Chateau Corbin Michotte Masterclass

Ponti Wine Cellars, Central
25th May 2010

Day two of the Ponti Wine Cellars master classes and it was time to move from Italy to France. I was very excited about tonight’s tasting and the opportunity to try some old Bordeaux. I’m usually pretty sceptical about Bordeaux; I’ve had bottles I’ve loved, but have also had gallons of rubbish. I suppose though, what really gets me is poor value I perceive as coming out of the region. We were guided through several decades of Chateau Corbin Michotte wines by proprietor Emmanuel Boidron. When Emmanuel arrived he was exhausted after travels in China, but with a glass in front of him he quickly warmed to the topic and warmed to his audience. His Grand Cru Classé estate is located on the north-west corner of St Emilion; just up the road from Cheval Blanc. It has been owned by the Boidrons since 1959. The wine is usually a blend of 65% Merlot, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Franc and matured in big, new oak barrels.

The vibrant, ruby Chateau Corbin Michotte 2005 was truly a beautiful proposition with plenty of red and black fruit, spice and floral notes. While truly delicious, what impressed me most about this was how refined it was; medium bodied and with fine, perfectly integrated tannin. The 1998 was noticeably firmer and richer than the 2005. It was still ruby in colour with just a hint of orange and a little cloudiness. The nose had lots of spice coming through, with more black fruit than red – boysenberry and blackberry – alongside some sweet red capsicum. The palate was all about sweet black fruits with a lovely herbal edge. Again this was really drinkable with excellent length and masterful, firm but alluring tannins.

Apparently 1981 was a hot year in Bordeaux and Chateau Corbin Michotte 1981 was distinct in that it was made from 50% Cabernet Franc. Perfumed, complex nose had aromas of red liquorice, cassis, spice and leather, while the palate started sweet and moved through gamey flavours before finishing with a taste of liquorice. When we opened the 1975 Emmanuel was really impressed with the cork; I’d have to agree that it was holding up remarkably well (for a cork). Orange fading to brown this had lots of mint on the nose along with aniseed, cinnamon and violets. It was really savoury and tasted of red fruits, tar, tobacco, and aniseed. The acid was noticeable on these older wines and the length excellent on all. The final wine got me a touch excited; a Chateau Corbin Michotte 1964. Light brown in colour the nose on this was initially withdrawn, but as it opened with hints of flowers and spice. The earthy palate was much more inspiring and had leather, aniseed, game and red fruit flavours.

What a tasting; the 1964 was the oldest wine I’ve ever drunk and a truly memorable experience. However what impressed me most was the consistency and quality across the whole selection. The older vintages weren't from the best years, yet all these wines we were beautifully balanced; medium bodied with particularly stylish tannin; and most importantly they were all so, so drinkable. I mentioned price before and at $389 for the 2005 vintage I really can't complain about value either.

Renato Ratti Barolo Masterclass

Ponti Wine Cellars, Central
24th May 2010

Vinexpo Asia is about to start in Hong Kong has been inundated with visiting winemakers, wine tastings, wine walks, wine dinners, wine fairs, 'crazy wine sales' and I'm guessing quite a few people drinking beer. The excitement is almost too much to handle, but amongst it all I was particularly taken with the round of 'master class' tasting offered by Ponti Wine Cellars. Unfortunately I couldn't make the Chianti and Burgundy ones (that whole working thing), but I managed to make the two latter tastings, the first of which was the Barolo's of Renato Ratti.
The tasting was hosted by the charismatic Pietro Ratti, son of the founder and current proprietor. Pietro enthusiasm for his wines and Piedmont in general was unmistakable. His Italian passion was obvious as he briefly outlined the company's history and walked us through his wines. By chance I've tried their Langhe Nebbiolo previously, but the Barolo's of this tasting were a marked step up.

First on the tasting table were three vintages of their Renato Ratti Barolo Marcenasco. Marcenasco is a sub-region of Barolo near the town of La Morra where their winery is and this (in theory) is their entry level Barolo; though there is nothing 'entry level' about the quality. These wines see 25% new oak, with the fruit coming from three vineyard sites. The 2006 was simply delicious with plenty of cherry, liquorice and of course tannin. The 2005 was similar though I detected mint and aniseed on the nose and the tannins seemed a bit grippier. The 2004 had sign of developing with additional gamey notes on the nose and slightly softer tannins. All three wines were all fantastic, and while the tannins were big they were accompanied by acidity and red fruit aplenty.

