My New Years Eve Champagne: Francoise Bedel

Over dinner last week I had the fortunate pleasure of being introduced to a Champagne from the house of Francoise Bedel and I fell instantly in love with it. It was the Francoise Bedel Entre Ciel et Terre and it completely blew me away with its fantastic and unique taste.

The Champagne is a 100 per cent Pinot Meunier which in itself I find interesting as there are not a lot of Champagnes made from 100 per cent Pinot Meunier (the only one I have tried before is Egly Ouriet and that was very good too).

It inspired me to learn more about this little grower Champagne and to buy some of their other Champagnes for my New Years Eve celebration I will be hosting at my home this coming December 31^st.

The Francoise Bedel winery is located in the Marne Valley in the Crouttes-sur-Marne, a small village on the outskirts of the Champagne region, and is becoming well known for their Pinot Meunier dominated Champagne styles.

The house has been run by the Bedel family now for three generations after being founded by Fernand and Marie-Louise Bedel and now managed by second generation Francoise and her son (third generation) Vincent.

The winery is completely biodynamic (which for me is not a selling point but, according to those winemakers who practice the method, it gives a clearer sense of terroir’s elements and unique characters) and has been since 1999. The reason for going biodynamic (according to the house) is that due to Françoise’s son’s health problems in the early 1980’s, they looked at new ways of keeping healthy and the use of homeopathy in medicine. This lead to the introduction of those involved in biodynamics and thus the beginning of farming in such a way.

Anyway, on to the wines I will be enjoying come Tuesday night! I bought three bottles from L’Imperatrice; the local importer here in Hong Kong of Francoise Bedel wines. The wines I bought were the ‘entry level’ Cuvee Origin’elle which is made up of the majority of the 2004 vintage and been left on the lees for 4 years. Anything that’s an ‘entry level’ wine that’s been on the lees this long is certainly going to interesting and I can’t wait to give this a try.

Secondly, I pick up a bottle of their Cuvee Dis Vin Secret which is made up of the majority of the 2003 vintage (yes, the wines themselves are classified as non-vintage) and is made up of 86 per cent Pinot Meunier, 8 per cent Pinot Noir and 6 per cent Chardonnay.

Finally, I procured a bottle of their Comme Autrefois which is 100 per cent vinified in oak casks and is 100 per cent Pinot Meunier.  They say that this wine is left on the lees for a minimum of 10 years and this bottle I have has been on the lees for 12 years making the wine primarily from the 1999 vintage. This is a really exciting prospect to try and one that will surely be cherished long before the clock strikes midnight so to ensure complete satisfaction prior to inebriation.

If the wines I have bought and intend on drinking next week are anything like the Entre Ciel et Terre then my guests and I are in for a real treat this New Year’s Eve. I think this may just become one of those Champagnes that are permanently in my house for a special (or even a not so special) occasion, one where a fantastically original and unique Champagne is called for and I reckon wines from Francoise Bedel will fit the bill perfectly.

Wishing you festive and bubbly joy this New Year’s Eve and here’s hoping you have something special ready for the biggest party night of each year!

Champagne Francoise Bedel is available in Hong Kong from L’Imperatrice and they can be contacted through their website at www.imperatrice.com.hk

2012 A Wine Year In Review

Well, it’s not quite over but 2012 has been another fantastic year in the wine circle in Hong Kong. The year saw another successful Vinexpo Asia Pacific, Restaurant & Bar Show and Hong Kong International Wine and Spirits Fair, all with record numbers of attendance proving how Hong Kong really is the wine hub of Asia (or so our government likes to call it).

Vinexpo Asia Pacific had its best ever year with 1050 exhibitors from 28 countries world-wide and over 15,000 people in attendance over the three day period whilst Restaurant and Bar, Hong Kong’s only truly localized trade show recorded its 10^th anniversary and celebrated in style with a huge gala dinner.

It’s also been a great year for the auction business with Acker, Merrall and Condit again topping the sales charts in Asia with a number of successful auctions in 2012. Spectrum, Zachy’s, Bonhams, Christies and Sotheby’s also had good years with local, mainland and other Asian buyers taking advantage of the wealth of wines on offer in the territory.

