offers a harmonious, long length. We particularly liked it with the Fiochi di Patata and the tortellini.

Top reds wines

Feudo di Santa Tresa with Cerasuolo di Vittoria

Light and a bright ruby colour, this wine offers a very aromatic nose of cherry and spice. Its palate is soft and well-rounded with nice acidity, full of elegance and finesse. Perfect with the filet of lamb.

Icone Nero D’Avola

Again with a light ruby colour, this Nero d’Avola offers a very complex nose of plum, dark cherry, spice and liquorice. On the palate, the integrated tannins, balanced acidity and good length confirm the very good quality of the wine. Perfect with the risotto and the beef tenderloin.

Top desert wines:

Baglio Dei Fenicotteri Moscato di Noto Prim’ amore

A deep gold colour wine with a beautiful and complex nose of grapey, honey and floral notes, typical of muscat of Alexandria grapes. The palate is full-bodied with nice acidity and high alcohol. Notes of biscuit, raisin and spice linger lusciously in the mouth. The perfect end to the tasting with the melt-in-the-mouth, traditional brioche.

So much wine so little time!

This year’s Hong Kong International Wine and Spirits Fair was as fantastic as ever with partner country Italy really bringing a taste of their country to Hong Kong with their giant pavilion that really set the stage for the entire event.

The HKTDC will announce visitor numbers soon and we’ll update the story here but we enjoyed the amazing Gala Dinner put on by Italy and the numerous seminars and tastings put on across the 2-day trade, 1-day public event.

While it’s nice that the organizers of the Wine and Dine Festival, HKIWSF and Wine Future decided to plan their events one after another so people could stay for all of them – it’s still turned into a marathon of wine, food and spirits for almost 2 weeks.

Check out our photo gallery below:

If you are heading to the Hong Kong Wine & Spirits Fair today, which is the day that consumers can attend and taste from exhibitors’ booths, the choices of what to taste can be overwhelming. As Italy is the partner country this year, here’s a guide to what to drink at the Italian Pavilion of the Fair prepared by Luca Gardini, the Best Sommelier of the World 2010:

• Schiopetto - Friulano DOC Collio 2009, Friuli Venezia Giulia (booth 3C-E09)
• Planeta - Santa Cecilia 2007, Sicilia (booth 3C-F17)
• Novelli – Trebbiano Spoletino, Umbria (booth 3C-F41)
• Velenosi – Ludi – Offida Rosso DOC 2007, Marche (booth 3C-D42)
• Ferrari – Giulio Ferrari Riserva del Fondatore Trento DOC 2001, Trentino Alto-Adige (booth 3C-D24)
• Banfi – Brunello di Montalcino DOCG 2006, Toscana (booth 3C-D14)
• Produttori Cormons – DOC Friuli Isonzo Pinot Grigio 2010, Friuli Venezia Giulia (booth 3C-D13)
• Due Palme – Canonico Negramaro Salento IGP 2009, Puglia (booth 3C-B26)
• Scarzello – Barbera d’Alba DOC Superiore 2007, Piemonte (booth 3C-B04)
• Renato Ratti - Barolo Conca 2007, Piemonte (booth 3C-B04)

Salute! We hope you had a great time tasting wines today!

The Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Fair kicked off yesterday at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC); with a record 934 exhibitors from some 37 countries and regions taking. The fair is now Asia’s biggest wine show in exhibitor numbers.

Opening the fair was Professor The Honourable K C Chan, SBS, JP, Secretary for Financial Services & the Treasury, The Government of the HKSAR. To help him with a ribbon cutting was Alessandra Schiavo, the Consulate General of Italy, this year’s wine fair Partner Country. After the ribbon cutting the VIP guest from both Hong Kong and Italy made their way up to the VinItaly Pavilion for a mini event kickoff that featured Kindergartners dressed as little chefs.