The Renato Ratti Barolo Conca 2006 comes from a tiny vineyard right in front of their winery. This was a lot more complex than the Marcenasco, with the noticeable floral aromas. The nose was perhaps slightly more closed, but there was still cherries, smoke and violets. The more savoury palate of course had cherries, but also liquorice and dried herbs. Again this was a case of amazing tannin, balanced with plenty of acidity.

Pietro sees the single vineyard Rocche wines as his 'grand crus' and the quality of his Renato Ratti Barolo Rocche 2006 & 2005 were amazing, but distinct. The 2006 was a tale of tar, flowers, cherries and lots of liquorice with a somewhat withdrawn, but integrated palate and all consuming tannin. 2005 still had the cherries, but there was game, mint (something to do with this vintage perhaps?) and an overwhelming seductive, floral perfume.

I walked away from this all about Barolo. The wines themselves were outstanding and Pietro's friendly, knowledgeable comments added to the experience. Ponti Wine Cellars did a good job of hosting the event.

Visit winery website.

Wedding @ The W Hotel

1 Austin Rd West, Kowloon Station, Kowloon
28th March 2010 I'm not sure if getting hitched is some sort of quasi fashion or if the school where I work is inundated with gooey lovebirds, but I do seem to get invited to a lot of weddings. Some I can't make, some I don't want to and then there are those that I go out of my way to be a part of. A good friend from work was celebrating her nuptials' and it was a gig I wasn't going to miss; even a day at the Rugby 7s and an early flight to Australia the next morning couldn't dampen my enthusiasm. The venue was the W Hotel; a spot that's usually too cool for my sad arse, but on this occasion it sleek styling seemed just right. Finding the front door was a bit of a mission as Elements would almost have to be the worst sign posted shopping centre in Hong Kong; but I eventually arrived, handed over my 'gift' and settled down with a drink. Maybe it was some sort of hint, but our table was in the furthest corner. One reason I'm often not enthusiastic about wedding banquets is the seemingly identical parade of average dishes that so often gets paraded. The food at the W Hotel was pretty traditional, though I was impressed with the general quality of all the dishes; most of which were top quality.
First off was the traditional roast suckling pig. When I got a glance at the little porker it looked good, but I was a bit disappointed when I was presented with what was basically crackling atop simple rice wafers. The thin skin was crisp and well seasoned; it was just a shame that there was basically no meat to accompany it. Next up was prawns with celery; good, tasty, but nothing exciting. This was followed a less traditional dish; baked crap with cheese. Served in the shell these were really enjoyable, especially as the cheese didn't dominate the sweet crab meat. Then it was a decent braised canopy stuffed inside some winter melon and accompanied by a hair ball that I was informed was sea moss.

There was shark fin next, which I choose not to eat it for ethical reasons. Following this was abalone, sea cucumber and bok choy. Surprisingly it was all pretty good and I even enjoyed the sea cucumber, something I usually can't see the point in eating. Next up was steamed garoupa; a real highlight. The moist fish was perfectly cooked and went down delightfully, while the chicken that followed was just as good. Roasted to perfection with succulent flesh, crisp skin and perfect seasoning this was my favourite dish of the night.

The fried rice with scallops and bacon was pretty good, while the noodles surpassed my expectations. My limited experiences point to a standard plate of e-fu smothered in starchy white sauce and a few prawns. This is probably my all time least favourite Cantonese dish and I was relieved when the W Hotel instead served us up braised e-fu with shrimp roe. The chewy noodles were perfectly cooked and the roe added an attractive flavour and interesting texture. To finish off it was a sweet soup featuring dried longan, red dates, lotus seeds and wolf berries. I'm not usually too fussed by sweet soups, but this was excellent. Sweet, yet refreshing it was a perfect cleansing finish to an almighty feast. The final course was 'Chinese petits fours'; in this case almond cookies and fried sesame dough. We were all too stuffed to eat another thing, but Joey's mum gave a positive report on the cookies I snuck out for her. The food was excellent, the company good and the W Hotel did a fine job, particularly with the attentive service, but that's all kind of irrelevant. I was there for a wedding and the wedding was what mattered. The bride looked lovely, the groom adequately nervous and smiles abounded; congratulations H and B.
Visit hotel website.