As with last year, enrollment in wine courses such as WSET has been high with large numbers of local and international residents enrolling to learn more about wine as its popularity soars in the city.

With yet more and more companies trying to make a mark in Asia we have seen another successful year for the China Wine Awards and the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Wine Challenge. We have also seen newcomers (or should I say latecomers) to the party with the Decanter Asian Wine Awards registering its first year of competition in Asia.

The world’s most expensive bottle of wine was sold to the Dragon Seal Restaurant in the ICC – a specially crafted bottle of Penfold’s Kalimna Block 42 2004 setting the record and selling for over HK$1.4 million – further putting Hong Kong on the world wine map.

We have seen a host of new companies joining the ever-expanding list of importers in the city, some of whom are bringing in some wonderful wines – and some taking advantage of the zero tax rate and bringing in any old cheap crap that they think they can sell here or on the mainland.

Wine Times too has had a pretty good year. We started this blog back in November 2011 but we only really started writing on a daily basis from the beginning of March 2012 and, thanks to you dear readers, we have surpassed our wildest expectations in regard to numbers of readers and positive comments and feedback on the subjects we have written about.

In the year we have interviewed some of the greatest people in the wine world including Michel Rolland, Michel Drappier, Philippe Guigal, James Halliday, Ernie Loosen, Gaia Gaja, Bruno Prats and many, many more. We have also been fortunate to sample many wines, more than 10,000 which is incredible in itself, but that’s Hong Kong for you.

We have dined with some of the world’s best people in the wine business including Hans Astrom of Klein Constantia, Bruce Cakebread of Cakebread Cellars, Sam Neill of Two Paddocks, Pablo Alvarez of Vega Sicilia and Paul Symington of the Symington Family in the Douro.

It would not be a year in review without giving you our list of the top 10 wines we have tried this year and, having tries so many wines throughout the year it was not easy to compile the list but, here goes (in no particular order):

1)      Henri Jayer Echezeaux Grand Cru 1987

2)      D’Oliveiras Madeira 1880

3)      Moet et Chandon 1966

4)      Chateau Latour 1962

5)      Vega Sicilia Unico 1970

6)      Marques de Riscal Reserva 1943

7)      Trimbach Clos Ste Hune 1999

8)      Chateau Ksara Clos Saint Alphonse 1932

9)      Gaja Gaia & Rey 1999

10)   Penfold’s Block 60A 1962

But a big shout out to the following wines who, in their own right deserve a mention for being the (realistically available) wines that we thought were outstanding this year:

1)      Dierberg Pinot Noir 2008

2)      Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc Viognier 2010

3)      Atrea Old Soul Red 2004

4)      Le Plan GT1 by Dirk Vermeersch

5)      Gaja Dagromis Barolo 2003

6)      Sociando Mallet 2010

7)      Casa Valduga Sparkling Moscatel 2010

8)      Longview “The Piece” 2008

9)      Bodegas Castillo de Maetierra Vintae Libalis

10)   Castello di Brolio Vin Santo 2005

In closing, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for reading this blog (which is soon to become a real website!) and also to wish you all a very happy new year for next week and hope that all your dreams and hopes come to fruition in the coming year. I for one will be back at the desk on the 2^nd January hoping to come up with our first story of the new year and am looking forward to sharing our exploits and experiences in the wonderful world of wine in Hong Kong with you all.

Feliz Navidad: Taco’s and Wine

Well, it’s the day before Christmas and I am sure most were expecting a small note on what to drink tomorrow and what goes well with turkey etc. But, in keeping with our tradition of being somewhat other than the norm, we decided to give a heads up to our south American buddies and do a wine tasting with Mexican tacos – just for a bit of fun (the turkey and wine pairing will happen at home, tomorrow, with friends and family!)

So, what exactly is a taco? Effectively it is a wheat or flour tortilla (much like a bread) that is stuffed with any number of items but usually a choice of meat (fish, pork, beef, chicken), salsa, lettuce and various sauces and spices to give it a little kick. On the side you can also have some spiced up guacamole (avocado) and, on the whole, the taco is eaten with the hands.

Having managed a Mexican restaurant when I first graduated from college I know that really the best thing with a taco is either a nice, cold cerveza or a salty and savoury Margarita, and having tried tacos over a decade ago with some pretty poor quality Mexican wine, I thought it best to try them again but with a sparkling, white and red.