The Vinitaly pavilion is the largest group pavilion, with more than 200 exhibitors, up 80% over last year. The Vino Sangiovese Forum is one of many Italian spotlights at the fair, and there is a special tasting area at the Vinitaly Pavilion dedicated to Italian wine education. The organiser, Veronafiere, is also offering a forum on Italian wine, seminars, sommelier-led tastings and wine-pairing cooking demonstration. The Public Forum – Appreciation of Italian Wines will also take place on Saturday, with Italian wine specialists sharing their expertise.

For those looking for a bite to eat, the VinItaly Pavilion also features a kitchen area where a number of top Michelin-starred chefs that includes Luca Collami, Pietro Rongoni, Marco Sacco and Sergio Vineis, will cook up a taste sensational storm that will blow you away.

Here are some photos from Day 1:

Penfolds Red Wine Re-Corking Clinics offers Penfolds wine owners the opportunity to have their Penfolds wines that are at least 15 years old or older appraised. The Re-corking Clinic will be hosted by Chief Winemaker Peter Gago at the Grand Hyatt for a whole day. This is one of THE most amazing after-sale services offered where the bottle will be opened, tasted, topped up and re-capsuled on the spot!

Penfold wine owners must pre-book to bring their Penfolds Red Wines to the Clinic, and ensure that their wines are 15 years or older to qualify for re-corking. To confirm, they must register online at www.penfolds.com or email clinics@penfolds.com. Registration closes on 14 November 2011.

As you can imagine, the Penfolds Red Wine Re-Corking Clinics are extremely popular, and have been held in Australia for more than 15 years in addition to several other major cities like London, New York, Toronto, Chicago, San Francisco, Auckland and Zurich.

Peter Gago explains that the art of re-corking is a delicate process because, once the bottle is opened, the wine is immediately protected by a layer of nitrogen and carbon dioxide gas. The bottle is then tested by the winemaker and assessed for its quality.

“If the wine is deemed to be a good example of the style and vintage, it will then be topped up with the most recent vintage of the wine, re-corked, provided with a new Penfolds capsule, and then stamped with the winemaker’s signature. This process guarantees and certifies the wine for quality, ensuring attendees leave the clinic with their re-corked collection in an excellent condition, ready for continued cellaring or to enjoy at leisure.”

Clinic-passed wines command premium prices in the secondary market and the clinics are offered free of charge asa great way for Penfolds wine owners to get free market appraisal on their wine. Peter will also be offering advise to collectors on optimal drinking window for their wines and best cellaring practices.

During the last 16 years, over 90,000 bottles of Penfolds wines have been inspected, opened, tasted and topped up by the Penfolds team of winemakers to ensure their prolonged cellar development.

This is an excellent and unique after sales service and all Penfolds wine collector should bring their wines to be accessed.

Details of 2011 Penfolds Re-corking Clinic in Hong Kong:

• Date: Monday, 21 November 2011
• Time: 9am-4pm
• Venue: Pool House, Grand Hyatt, 1 Harbour Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong.
• Registration and confirmation required, email: clinics@penfold.com before 14 November or register online at www.penfolds.com
• For inquiries about this event, call 2926 2269 or 3180 3424

As a guide, the following Penfolds over 15 years old can be re-corked:

Grange, Bin 707 Cabernet, St.Henri Shiraz, Magil Estate Shiraz, Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz, Bin 407 Shiraz, Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz, Bin 128 Shiraz, Bin 138 GSM, Bin 620 Cabernet Shiraz, Bin 60A Cabernet Shiraz, Bin 80A Cabernet Shiraz, Bin 820 Cabernet Shiraz, Bin 90A Cabernet Shiraz, Bin 920 Cabernet Shiraz, Block 42 Cabernet, Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet

Vinitaly, the Ambassador for Italian wine, and the Istituto Regionale della Vite e del Vino invites you to fall in love with its wines at this year’s Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Fair 2011.

One event not to be missed is the food and wine pairing event: “Sicilian Wines: A perfect match with every dish” that is happening on Friday, November 4^th at 2-3pm at the Vinitaly Tasting Room, Booth 3C-D23.

