Out of the box wine events

We are always invited to wine tasting events, wine workshops and masterclasses. Most of the time we enjoy them because the presenters are knowledgeable, the winemakers are passionate, the owners have stories to tell, and the wines are good. But with so many tastings we attend over the years, how many of these events can we truly remember?

Time around big trade fairs is particularly busy with big and small wineries fighting to invite the same group of people to their functions. Vinexpo this year was no difference. However, there were two tastings that the organisers went that extra mile to make the events memorable.

The first one was Vinadeis Fashion and Wine. Vinadeis teamed up with designer Jean Daniel Peccolo to present Olivier Dauga’s latest wine through fashion, which according to Jean, was inspired by the harvesting in vineyards. Guests were invited to taste one wine when the model walked out, where the wine and the clothes were linked with a common emotion. For example, Chateau de Jonquieres Cuvée Eole 2014, a blend of Syrah and Grenache from Corbières in Southern France, was titled The Saucy One because of its fruitiness and round mouthfeel that was also the theme of the outfit. Seven wines were presented with seven sets of clothing under seven themes. I dare say that to a lot of wine professionals (me included), this was a little too far-stretched and difficult to imagine. Prior to the fashion show/tasting, Bertrand Girard, CEO of Vinadeis, said we should interpret the wine and fashion through emotion and feeling, rather than the technical information or tasting notes. He was probably right because sometimes we are too analytical and forget about the pleasure of drinking wine. The wines presented were all well-made and guests, mostly consumers, clearly enjoyed this unique experience, happily snapping away and drinking the wine. I’m sure they would remember the wine better because of this occasion and are more likely to talk about it with friends.

The second event was the California wine tasting that started with a sparkling wine breakfast. An upbeat video highlighting the Californian spirits and lifestyle set the scene. Speakers, all well-respected professionals including Sarah Kemp, Debra Meiburg MW, Sarah Jane Evans MW and Karen MacNeil, then walked to the stage in a truly Hollywood style accompanied by their chosen songs such as California Dreamin’. The ladies made a point that the quality of Californian wine has been recognised at Steven Spurrier Judgement of Paris tasting in 1976 so this event was not to discuss about soil or winemaking techniques but rather the entrepreneur’s spirits of the owners/winemakers as well as appreciating the many different styles of wine. 17 top class wines were tasted and guests, even though the bold style of Californian wine may not their cup of tea, all left on a high note. I believe this Vinexpo tasting must be the most ‘shared’ on Facebook and Instagram.

Wine is the most fragmented product with thousands of big and small brands from all over the world. Wine quality of course is important but it is not enough to make the brand stand out from the crowd. Whether you like their approaches or not,  Vinadeis and California Wine Institute have successfully grabbed their guests’ attention. Won’t we all remember the ladies in red sunglasses when sipping a Californian wine now?

These two events also reminded me of ‘The Feminine side of Riesling, presented by women for women’ tasting organised by Wines of Germany in 2014 Vinexpo. That tasting was nowhere as costly as these two but the fact that only women presenters and guests were invited was enough to make people talked about then and even remember today.

Therefore, a stand out event doesn’t need to be expensive, it just needs to be creative.

The wines left the most impressions were:

Vinadeis:
Domaine de Carpy Cuvée Vue Imprenable 2014, Fitou, (Grenache, Carignan and Mourvédre)
Cazelles Verdier, Cuvée Les Pierres qui Chantent 2015, IGP Pay’s d’Oc (Chardonnay)

California:
Domaine Carneros ‘Brut Cuvee’ 2011, Carneros
Au Bon Climat ‘Bien Nacido Vineyard’ Chardonnay 01, Santa Maria Valley
Longoria ‘Fe Ciega Vineyard’ Pinot Noir 2013 Santa Rita Hills
Seghesio Family Vineyards ‘Cortina’ Zinfandel 2013, Dry Creek Valley

Underrated Portuguese wine

A lot of Macanese favourites, such as ‘Portuguese’ egg tart, pock chop bun, almond biscuit, dried beef, to name a few, are so popular among Hong Kong consumers that they are now readily available in Hong Kong. However, somehow we don’t quite share our neighbour’s love for Portuguese wine. Portugal is small but has a diverse climate and a wide variety of indigenous grapes, resulting in a myriad wine styles. To me, Italy and Portugal are very similar in terms of the range of climate, grape varieties, wine style, and also their fates in Hong Kong markets - both are overshadowed by their neighbours.