Heading to one of Hong Kong’s newest and most basic (but probably the best for tacos) Mexican restaurant Mr. Taco Truck, we opted for five tacos consisting of Pollo (Chicken), Carnie Asada (Beef),  Fried Fish, Carnitas (Roast Pork) and Al Pastor (Spicy Pork) and went with a Champagne, a New Zealand Pinot Gris and a Spanish Tempranillo Crianza.

It was an interesting (but hardly enlightening) experience. The food at Mr. Taco Truck is always good and it’s always easy to over-order as tacos, although they might look small, are very filling and starting with the Al Pastor (it has a mild spicy kick but nothing that warrants an order of milk on the side) we tried all the wines with it and found the best pairing to be the Tempranillo – not surprising really as it is a dish of Spanish heritage and the wine went very nicely together with it.

Moving onto the Pollo taco, we thought that the best choice would be the Pinot Gris, and we were right. The slightly off dry nature of the Pinot Gris really worked complimentary to the pico de gallo and the avocado in the guacamole. The Champagne fared well too but our first choice was the Pinot.

The Carne Asada had a lot of pepper on the beef and this, strangely enough made the pairing with the Champagne surprisingly good, although it must be said that overall, the Tempranillo was the best together with the Carne Asada.

After this things started to get a little hazy and it’s at this time that you realize that you actually hate the Gypsy Kings and that “Black Magic Woman”, although a legendary song from the legendary Carlos Santana can only be heard once or twice at most during one sitting of Mexican food.

With two tacos and six glasses of wine to go we found ourselves asking ‘donde esta la cerveza’ but we soldiered on and ploughed into the Fried Fish taco. Expecting this to go nicely with the Pinot Gris just goes to show that more often than not, expectations are not reached and this wine left a strange finish when combined with the fish. The best pairing was the Champagne and we can highly recommend this!

Finally, stuffed to the brim and half cut, we dived into the last taco of Carnitas and found this taco to be the most versatile. Maybe it was the copious amounts of alcohol prior to the final taco or maybe it’s just the versatility of pork but we found all three wines went very well with this taco and our tasting notes say; Champagne pairing – good; Pinot Gris pairing – very good; Tempranillo pairing – good.

There really is a plethora of flavours and tastes in a taco and whether or not wine is a good pairing with this style of food is not fir us to determine after just one tasting with only three wines. It must be said though that there is absolutely no reason why one should not pair tacos with wine – they are both food and drink at the end of the day. We did find out though that cilantro goes nicely with Champagne and that the parsley went nicely with the Pinot Gris.

Next time you are feeling Mexican, give a glass of wine a try with the food. It may open up a whole new taste sensation to you and, even if it does not rock your world, it’s still something different to try when you are out for dinner.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and happy holidays for this festive season and, if the hangover is not too painful, we will be back on Boxing Day for more stories about how to get more out of wine than just the mundane boring pairings that people usually associate with this great grape product.

Acker Number 1 In Wine Auction Market Again

Acker Merrall and Condit ended 2012 on a high note and once again as the largest auction firm worldwide for fine and rare wines. Acker’s global auction revenues totaled US$83.3 million commercially, not including charity auctions. Acker Merrall continued its dominance of the Hong Kong auction market, 27% ahead of the #2 firm in that critical growth arena.

Acker Merrall continued in its usual leadership role, setting new trends on the sales floor and watching the rest of the market adapt and follow. Towards the end of last year, Acker brought the seminal and game-changing event of the auction season with the Don Stott collection, conducting not only the largest sale of the entire year, but also setting the unmistakable benchmark in the market that Burgundy had arrived firmly in Asia to stake its claim as the most sought-after region on the auction circuit. Bordeaux had been on the forefront for much of the previous decade, but with the 2009 and 2010 vintages’ release prices seeing record levels, more collectors and investors started to look to Burgundy instead.

However, in May of this year, Acker again upped the ante with a Chateau Latour sale of legendary proportions by bringing to market a collection of the most impeccable provenance, from former Noble family shareholders and owners of the Chateau, spanning an incredible range of 1905-1982 bottles that had never been reconditioned or relabeled and therefore remained pristinely untouched by human hands since bottling. This sale brought record attention and many lots went for multiple times the estimate as collectors worldwide clamored for a bottle or two of this immaculate collection, showing that Bordeaux can never fall too far out of fashion.

