Sotheby’s Andrew Lloyd Webber Wine Auction Brings in HK$43.3 Million

This auction was definitely no phantom.

Whether he’s writing music or selling wine, it seems Andrew Llyod Webber can’t lose.

The auction for his wine collection which took place on Saturday in Hong Kong at the Mandarin Oriental was a smashing success as they might say in the opera community. By the numbers:

• The auction was 6 hours long.
• 100% of the 740 lots were sold.
• Sotheby’s expected HK$32 million, they got HK$43.3 million
• 53% of the buyers bid online.
• 97% of the lots got higher prices than expected. So that’s only 3% of so-so wine and evidence that Andrew has a good nose as well as a good ear.

Another amazing wine auction and some standouts were :

• 12 Bottles of Chateau Petrus 1982: Sold for HK$605,000 on estimates of HK$320-480,000
• 12 bottles of Chateau Lafite 1982: Sold for HK$459,800 on estimates of HK$240-400,000
• 11 bottles of Chateau Petrus 1982: Also sold for HK$459,800 on estimates of HK$280-420,000

Sotheby’s is back in April with more auction action.

Mandarin Oriental Welcomes the “G20″ of the Chef World to Hong Kong

Have Obama’s favorite food cooked for you by his personal chef!

Just when you thought fine dining was getting too political, the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong is assembling 25 chefs who cook for the world’s premiers, presidents and monarchs and, luckily for us, is inviting you to join them!

So, for those of you who have ever wanted to feel like the Her Majesty the Queen or Presient Sarkozy at dinner time, now’s your chance by joining this one of a kind event from August 17 – 21st only at the hotel’s ballroom.

Each table of eight will be hosted by one chef, affording guests an unmissable opportunity to learn the ins and outs of life as a chef to the world’s most influential leaders. Tickets for the dinner at The Connaught Room are priced at HK$12,000 + 10% per table of eight for a six-course dinner including wine.

Continue reading »

Berry Bros. and Rudd Host Exclusive Hong Kong Wine Tasting Event

BBR introduces 12 Winemakers to Hong Kong to showcase over 100 wines.

Berry Bros. and Rudd, Hong Kong’s leading wine and spirits merchant, hosted an exclusive tasting to showcase wines from some of the world’s most exciting and acclaimed wine producers.

BBR brought 12 wine producers to Hong Kong especially to showcase their wines to more than 400 guests, including members of the trade and their direct customers. At The Mandarin Oriental Hotel, guests got to enjoy over 100 wines from the world’s greatest wine regions.

Continue reading »

Choosing Wine at a Restaurant with Pierre Legrandois

Tips on choosing wine and making an impression at a business lunch.

painting by Mark Keller

Pierre Legrandois, Chief Sommelier at the Mandarin Oriental give us some pointers on how to  navigate the wine list at restaurants. When you are taking your clients out for a business dinner and its up to you to order the wine, Pierre suggests the following:

1. Choose a wine according to the food of your guests. It shows you are paying attention, thoughtful and want to ensure an enjoyable experience.
2. When in doubt, 0pt for classic wines like Burgundy white like Montrachet &Meursault or a red Bordeaux.
3. Know the French Vintages: 1982, 1989, 1990, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003
4. Ask for a recommendation without mentioning your budget out right.

A good way to handle this is to mention to the sommelier that you like a certain kind of wine. For example, do you have Chateaux “this vintage” for “X price,” if you can you please recommend something similar?  Another way is to mention you would like a wine similar to “X” and point to the price on the wine list to your sommelier.  Its a gesture most sommelier understands.

Ordering Wine at Lunch – Pierre Legrandois

Lunch time wine.

Pierre Legrandois, Chief Sommalier at the Mandarin Oriental give us some pointers on how to enjoy wine during lunch. Many people don’t order wine during lunch for fear of the after effects when they still have to be at the office.  Pierre has some tips on how you can enjoy wine during lunch.

The trick is to order lower alcohol content wine from countries like Germany and Eastern Europe where most of the lower alcohol content variety of wine are made. Not all wine have the same alcohol content so choose the variety with less alcohol content if you don’t want to be impaired at your meeting after.   For whites, go for Sauvignon Blanc and Reisling and for red, choose Pinor Noir or Niebbiolo. For example a Reisling normally contain 7-11% alcohol while alcohol level in Chardonay is usually 12-14%.

So now you know, go ahead enjoy some wine during your business lunch, it might make it a little more amicable, just a little.

Wine Appreciation – Pierre Legrandois

Wine tasting tips from Pierre Legrandois.

Chief Sommelier at the Mandarin Oriental, Pierre Legrandois gives us some tips about appreciating wine at the recent workshop organized by Hong Kong Land’s Boutique Boulevard: So Chic, So Central program.

Pierre’s wine tasting tips;

1. Look at the wine, especially around the edges. Tilt the glass  to see the way the colour changes from the center to the edges. Look for the colour of the wine and clarity. White wines become darker as they age and time causes red wines to lose their colour turning more brownish with small amount of dark red sediment at the bottom of the glass.

2. Swirl the wine in your glass. This allow oxygen into the wine and opens up its aromas.

Continue reading »