Wine dinners are more common than Dim Sum Restaurants in Hong Kong at present. To be honest one can get a little blasé about the frequency you get to drink great wine. However once in a while you experience a night that just stops you in your tracks and takes you that little bit closer to your maker! Well last week, unexpectedly, I managed to find myself sat at dinner – awaiting some of the finest food in Hong Kong (we were at 2 Michelin Starred Amber)… oh and also a vertical of the iconic First Growth going back to 66!

This grand Event did have a rocky evolution. Poor Big Si The Wine Guy was down to host but had to pass the baton onto me (tough life), and then 24 hours before Frederic Engerer (the genius behind Latour’s incredible run in the modern era) had to urgently fly back to Bordeaux as well. I had a feeling the event was cursed and all the bottles would end up corked! Fortunately we had the perfect replacements in Jean Garandeau (Ch. Latour’s Sales and Marketing Director) and Jeremy Quievre (Latour’s Asia Representative) – who were both at Amber hours before decanting and fine tuning the evening with more detail and tactical acumen than Sir Alex.

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Well no sooner had I stepped off the plane, I was celebrating my one year anniversary in HK on Friday night and I am now officially NOT “fresh off the boat”!

By gee what a year it has been. Needless to say it has gone quicker than Liverpool’s title ambitions and this is by no means down to the quite incredible year we have seen in the wine trade. In truth, Hong Kong is a fairly easy place to settle in, everything as at your doorstep and there is every kind of Western amenity for the unadventurous… oh, and there is more live Premier League football on than back in Blighty! So I was settled in quick as a flash and that was a good thing.

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It’s been a few weeks since my arrival back in HK and yet my thoughts are still very much in Europe in what was a defining trip for the HK Sales Team, to Piedmont and Burgundy. Granted my ever-expanding belly is the proof of this trip, however, I think the ever-expanding enthusiasm of our sales team about both regions is the real tale of the tape!

I have to admit to being just a touch concerned about the logistics of this little jaunt to Europe. Fly to Turin via Paris, drive to Piedmont, train from Turin to Chambery, drive to Beaune with a few stops on the way. What could go wrong with twelve staff, two cars, Nick “Schumacher” Pegna driving one and Adam “I’m dodgy on the left, let alone the right” driving the other? Oh and I forgot to mention the MOUNTAIN of luggage our females colleagues were carrying with them (I have never seen Chanel wellington boots before!)

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This week was one of those crazy weeks in Honkers that makes you appreciate the place and also makes you need a few days off just to recover!

Most weeks here start with a blank canvas; on a Sunday night you are looking at your outlook diary and thinking… ‘I might just have a quiet relaxing week this time round!’ Well last Sunday I was in that position, with only one blot on the copy book – a rather swanky dinner with a client on Tuesday night.

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Well it’s been a week but slowly and surely the memories of my “jazzy” Hawaiian shorts and Binging beach in Bali have subsided and it’s back to work as usual.  With most of trade taking August off, it is usually fairly quiet this time of year. After hurricane 2009 EP, there was debris scattered everywhere and many smart buyers did some looting and picked up some bargains from those forgotten-about vintages (‘06 Cos and Pontet for starters).

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Well that was that then. Time for the beach and a mojito… 2009 Bordeaux En Primeur is done. It’s already interesting to read the views of merchants, critics, negociants and pretty much anyone with an opinion, on what has taken place over the last few months. So what the heck, this is my two bob’s worth from what I have witnessed in Hong Kong.

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Well, it was a whistle-stop week of walking, talking and I can’t lie…  a lot of lunches and dinners! There is no doubt that the show came to town last week and there was buzz in the air. Although I’m not entirely sure on the numbers I do know that there were 750 exhibitors, and the rumour is that more people attended the event on the first morning than the whole of the previous Vinexpo, in fact, apart from the last few hours on Thursday, the HK Exhibition Centre was packed to the rafters. I’ll have to be honest, although there were a healthy amount of exhibitors from around the globe, France (and Bordeaux in particular) was where the main interest and concentration was.

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Thanks to mother nature I took a rather scenic route to Bordeaux this year; and after a rather romantic overnight ferry from Portsmouth St Malo and a six-hour drive down to Bordeaux (thanks to THAT volcano) with my colleague from the UK, Philip, it was my turn to taste the much hyped 2009s. Alas, I was the only HK representative in Bordeaux, with my colleagues being stuck back at home. Incredibly my colleague from Japan, Julian Stevens did turn up (two days late), after a marathon trip involving planes, trains (one of which caught fire!) and I think a carthorse as well!  After all the effort it did, however, turn out to be a glorious week and the wines were easy to taste so young, with freshness and sweetness of tannin.  Unfortunately the lowlight of the week was getting stuck in a public toilet… when the lights went out, the door locked. I tried to remain calm but suddenly water started gushing from the floor…  it was like a scene out of Nightmare on Elm Street! Three minutes later I staggered my way out, and this once dapper young home-counties boy was soaked, stunned and will never be the same again. NEVER use the public toilet at L’Elerc in Le Pian in Médoc.

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Well , with all the focus on Bordeaux and the headlines that will be emanating from there this week , I thought it might surprise you that my mind has been elsewhere over recent weeks.  Now I love the wines of Bordeaux but I would always put Burgundy as my first love; however it is not these fragile and fragrant beauties that have been occupying my thoughts over recent weeks either.  Nope, it’s the grandeur and cerebral intensity of the king of Italian varietals, Nebbiolo, and the wines of Piedmont (above) that have caused me to gaze out of the office surveying Hong Kong harbour, reminiscing over the dramatic aromatics and power that these wines can offer.