September was the month of Champagne, and Acker again brought the attention of the wine world towards the greatest consignment of Champagne ever to come to auction in Hong Kong with a small part of the legendary cellar of Robert Rosania, widely known as the World’s top Champagne collector. With this remarkable sale, where the Champagne portion alone achieved nearly US$1 million, came Richard Juhlin, the leading authority on Champagne, to educate and participate with Acker and its clients in dinners, seminars and the auction itself. It was another milestone in a very busy year.

World records were set for six young vintages of DRC Romanée-Conti in November, cementing the Domaine as the world’s most important producer, one that represented over 17% of Acker’s overall dollar volume in 2012. Italy then took center stage in December, led by the first ever direct consignment from the cellars of Angelo Gaja, and spearheaded by a collaboration with James Suckling and his first Great Wines of Italy event, co-hosted by Hong Kong Tatler, the reference luxury magazine in Hong Kong. 2012 definitely proved that the ongoing diversification of the wine market among collectors worldwide continues to be led firmly by Acker Merrall.

Acker Merrall also achieved 894 World Records across all wines and regions throughout 2012, demonstrating that collectors worldwide seek Acker Merrall’s auctions as the destination for buying the best of the best for their cellars. Whereas Burgundy led the way with over 400 of those new world records, Bordeaux, Champagne, Italy, California and Spain were important regions too in establishing new records for auction prices worldwide.

Red Bordeaux still accounted for the majority of market share with 40% of total sales, but that was down almost 10% from 2011, as Burgundy, California, Champagne and Italy each took a bigger piece of the Bordeaux pie. Lafite Rothschild was still Bordeaux’s most traded producer, accounting for 7.5% of total market dollars. There were fourteen ‘million dollar brands,’ where over US$1 million was traded at auction, including DRC, Lafite Rothschild, Latour, Petrus, Mouton Rothschild, Margaux, Haut Brion, Leroy, Cheval Blanc, La Mission Haut Brion, Comte de Vogue, Henri Jayer, Krug and Screaming Eagle, in that order.

The year’s Top 10 lots, as measured by dollar value, are a roster of the greatest names and wines from France’s two most important and prestigious wines regions, Burgundy and Bordeaux, with DRC dominating as it has all year long. All these lots were sold in their original wood cases:

1. DRC Superlot – Assorted Vertical Cases of 8 great vintages (’97, ’98, ’99, ’00, ’01, ’04, ’05 and ’06), which sold for US$353,231

2. 12 bottles 1945 Chateau Mouton Rothschild: US$214,256

3. 12 bottles 1947 Chateau Cheval Blanc: US$184,500

4. 12 bottles 1990 Romanée-Conti: US$184,500

5. 12 bottles 1985 Romanée-Conti: US$183,000

6. 12 bottles 1990 Romanée-Conti: US$170,800

7. 12 bottles 1985 Romanée-Conti: US$146,400

8. 12 bottles 1988 Romanée-Conti: US$129,150

9. 12 bottles 1945 Chateau Latour: US$116,850

10. 12 bottles 2004 Romanée-Conti: US$110,700

While 2011 saw 62% of global revenues occur in Hong Kong, 2012 saw the pendulum swing back a bit to America, with only 56% of global revenues hammering down in HK versus America. Bidders from China’s ‘Big 4’ – HK, Macau, Taiwan and China – accounted for 53% of winning bids placed in 2012, with America buying 33% of all lots, Europe 8% and the rest of the world combining for the balance.

“I am very proud of the year that we had in 2012. It is satisfying to know that the world’s greatest producers and collectors continue to choose Acker Merrall. It is the wonderful relationships that we have with these people, the passionate wine lovers of the world, that make the business so rewarding,” said Acker Merrall & Condit’s CEO, John Kapon.

“We are not simply the #1 wine auction firm in the world again in 2012; we are a firm that is passionate about wine, a firm that considers itself an ambassador for all that is great in wine. We are wine lovers first and foremost, and so are our clients. I am excited to see 2013 pick up where 2012 left off, with a selection from one of the most important collections in the world coming to auction in Hong Kong in late January, along with direct consignments from two of Burgundy’s elite producers, Domaines Dujac and Roulot. We plan on keeping our seatbelts fastened in 2013.”