Probably because I worked in Portugal therefore I have a soft spot (yes, another one) for Portuguese wine. I like their honesty and rusticity - but don’t take this as cheap and cheerful or not worth ageing. Their top wine is concentrated and deep yet not posh. Recently I had a chance to taste a good range of Portuguese wine at Adega Royale portfolio tasting, and it felt good. The ones that particular stood out were:

Quinta da Calçada Exuberant Branco 2013 and Edicao Reserva Branco 2013: A blend of Alvarinho, Loureiro and Arinto, all indigenous grapes from the region of Vinho Verde. Both are elegant with persistent mineral finishes. A lot could be contributed to the age of the vines - the quinta holds some of the oldest vineyard in the region dating back to 1917 and the soil.

Solar dos Lobos (Mansion of the wolves in Portuguese) for its creativity of the labels. It literally put the technical sheet and tasting notes in cartoon form on the front label. Granted, the wines are not for the most discerning palates but they are made-well and the refreshing labels are humorous and welcoming to timid wine consumers, a big market that unfortunately most of the trade tend to overlook.

Quinta de Saes Reserva Estagio Prolongado Tinto 2012: A field blends of 28 varieties in from Dão, multilayer fruits, elegant with long finish.

Quinta do Fojo 1999: I would love to make wine like Margarida Serôdio Borges - making wine for fun without commercial pressure. She still makes wine in the style of her grandfather, fermenting in largares.

Quinta da Plansel Tinta Barroca Tinto 2013 and Touriga Franca Tinto 2013: I have tasted Dorina’s wine last year and they are delicious.

Luis Pato Vinhas Velhas Branco 2013: One of the best ‘entry level’ white wine.


A few years ago, I used to go to Macau to stock up Portuguese wine and luckily I don’t need to do anymore. Still it would be great to see more of them here in Hong Kong.

Thanks Haigan from Adega Royale for being a believer of Portuguese wine.

More than just wine

Usually I am not that forgetful but after reading the information The Gourmet Wine Club sent to me on the Spanish winery Más Que Vinos and decided that it could be an interesting event, I forgot to rsvp for the dinner until the night before. Luckily, Alfred, the owner, was accommodating and even had me sat next to winemaker/owner Alexandra Schmedes. It turned out to be an very enjoyable evening.

Alexandra (in black) and partners Margarita and Gonzalo

Alexandra is German. While working at a winery restaurant in Constantia in South Africa, she decided that she wanted to change career so walked across to the cellar and started learning wine. Since then, she has made wine in France and Italy. She moved on to Spain in 1998 and met Margarita Madrigal and Gonzalo Rodriguez. The three winemakers, at that time consulting to various wineries, decided to make their own wines and created their brands using local varieties in Castilla La Mancha, a winegrowing region that was underestimated and with a poor reputation for quality wines. Más Que Vinos (more than wine in English) was thus born in 1999.

Castilla La Mancha is a plateau south of Madrid which extreme continental climate and producing nearly half of Spain’s wine. It is the home of Airén, the most widely planted grape variety in Spain and one of the few grapes that can cope with the extreme cold and dry conditions of the Meseta (plateau). A neutral variety, the majority of Airén is used in brandy production. Therefore, one could imagine the challenges Alexandre and her partners faced to make quality wine there.

Their efforts paid off. Careful management of old bush vines (some over 80 years old), restricting the yield to less than 4 tons/ha, organic farming, fermenting grapes in amphorae some dating back to 1851 thanks to Gonzalo’s family and the subtle use of oak result in wines that are expressive and balanced.


