Serena Sutcliffe MW and Ferran Adria in Hong Kong

Hong Kong’s food and wine elite packed hall five of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre last night to listen to wine and food heavyweights Serena Sutcliffe MW and chef Ferran Adria talk about the wines in this mornings elBulli Foundation cellar auction hosted by English auction house Sotheby’s and give a talk on what the elBulli Foundation is trying to achieve.

After a monumental climb through the empty convention centre to the fifth floor attendees were welcomed with Champagne Dom Perignon and Joselito Jamon Iberico (shame I am on detox and wasn’t drinking – you can’t imagine how hard it was to get something non-alcoholic!). Some of the territory’s biggest wine buyers were there to rub shoulders with the who’s who of Hong Kong’s social elite.

In a room full of many people who take themselves far too seriously, where name-dropping is paramount and talks of en primeur holidays rife (see Facebook friends, I didn’t edit it out!), Serena Sutcliffe MW addressed the DP swilling masses to explain more about what the elBulli Foundation stands for and elaborate more on the wines on offer at the auction, currently taking place in Hong Kong as I write this.

 Neither Serena Sutcliffe, Ferran Adria or the wines for that matter need any introduction (the wines are the usual array of first growth Bordeaux with a smattering of other Spanish top-end brands), but the most noteworthy thing is that the proceeds from the sale of the cellar will be donated to the elBulli Foundation.

Serena Sutcliffe described Ferran Adria as “the greatest chef of our generation and one of the most fascinating men you will ever meet” as she introduced the renowned Spanish chef to the stage and noted that, as the head of Sotheby’s International Wine Department she was “very honoured that Ferran Adria had chosen Sotheby’s to create this amazing sale”.

She also went on to congratulate Richard Geoffrey, head winemaker for Dom Perignon and present in the room for the speeches, not only for making such exquisite wines, but for being the sponsor of the evening’s champagne.

Ferran Adria took to the stage to explain, at length, the purpose and the proposed future of the elBulli Foundation and how it is going the be a place where the chefs of the future can learn and excel in what they do saying it was a “magical project that everyone thought was madness” when he first suggested it. He went on to add that “investing in a purchase from the elBulli Cellar collection at the auction is like taking a little bit of the elBulli spirit home with you”.

“You are not just buying a bottle of wine”, Mr. Adria said. “You are helping support the new generations of the elBulli Foundation project”.

The Sotheby’s elBulli Cellar Collection started today at 10am Hong Kong time in the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.