Week in Photos: Hong Kong

We’ve rounded up some of the highlights from Hong Kong’s week in drinks; from our Asian Chardonnay Masters competition to new tastings of Italy’s renowned Soldera wines, California’s Calera, Burgundy, and visits from Japanese winemakers and Argentina’s Nicolas Catena Zapata.

An expert panel of judges blind-tasted and judged close to 80 different samples of Chardonnays for our inaugural Asian Chardonnay Masters held at Hip Cellars in Hong Kong on 26 April.

Singapore-based Ying-Hsien Tan MW, founder and owner of Taberna Wine Academy, was in Hong Kong this week to judge our Asian Chardonnay Masters and teach master of wine courses at Meiburg Wine Media.

Mauro Soldera, son of Italy’s wine producer Gianfranco Soldera, was in Hong Kong to introduce the 2008 and 2009 vintage of his 100% Sangiovese wines, distributed by Corney & Barrow in Asia. The winery decided to exit the Brunello di Montalicno Conzorzio shortly after the ‘Brunellogate’ scandal of 2009 – where a group of producers were found to be illegally blending other varieties with Sangiovese.

Japan’s Diamond Winery showcased four of its wines in Hong Kong including two Koshu whites and two Muscat Bailey A reds. Only around 5% of its wines are exported overseas to Hong Kong and Paris with the rest consumed domestically, said its Burgundy-trained owner/winemaker Amemiya.

Yang Lu, wine director of Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts, hosted a seminar and tasting on Burgundian wines on Monday, organised by Bourgogne Wines Club. The event took a close look at some of the wines produced from the Burgundian appellations that start with ‘Saints’.

Nicolas Catena Zapata, the legendary winemaker from Argentina, was in Hong Kong this week for Catena Zapata’s Asia Summit held at Four Seasons Hotel. The vintner was out to prove that Malbec can produce world-class wines with the right terroir and microclimate.

Hong Kong’s burger restaurant Beef & Liberty just launched a new summer menu with salads, snacks and a new softshell crab burger by group executive chef, Uwe Opocensky.

For April and May, a few of Hong Kong’s fine dining restaurants including Arcane, On Dining, China Tang, Lobster Bar & Grill, Ozone and Seasons by Olivier are offering the ‘Dom Pérignon Ultimate Tasting Experience’, which offers diners a chance to taste 2006 vintage of Dom Pérignon along with some of the dishes selected by the city’s top chefs. 

A tasting of California’s Calera wines including its famed single-vineyard Pinot Noir as well as its Chardonnays was hosted on Thursday by local importer Golden Gate.