Acker Merrall will kick of its 2013 auction season with auctions to be held in Hong Kong on January 25th and 26th and in New York on February 23rd.

FC Barcelona Wine In Hong Kong

Bodegas Altanza’s FC Barcelona wine was launched at the Wine and Dine Festival in Hong Kong back in October and proved to be a big hit with the general public at both that event and the Hong Kong International Wine and Spirits Fair.

It goes without saying that anything linked to football here in Asia is bound to be a success with the popularity of teams such as Manchester United and Barcelona amassing the lion’s share of the support from people both here in Hong Kong and across the border in mainland China.

Most commercial products that are actually adverts for another product (such as this wine) are generally pretty awful (I have tried AS Roma wine made in Italy and it was pretty rough!) but this wine is actually pretty palatable and, quite obviously Spanish in its nuances, tastes and style.

Yes, unlike many other reviews we researched we did actually taste the wine before telling you about it and, as lovers of Spanish wines on the whole, this drinks very easily. It has some tannin structure and a pretty decent finish. Top end wine it is not, but as a simple, easy drinking wine, it fits the bill quite nicely.

A 100 per cent Tempranillo, the wine is made at Bodegas Altanza, a winery formed in 1998 in the Rioja Alta region by a group of business men with the aim of producing “quality wines at a reasonable price”.

With the upcoming return of the Champions League in February we expect to see this wine in many of the local sports bars as local football and wine loving punters are slowly switching from beer to wine as they watch their favourite teams on Saturday and other nights.

If you are a fan of FC Barcelona or just a football fan and want to give this a try (or just stick it on your mantelpiece to show off to fellow football loving mates) then get in touch with Wine Hut in Hong Kong – sales@winehut.com – It won’t get you any closer to any of your favourite stars such as Xavi, Messi or Fabregas, but will make a great tipple on May 25^th when watching Barcelona win the Champions League at Wembley.

Christmas and Champagne Go Hand in Hand

Champagne has always been synonymous with celebratory and festive occasions and this time of year see’s more corks popping than any other. With the dawn of Christmas, Western New Year and Chinese New Year all within the space of six weeks, Champagne is most definitely the drink of choice for these special times of the year.

Champagne consumption in Hong Kong has rocketed in the last few years with the dropping of import duties making more Champagnes available and, subsequently available to the end customer cheaper than it ever has been.

In a recent report by the CIVC (Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne), Hong Kong’s Champagne consumption for 2011 increased by 15.1 per cent from 2010 from 64,200 nine-litre cases to 73,900 nine-litre cases, showing a marked increase in interest in the world’s most luxurious wine in the territory.

Champagne is not, however, new to the Hong Kong market. Brands such as Pol Roger (imported by Altaya wines) have been available here for over 100 years and the recently opened boutique ‘Champagne etc’ highlights the desire for specialty Champagne retail outlets.

The market leaders are certainly still the heavily commercialized wines such as Veuve Clicquot and Moet but with the tastes evolving in the territory and becoming more accustomed to more distinct flavour profiles, consumers are looking further afield than the “big two” for a decent drop these days.

Rosé Champagnes are also becoming more prevalent on the market with many of the local bars and clubs offering a more interesting mix of champagnes by the glass. Rosé has always been rather passé in Hong Kong but with the rising popularity of the still wines, the Champagnes have seen a resurgence. Rosé’s like Laurent Perrier (available from ASC Fine Wines) are certainly the forerunners of good Rosé in the territory.

This festive season look out for something new to celebrate with. Don’t just go for the regular, mundane shop shelf Champagnes and head out and source something different, be it a small grower champagne, rose champagne or just something that takes your fancy. There are loads of brands here such as Louis Roederer, Perrier Jouet, Piper Heidsick and many many more to choose from so indulge yourself and your friends this year and when the corks pop be sure it’s a drop of sparkling wonder to remember.

Christmas Pairings: Mince Pies and Port

Christmas is not a time when one should be worrying whether the wine you are drinking pairs perfectly, or at all, with any of the food you are eating as it is a time for celebration, for  friends and family to get together and, overall, just a time to kick back, relax and enjoy.

