Alsace Wine Fair

Sep 2010
Happy Valley Racecourse

Around 30 wine importers joining the event.

Generally the wines are not as impressive as last year, both the quality and the service.

Since Hong Kong has become the port with zero wine import tax, wine merchandisers start setting countless campaigns and wine dinners, boosting up the atmosphere as a wine cosmopolitan.

This however drops the quality of wine service and product quality. Providing wine without testing whether they have turn bad; pouring wine not to the glass yet all over the table, the service is still not up to standard.

Among all 29 counters, only 3 are up to average service and product standard: concord, maxxium and ASC Fine Wines. The organizers may consider better screening to retain the reputation of wine fair quality. Also a need on beverage service training can still be observed in the industry.

Looking forward to the Wine and Dine Festival at Kowloon promenade in Oct 2010. A more variety and a bigger test for Hong Kong to bring ourselves up to international standard. Step Up!

3 blind mice

Getting exhausted to the marked up price of French wine, so recently have been swapping my perspective a slightly for other treasures.

Browsing blogs about wine dinner comparing Chilean and French wine, errarsuriz fortunately conquer the throne amog the top 5 grand cru n 4 other prestigious Chilean wine. Driven by curiosity and if course $$, I decided to grab one.

As for another almariva, recommended by the store owner that this is the only compatible wine so far from Chile. Sweet mouth, you got me. Another shot.

Last one is Italian wine. Know how famous Gaja is, budget wise, I could only afford second label...another try out.

Since I have never thought about the occasion to have it, better sign them up for special occasion. Any suggestion?

Blind mice tasting?

Half-breed - D'Aiguilhe 1999

Haven't been touching Gironde for a while. Thanks big uncle often lavishly sharing his cellar with us. In this recent Winter Solstice, he has again shared his joy -- D'Aiguilhe 1999 from Cotes de Castillon.

With fruity and berries like flavour, it tastes more like Merlot than Cabernet Sauvignon...however, Cabernet Sauvignon is the one making the major role in the wine. Its rusty feeling gives a balance to the wine. Not too tannic, I would rather say this is quite consistent to my uncle's preference: It's quite American like: Strong first grasp of my attention, punched with blackberries. Not long while after then the aftertaste slowly back to the throat till the abs.

It has the style of American with a body of French wine...Half-breed wine.

After breathing...the tannin is neutralized yet the fruitiness faded away...and yes, it's US$15.99...

Wine A versus Wine B

Pay attention. Wine A normally is the challenger and Wine B is the champion, whereby Wine B turned out to be...one of the vineyard of the Premier Cru of the 1855 Classe.

Wine A under normal circumstance, are those from the New World:

USA: Caymus, Opus One, Dominus
Chile: Errazuris, VInedo Chadwick, Sena
Italy: Sassicaia, Tignanella, Gaja Barbaresco

Looking at my little copper passbook (not the glamourous gilt ones...)
Couldn't afford to have Wine B as a comparison, I could on the other hand consider owning Wine A =P

Recently was browsing the local Hongkie magazine which mention the plan of Google acquire a online group purchase website called "Groupon" where you can join the group purchase to earn enough bargaining power for sumptuous quantity of goods at huge discount.

Deeply considering whether we can do the same... Who's in for Wine A?

文字狂revolution

曾經是磨文字狂。一篇blog, 一篇詩以至一個短信，都係諗o左好耐點樣寫得有技巧d, 睇o左好多次先送出去...見到d人好情深咁寫情書...會感動落淚...
直至mum話: 你知道Roald Dahl books 跟 Harry Potter點解咁出名? 因為文字顯淺易明，文化先可以廣泛宣揚開去...

係呀，而家睇到大家用精煉的文字寫出來的文章我又會覺得overengineering，尤其係有o左facebook status , twitter 同埋微博之後，keyword 是快，唔係用十萬個隱喻叫人估餐死。我成日都諗以前讀o個d english literature出埋晒d penguin o既summary notes, 不停話其實個作者寫呢一段背後有6個意義，其中包括反映佢對xyz o既無奈，又對自己國家o既憤世嫉俗...(下刪1萬字...)可能佢只係沖完個涼寫出o黎...多謝penguin咁又年年賺幾十萬notes錢...

而家反而好欣賞用最白最淺o既文字寫出o黎o黎抵死字句，表表者係壹週刊o既節目表commentry，呢d係black humour，係o黎自幽默性格，天生o既...好好笑。

後來做o野更發現，文字實在係一個manipulation o既工具。同一隻股票，同一個marketing campaign，analyst A 可以寫到勁追落後，analyst B 同人講快沽就o黎跌; marketing campaign 寫到幾正幾impressive可以target 到大人細路你阿婆阿孫連工人都一定買你隻product...文字都真係可以好deceiving...明白點解千祈唔好信d 把口long 過油o既人...

入o左有數字o既地方，大家都係擺條數出o黎，唔理你點講，數字呃唔到人啦卦...點知，你每日就用個17吋mon 睇幾萬粒數...會計師雖然好似比律師可靠，但係佢地副厚厚o既眼鏡，做o左lasik都減唔到佢地wok 同ot o既鐘數...買一隻ipo，幾吋厚o既招股書殺o左幾千粒accountant 鐘，d數呃唔到你...因為精明o既你已經拎o左本書去擱腳，d數睇都唔睇就問o下隔離個同事有無買就啦啦臨12點半前衝去抽。

唯有，只係得呢樣，係反映事實，可以feel到，好快震撼人心，又唔洗做幾千粒鐘，左諗右諗，佢又夠convincing，又無language barrier, o岩晒一家大細高尚低俗文化共冶一爐都無問題，又唔驚人地話你懶high class, 咁鬼cheap...因為大家都係睇緊同一樣o野...

還是...攝影最好，快而精.

味皇 - 皮蛋與腐乳

近年興起紅酒配中菜之風，為愛酒之士締造驚喜口味。

皮蛋源自發酵了的鴨蛋，味濃得蓋過隨後進口之佳餚，因此經常配以豆腐、子薑等清爽的食物淸口腔，否則餘下美食猶如雞肋。

可幸皮蛋那溶化於口中那種密集豐富的口感卻被柔和纖細的輕黑皮諾（pinot noir）軟化。

喝後百感交集，它們像是美女與野獸或是貂貚馴服強悍呂布一樣水乳交融，皮蛋與紅酒配合得天衣無縫。

其後再含一片子薑。子薑辛辣，帶香了味蕾，清了乾涸的喉嚨，襯托出紅酒的單寧與原始的風味。

可與皮蛋這「味皇」並駕齊驅的腐乳，我還未找到可配襯之紅酒。有的話請儘快告訴我，因我是腐乳的粉絲呢~

What's the matter with wine?

Hey, that drunkard!!!
Yea, probably they just want me to pay for their wine...
Holy, wanna get you drunk, tat's harder than winning lottery!?!

Dun put this wrong perception onto those wine liver. We are not treasuring the wine as what you view us as.

Tasting includes understanding, studying, feeling, then spitting. Not aiming to get ourselves drunk, we resonnate vineyard owner, wine grower n weather together -- god's gift.

Astonishing wine is not bringing you to a state of numbness nor tipsy state of mind, it is bringing you to the state to metaphoring spirit of nostalgia, sychronizing the space running through across the horizon.

Bounderless exchange of taste n knowledge, melting pot of comments m shadings.

-- Welcome to the world of Wine --