As the largest island in the Mediterranean, Sicily is one of Italy’s most important wine regions with some 120.000 ha under vines, more than 350 wine cellars and a huge array of local varieties (e.g. The most famous being: Nero d’Avola, Frappato, Nerello Mascalese, Nerello Cappuccio, Perricone, Catarratto, Grillo, Inzolia etc). Sicily’s rich wine growing heritage is also due to its exceptional diversity of landscapes including volcanic soils, seaside climates, mountainous stretches or terraced agriculture, which give the wines their unique and distinguished character.

This little ‘wine continent’ offers an exciting case study to get introduced to some of Italy’s finest wine.  The Italian Cuisine & Wine World Summit of Italian chefs abroad (including some Michelin starred chefs) will be creating special dishes to pair with the wines.

This  Sommelier-led session will offer wine-lovers a number of exceptional wines and also explain the reasons behind the great food pairing qualities of Sicilian wines.

As seats are limited for this event, RSVP is required for interested party.

RSVP to Sally Lam under sally@popcorn-network.com or tel: 34881090 as soon as possible to reserve your seats.

If you love Bordeaux wine as much as we do, make sure you book yourself for the world’s second Sweet Bordeaux Night on Wednesday, 2 November 2011. The event features 11 different Sweet Bordeaux wines paired with à-la-mode canapés and is being hosted in the garden of Mariners’ Rest at Hullett House.

After a hugely successful first Sweet Bordeaux night held on the Champs Elysée in Paris in September, Hong Kong will be the second global venue to host a Sweet Bordeaux Night. Anticipating a large turnout, organisers have split the night into two sittings – one at 6.30pm and the other at 9pm.

The best way to serve this tasty wine is ice cold in a special rounded glass aptly named the ‘Couple’s Cup’ and is a trend that’s taken off across Europe with fashionistas in the know.

You can purchase your ticket for the Sweet Bordeaux Night at any of Aqua Group’s establishments (see below) for the opportunity to sample unlimited wine and canapés, in addition to taking home the Couple’s Cup. Spaces are limited so book ahead.

How much?

Tickets for 6.30pm to 8.30pm cost HK$250 and for 9pm to 11pm cost HK$220.

How much?

• Date: Wednesday 2 November
• Time: 6.30pm – 8.30pm, and 9pm to 11pm
• Venue: Mariners’ Rest, Hullett House, 2A Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui
• Price: Tickets for 6.30pm to 8.30pm cost $250 and for 9pm to 11pm cost $220
• Tickets: From Hullett House at 2A Canton Road Tsim Sha Tsui, at Tivo at 43 Wyndham Street Central and at WasabiSabi at 13F Times Square Causeway Bay.
• Facebook: Join the Sweet Bordeaux Hong Kong Facebook page to keep up to date on the latest Sweet Bordeaux tastings and news in Hong Kong.

Wine lovers can experience ‘la dolce vita’ of Italian wine at Il Bel Paese. The Italian wine appreciation workshop will be led by JC Viens, a certified wine tutor who has traveled extensively in Italy and is studying to become a Master of Wine.

The workshop will look into the classic wine region of Piedmont, focusing on the style, structure and aromatics of the terroir and typicity of varietals such as Barbaresco and Barolo, as well as of course tasting some fine examples of Italian wine.

Piedmont is home to some of the country’s finest wines which have put Italy on the map as a quality producer.

At the course you will taste:

• Prunotto Barbera d’Asti Fiulot
• Villa Sparina Gavi di Gavi
• Massolino Dolcetto d’Alba
• Abrate Barbera d’Alba Castelvè
• Massolino Barolo
• Abrate Moscato d’Asti in Fine

How much?

 HK$380

Details

• When: Thursday, 27 October 2011
• Where: Il Bel Paese: G/F., M/F & 1/F., The Burlington, 51-53 Hennessy Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong

Book at any Il Bel Paese shops:

• 68 Bonham Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong. Tel: 2858 2162
• 85 Caine Road, Mid-levels, Central, Hong Kong. Tel. 2549 8893
• 25 Queen’s Road East, Wanchai, Hong Kong. Tel: 2804 2992
• 51-53 Hennessy Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong. Tel: 2528 2200
• 23 Sing Woo Road, Happy Valley, Hong Kong. Tel. 2868 2818