So, once that turkey and all the trimmings are done with, what better to end off a Christmas meal than with a mince pie? But what exactly is a mince pie and what would I recommend drinking with one to end off the perfect family meal?

A mince pie is a little tart (or pie, but personally I prefer tarts) that is filling – in this case mincemeat, but we’ll get to that in a minute – incased in pastry, baked and meant to be eaten as a sweet. Essentially, it’s an alternative to Christmas pudding, which in itself are basically the same ingredients as a mince pie but without the pastry.

‘Mincemeat’, the stuffing for the mince pie is not meat in case you were wondering. It’s a mix of dried fruit (usually raisins, sultanas, currants) mixed together with vegetable suet, sugar, candied orange and lemon peel all bound in a little pie case made from pastry.

The history of the pie can be traced back to the 1300’s when crusaders brought back these exotic fruits and spices from the Middle East and mixed them with actual meat – in most cases either chopped mutton or beef. These traditional style pies were much larger than they are now as they were meant for sharing – and of course, these days there is seldom any actual meat inside the pies.

The mince pie has become as much a symbol of Christmas as trees and tinsel nowadays and, although their savoury nature may not suit everyone, if you grew up with them they taste like a little reminder of childhood. But, when children we did not drink Port!

Now on to the interesting part. As you may know I am a huge fan of Port, Sherry and Madeira (damn, forgot to buy some Madeira!) so as Port and Sherry are staples at this time of the year I thought it fun to taste a range of these styles of wines to see how well they fared with the humble mince pie.

After copious amounts of Italian wine last Friday night I found myself in a liquor store in Macau, scouring the shelves for something interesting to pair with the pies. I managed to pick up some Aged 10 year Tawny Port, Ruby Port, Tawny Port, white Port and a sweet Mosacatel (from Spain) whilst roaming he shop and, although (along with all the other wines I bought) it was a struggle carrying them back to Hong Kong, persistence prevailed and last night sat down and tried all the wines with the mince pies we bought from Marks and Sparks.

The most interesting combination (one I need to thank Steve House of Corks for) was the white Port and pie ‘pairing’. The slightly oxidized taste and clearer acidity in the white Port I thought suited the pie very well.

The Tawny Port ranked second best in my opinion with the subtle sweetness and slightly tannic tendencies of the wine going well with the pie. The Aged Tawny, although a very nice drop, fared less well and I would suggest drinking an aged Tawny on its own after dinner.

Looking in my fridge I found a bottle of 20 year old Pedro Ximinez Sherry which, although thick, sweet, unctuous and molasses-like, it was far too sweet to pair with anything and, again, suggest this be drunk alone.

The Moscatel was simply, ok, nothing special there but it made me realize that instead of a Moscatel to pair with the pie I should have used, in particular, the Da Vinci Vin Santo as it’s nutty flavours (almost like sherry) would have been perfect with the mince pie.

In all, for a lover of these styles of wine it was a lot of fun pairing up the pies and wines, but as I said in the opening sentence, it does not matter at this time of the year whether food and wines pair perfectly, it’s more about the company you are keeping on the day and with that in mind, pretty much anything goes when it comes to Port and Sherry, but this Christmas, give your palate a treat by trying something special to round off dinner with – I highly recommend a drop or two of white Port.

UCB Brings AOC Côtes de Bordeaux To HK

Located in the heart of the Bordeaux wine region, the Union des Côtes de Bordeaux (UCB), created in 2007, is the result of the joint project that began in 1985 with the creation of the Côtes de Bordeaux Association. It is the ambition of the UCB, which now brings together the terroirs of Blaye, Cadillac, Castillon, and Francs, to create a recognized collective “brand”: AOC Côtes de Bordeaux.

Confirmed by internal studies and opinion polls performed among consumers and distributors, the new wine appellation was definitively adopted on October 31st, 2009, in collaboration with the INAO and the professional bodies of Bordeaux and recently its director Patricia Zabalza was in Hong Kong to tell people more about the aims and objectives of the UCB and why it believes it’s wines are so special.