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Right, before I start recounting the details of an epic 10 vintage Pontet-Canet Dinner last night, I thought it best to update you on my progress; as I’ve now been here for over a month and would consider myself a local (in fact I have my first visitor next week!), I’ve found myself a little cubby hole to live in, in a very trendy (so I am told) area called Sheung Wan (think the Notting Hill of HK). It’s close enough to the action that I can wander home in the evening, but far enough away that I can enjoy some peace and quiet! I have had Now TV installed so I can catch up on the Footie action back home till my heart is content (though still struggling on finding the darts!!!), a sad life I know!

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Last week Jean-Guillaume Prats of Ch. Cos d’Estournel (pictured left with myself and my colleague, Jenny Wee) paid us a flying visit to host a private dinner at the fantastic new restaurant in Wan Chai, Amuse Bouche . I was pretty excited for most of the day, as I am rather partial to a bottle or two of Cos. In fact, I would go so far as to say that it is one of my favourite wines from Bordeaux. And to add to the excitement, Jean-Guillaume was bringing with him cask samples of the much-hyped 2009 vintage… To say that there was an air of anticipation in the office would be something of an understatement! Not to mention the small matter of the main wines at dinner… the ultra-rare 2006 Blanc as well as the 2002, 2000, 1995 and 1985 vintages of the Grand Vin.

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After two crazy weeks getting used to Hong Kong life, my colleagues Geordie and James thought it might be time to get me out of downtown HK and into the countryside for some fresh air. It may come as a surprise to those of you who picture Hong Kong as a thriving metropolis to find out that the island is amazingly green and unspoilt. In actual fact, less than 25% of the territory’s landmass is developed, and about 40% of the remaining land area is reserved as stunning country parks and nature reserves. We were heading off to Lantau Island, about 25 minutes away by ferry, for a “gentle” hike.

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While Jasper was in town last week we managed to grab a few minutes with him to talk about his thoughts on the ’08 Burgundy en primeur campaign in Asia:

After a fantastic few days with Jasper in town, Nick Pegna, Managing Director of BB&R HK (and my boss!), gives his thoughts on the events that took place.

“We have just dispatched Jasper Morris MW, our Burgundy Buyer, back to his home in the Côtes of Burgundy, having completed our second Burgundy Week in Hong Kong. The week, which consists of master classes, interviews, dinners and tastings included the first tasting in Hong Kong of the 2008 Burgundies en primeur (and perhaps the first Burgundy primeurs tastings in Asia – left) as well as a thoughtful and thoroughly enjoyable look at the 1996 vintage of Domaine de la Romanee Conti, at a dinner organised in conjunction with American Express for 15 people last Friday night.

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Leading up to the big move last Friday the one thing I promised myself was to immerse myself in the culture and experience what Hong Kong is all about! I’d been a few times before and friends and customers in the UK had given me graphic details of the crazy lifestyle that I was about to get myself into. Given my tendency to get myself into a pickle my mum was a little apprehensive (even though I managed to look after myself in Melbourne for three years!), and had packed me a medical bag larger than my main suitcase! Yep, there is now doubt that Hong Kong is a daunting place to the unsuspecting…fast paced and passionate… it gobbles you up, throws you around and then spits you out (a good thing!)

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I find this time of year the toughest by far… Burgundy En-Primeur. It is a living hell, where I am waking up in cold sweats and arguing with my colleagues. No this is not a complaint about how busy I am but the problem all Burgundy ‘nuts’ have…what on earth do I buy this vintage?!

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Last Thursday I was moseying my way along Regent Street in a rather good mood, as I was on way to Mark Hix’s brand new restaurant on Brewer St., Soho. I was pretty confident the food was going to be tip-top and was also pretty happy with myself about the wine in my bag to accompany lunch… 1997 Guigal, Cote Rotie, La Turque!
 
Now I was lunching with a customer, who’s knowledge and love of the Rhône Valley is far greater than my own, and I knew he was bringing a fascinating old Chateauneuf-du-Pape in the shape of 1989 Cuvee Laurence from the great Domaine du Pegau. So the scene was set for a grand battle… North vs South, the old vs. the new, and I was confident that my bottle one of Guigal’s legendary La La’s was going to win by the length of the straight!

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I had just about recovered from the humiliation of my apparent blind tasting inadequacies (please read the previous blog-Bourgogne Blancoff) when the first red of the night was poured: 2000 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru, Les Charmes, Domaine Ponsot. I’ve found Ponsot’s wines a little inconsistent in the 90′s but whizz bang this was spot on! From a vintage that is showing oh so well at the moment, with this displaying such perfume and brightness and energy. A tarty, Christiano Ronaldo of a Pinot, all show and style, it was a classic example of the Ponsot flashiness and interestingly it reminded me a bit of the great Sylvain Cathiard’s Vosne Romanées. A great start and a perfect match with David’s homemade foie gras terrine with a plum and port chutney, that just melted in the mouth (the man has talent in the kitchen).

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Well after the apocalyptic conditions that graced us last week- a few of us in the Fine wine team decided to treat ourselves to a bit of Burgundy night on Friday, with the first half of the evening being the battle of the Bourgogne Blanc titans.

Four of our favourite white wine Domaines in Burgundy battling it out for the crown of Bourgogne Blanc of 2005. Domaines Coche-Dury, Arnaud Ente, Jean-Phillipe Fichet and Leflaive… anticipation was high!!!

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On behalf of Berrys’ I’d like to wish our thoughts and support to those effected by the current fires in Victoria, Australia. Such loss of life and the horrific images witnessed cannot help but make us take stock of life and be thankful what we have.

The picturesque wine region of the Yarra Valley just on the outskirts of Melbourne is still under threat. I spoke to a friend and former colleague at Yarra Yering this morning who described how the flames came to with 500 yds of the vineyard.

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