Ercavio is their first brand consisted of a Blanco (white) made from 100% Airén, a Rosado (rosé), Tempranillo Joven and Tempranillo Roble all made from 100% Tempranillo (known locally as Cencibel). The name Ercavio is derived from Ercávica, a Roman city in Castilla La Mancha where wine was made some 2,000 years ago. We tried the Blanco and Tempranillo Roble. Both were pleasant. The Blanco was particularly impressive and definitely a different league from the many mediocre Airéns in the market. The Tempranillo Roble was aged only six months in two years old French barrel to spice up the wine without overpowering the fruits. I also like the labels, each with different colour wine drops to indicate the style of wine. To illustrate, Tempranillo Joven with no oak treatment has brighter red drops to emphasise the vibrant characters, while Tempranillo Roble’s is darker purple drops that match with the added complexity. The labels stand out, are user-friendly and effective. With retail price at around $100/bottle, I believe Ercavio could breakdown the barrier and attract occasional drinkers to enjoy more wine.

Moving up is the Special Editions series with limited production. El Señorito is 100% Tempranillo from a single vineyard that Alexandre said is the most difficulty vineyard to work with but rewarded them with exceptional fruits. Only 800 bottles were made in 2011. The last one we tried was La Plazuela, a blend of Tempranillo and Garnacha. These 60-80 years of vines yield less than 2 tons of fruits per hectare, resulting in a concentrated yet elegant wine that can stand the test of time. It was sublime with the slow roasted Segovia style suckling pig skilfully prepared by Chef Jesus at Olé Spanish Restaurant.

Chatting to Alexandra made me envy her life. I would have loved to be in her shoes 18 years ago, to have the courage to turn the dream into reality and never look back...

Más Que Vinos is available from The Gourmet Wine Club.

Gaucho and Mr Argentina

Most main stream restaurants in Hong Kong, no matter how specialise they are, often serve wine from more than one countries to ensure they cater for every palate and preference. Therefore it was surprising to find out that Gaucho, an Argentinian restaurant specialising in steak, only lists Argentine wine, and over 150 of them, save a few champagne.

Gaucho is an international restuarant chain that opened its first Asian restaurant in Hong Kong in 2014. The all Argentine wine list was the brainchild of the group’s Director of Wine, Phil Crozier, back in 1999 for the outlet in London. It was a radical decision that proved to be a great success.

Englishman Phil was nicknamed Mr Argentina because of his relentless effort in promoting Argentine wine. His wine list has grown from 25 wines in 1999 to over 400 wines from 13 wineries at present. His second radical idea came was to create Gaucho’s own in-house label wine. In 2007 the group purchased a 6.5 ha vineyard, Finca La Franca, in Luján de Cujo in Argentina. The wine, Viña Patricia, is only available exclusively at Gaucho restaurants.


Most wine lovers know that Malbec is the flagship wine of Argentina. Gaucho has an impressive list of some 50 Malbecs including the Super Malbecs. In addition, Phil, together with Hong Kong head sommelier Andrés Torres, also champion other Argentine wines, in particular Torrontés and Bornada. Torrontés, with its floral, apricot and faint lychee aromas, are reminiscent of Gewurztraminer but with higher acidity, goes extremely well with ceviche (raw seafood marinated in lime juice).  Bornada is the second most planted red variety after Malbec in Argentina, offers bright red fruit characters with supporting acidity. It is versatile with food and matches with both seafood in heavy sauce and steak.

Apart from the wine, the food at Gaucho is equally impressive. The Trio of Medallions (three cuts of fillet, rib-eye and sirloin) was heavenly that was the best I have tasted outside Argentina. It was perfect with the accompanying Bonarda, Cabernet Franc and Malbec that Andrés has carefully selected.

I totally agree that promoting a country’s wine through its food is the best way to engage consumers. Every country should have a Phil with his dedicated passion to the country so we consumers can explore and appreciate what wine producing countries can offer.

To sample fine Argentine food and wine, including Gaucho own label Viña Patricia, visit Gaucho in LHT Tower in Central.