Accounting for 14% of the Bordeaux region’s total production, with a volume of 535,000 hectoliters, a total surface area of 110,000 hectares and 1,500 wine growers, the new AOC Côtes de Bordeaux now provides a structured and amplified visibility within the jumble of French Appellations d’Origine Contrôlée.

In France, wine appellations improve the consumer’s understanding of the products, thanks to the mention of a shared family name, “Côtes de Bordeaux,” side by side with the terroir “Blaye, Cadillac, Castillon or Francs,” which emphasize the personality and characteristic nature of each of these wines.

The new wine appellations have now become obligatory since the sale of the 2009 vintage:

Premières Côtes de Blaye became CÔTES DE BORDEAUX

Premières Côtes de Bordeaux rouges became  CADILLAC CÔTES DE BORDEAUX

Côtes de Castillon became CÔTES DE BORDEAUX

Bordeaux Côtes de Francs became CÔTES DE BORDEAUX

In Hong Kong, where Côtes de Bordeaux wines are still underrepresented, the creation of this new AOC Côtes de Bordeaux will allow the “Bordeaux” region to be easily situated, and will increase its renown, as well as promoting the characteristic terroir of the “coteaux.”

Another new feature is that the Côtes de Bordeaux appellation will now allow all producers and traders to blend wines from the various Côtes terroirs, and to solely use the “Côtes de Bordeaux” name, particularly in order to create strong commercial brands.

Both Wine Times and the UCB think that this will enable an easier understanding of the lesser known regions within Bordeaux and make these approachable, everyday style of wines more prevalent on the Hong Kong market under one umbrella name. This will make the wines easier to understand and make purchases easier for the end consumer.

Hungarian Pinot Noir From Etyek

I recently tried an exceptional Pinot Noir and no, it was not DRC or even from Burgundy for that matter; it was an Hungarian Pinot Noir from the Etyeki Kuria winery and was remarkable because the wine itself was like a blend of old world and new world styles of Pinot.

Not watery thin like some new world Pinots and not as complex and terroir driven as those from the old world, this wine had a magical mix of the both which made it both easy and delightful to drink.

The Etyeki Kúria winery itself was established in 1996 and soon became the leading winery of its region, Öreghegy. In the year 2000 significant developments started with a modern processing wine tasting room built, and in Alcsútdoboz the planting of grapes on a further 10 hectares was started.

 

Thanks to this latter activity the grape growing area is today stretched over a much larger 18 hectares. The winery was the first one to plant Pinot Noir grape in the wine region of Etyek–Buda, and the wines made from this grape have won many world class awards for the winery.

In 2009, a partnership was established with the Esterházy Winery of Trausdorf, located near the Hungarian-Austrian border. Within the framework of this cooperation, not only was there a viticultural and vinicultural exchange of ideas, but also the marketing expertise to further elevate Etyeki Kúria onto the world stage.

The future of Etyeki Kúria Esterházy Winery at Öreghegy, is marked for extensive modernization plans where the grape processing center will be completely renovated, an attractive and inviting reception hall for wine tastings and other events will be built and a stylish garden will be planted.

 

Hungarian wines are slowly becoming more recognised in Hong Kong with a small proportion of Hong Kong’s wine loving public broadening their horizons and looking for the hidden gems that sometimes shoot under the radar in a country obsessed with brand name and image.

Everyone here knows Tokaji and sweet wines are becoming more prevalent in the territory but it’s the dry red and whites that people should be taking more attention of. Granted some of the indigenous grape varieties are tough to pronounce and mostly you will never have heard of them before, but they are well worth a try.

However, if experimentation is not your thing then go for an international grape variety from Hungary such as this Pinot Noir, I am fairly sure you will not be disappointed. When we tried this wine we were really surprised at the quality and believe that Pinot has found a new home in Eastern Europe.

Etyeki Kúria Pinot Noir and other Hungarian wines can be found in Hong Kong from Veritas Wines Limited – info@veritas-wine.com

Summergate Italian Odyssey In Macau

It’s not often that Wine Times leaves Hong Kong to go wine tasting but that’s exactly what we did yesterday. Macau is not exactly a particularly foreign or exotic location for those of us that live in Hong Kong, it’s just an hour away by ferry and is a weekend or daytime get-away place from the monotonous life we lead here in Hong Kong and a place to go and get great food, wine and Port.

So, this time we headed over to go and check out Summergate Fine Wines Macau Italian wine tasting as, with many of the big name suppliers that supply Greater China (Hong Kong, Macau and Mainland China) there are wines on portfolios in Macau and China that do not feature on their Hong Kong portfolios.

The Summergate Italian Odyssey is doing its tour of China’s main cities – Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Macau and Hong Kong – and we will be going to the Hong Kong tasting on Monday but for now, Italian Odyssey Passport in hand, we thought taking a magic trip around the regions of Italy that Summergate Macau represent a good idea.

The tasting was held in the exclusive and newly opened Tasting Room in the Crown Towers hotel situated in the city of Dreams, Macau.

There were some fantastic wines from all over the country and we were lucky enough to try most of them. From Piemonte we tasted Beni di Batasiolo, Friuli was represented by Livio Felluga, Veneto by Allegrini and Corte Giara, Tuscany by Poggio al Tesoro, San Polo and Barone Ricasoli with, finally, Sicily represented by Tasca d’Almerita.

Our stand outs were the Vin Santo from Ricasoli – something we have written about before and always happy to taste when given the chance – the Allegrini La Poja, Tasca d’Almerita Nozze d’Oro DOC – a nice blend of Inzolia and Sauvignon Tasca – the Poggio al Tesoro Sandraia DOC – a Tuscan wine made totally from Bordeaux varietals – the Batasiolo Barbaresco and the Emidio Pepe Trebbiano.

In all it was a great event with representatives from certain wineries there to talk people though their wines. We had a lot of fun with Giuseppe Tasca d’Almerita of Tasca d’Almerita and Fabio Re of Allegrini, whilst Francesco Ricasoli is always a delight to talk to and taste with.

We are looking forward to the Hong Kong edition of this to see these and more wines that are available on Summergate Hong Kong’s portfolio and looking forward to seeing our friends from the wineries for one last time before the Christmas holidays!

Get Your Red Wine On Ice

No, I have not lost the plot and yes, I do appreciate that most of us – Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and South America excluded – are about to suffer our way through a good few months of cold weather so now may not be the best time to tell you about a new wine to Hong Kong that is going to be a big hit next summer.

There is a new red wine on the Hong Kong market called Fichimori and it’s designed to be drunk cold. When I say cold I mean, drunk as if it was a white wine. That is, on a hot summers day, straight out of the fridge or ice bucket.

Fichimori is part of the Antinori business of winemaking and, after a long summer of promoting in Italy the wines have finally arrived on Hong Kong’s shores. It is made in the Tormaresca Winery located in the Masseria Maime in one of the most picturesque and beautiful areas of Salento.

The wine is a blend of predominantly Negroamaro with a touch of Syrah. In order to make a red wine to be served "chilled", the tannins must be much softer than in a “normal” red wine. For this reason, the winery has selected the best Negroamaro grapes. After being crushed, a pre-fermentative maceration lasts for 6 days at 5°C, and, together with a skinless fermentation, it enables to extract the varietal aromas, the intense colour and the softer poliphenolic elements of the grapes.

Well, that’s what their website says anyway! We have tried the wine and can see the appeal to younger drinkers and to those that have not had much experience with drinking red wines. Its youthful approach is sure to generate a new generation of wine drinkers come next summer with its approachable nature, quirky ability to be served cold and it’s priced so that the wine should, in most cases, be available by the glass.

It will be great for end of term parties (for those of legal age of course!) on the beach next summer and is a great wine for sitting and chilling on the beach, on a boat or even sitting out in the sun on one of the many balconies or verandah’s in this cities homes or bars and restaurants.

It has very soft tannins and is very easy drinking and, although its style will not suit those with a more mature palate, those of you interested in learning more about wine – or those that just fancy red wine in the summer and can’t stand the heavy body some red wines have – this will be a great alternative wine to drink.

Look out for this wine as it starts to emerge in Hong Kong’s bars and restaurants and give it a try. It’s a refreshing break from the norm in terms of the way red wine is drunk and, if simple fruity wines are your thing then this may just be a drink to remember summer 2013 by!

Fichimori and other Antinori wines are available in Hong Kong from Links Concept Limited.