Another Great 7s, Another Average Pie

Hong Kong Rugby Sevens
26th to 28th March 2010
'HK's biggest party', 'HK's biggest sporting event', 'HK's biggest debaucherest piss-up'; whatever you want to label the Rugby Sevens it always offers a memorable weekend. This year I watched a lot of games from the North Stand, a spot that offers a pretty good combination of beer, fun, views of the action and a drunken Welsh bloke. The results were excellent with Hong Kong winning the 'Shield', Canada the 'Bowl', Australia the 'Plate' (not just a great result because Australia won) and Samoa smashing New Zealand to take home the 'Cup'.

Even though I should have known better I still grabbed a pie, in what has become a bit of an annual tradition. Some of my friends swear by these pies, I think their judgement is impaired. Jugs of Pimms and roaring hangover can make almost any fatty food seem delicious and the fact that you're sitting in a packed stadium watching the footy also goes a long way to artificially improve the flavour of terrible pies. Despite all this, the pie I had was actually OK; a lot better than expected. The mince meat filling was hot and decently flavoured with bacon bits adding a bit of interest. However the pie was let down with thick, over cooked pastry, that made it resemble a meat filled biscuit more than a pie.

Visit event website.

Snap Shot Hong Kong Flower Show 2010

HK International Flower Show, Vic Park, Causeway Bay
Visited 20th March 2010

Yep it's that time year again. My visit to last year's Hong Kong International Flower Show was a very strange experience and things this year were just as wacky. Rather than slip in on a quite Tuesday night before rugby training, we headed over whack, bang in the middle of Saturday afternoon. Yes this was a mistake. Yes it was way, way, way too crowded. Oh, and yes the displays were just as ... 'interesting'. The theme this was Cineraria.
We found this cute little fellow accompany the dancing pandas in the Ocean Park display.
A couple of the big beds featured Dianthus; it looked spectacular on mass.The bonsais grabbed my interest this year; definitely the least garish and my favourite part of the show.
Ho, ho, ho a happy, dancing tiger.
You've got to love the photographic potential of Hydrangeas.
Floral crab with moving claws; awesome.

Visit event website.

A Cornish Wedding

Trevenna, St Neot, Cornwall
6th March 2010 I've got an exceptionally small family, so for those of my gene pool a family wedding is something not to be missed. When my cousin decided to tie the knot she was the first of my generation to do so and thus instigated the first family wedding in close to thirty-five years. Forty-eight hours for a return trip to the UK is never going to be fun, but when you're got to get to the wilds of Cornwall it becomes somewhat epic. After over eighteen hours of plane, tube, train and car travel I eventually arrived at St Neot and basically stepped straight into a wedding.

You could argue that Bodmin Moor in the middle of winter probably isn't a prime location for a wedding, but the low sun, morning frost, russet coloured bracken and shaggy moorland ponies all helped to create a spectacular backdrop. The venue was the impressive Trevenna, a restored farm house that has been turned into a well run bed and breakfast come function centre. Eating at wedding is often a matter of necessity rather than delight, but the food at Trevenna was excellent. Based upon local ingredients it was simple but tasty grub. First course was pan seared Cornish Mackerel with thyme and ginger; a tasty dish that bought back memories of a summer ten years ago when I spent a lot of time Mackerel fishing off the Devon coast. For a main I'd selected the Trevenna's beef stew; a hearty dish that was perfect for a chilly winter weather. Dessert was another English classic; sticky toffee pudding with clotted cream. Unfortunately I was rather distracted and only remembered to snap a picture of the Mackerel. This was a Cornish affair and there were no surprises when the homemade pasties came out later in evening to rave reviews and general appreciation.

I've mentioned the food, the venue and the prick of a trip, but what about the wedding itself; the beautiful bride, the crying family, the memorable speeches? It was of course a magical evening. My cousin looked fantastic and even her fellow managed to scrub up OK. Everything went perfectly and it really was one an event to remember and an evening I'm so glad I managed to be a part of. Congratulations Jen and welcome to the family Mat.

Basketball + Hot Dog = USA

Knicks vs. Bulls, Madison Square Garden
17th February 2010
From Vegas it was onto New York and after a couple of days of sightseeing, snow and culture it was time for a night out. A New Yorker mate had organised tickets to the basketball and I was one excited camper. As a kid I grew up watching the NBA and was excited to be seeing my first game. I was also pretty pumped to be visiting the iconic Madison Square Garden, a venue that had somehow found a place in my heart because of its appearance in one of very favourite movies; the 1980s classic Highlander.
We had beers beforehand, beers afterwards and big plastic cups of beer during the game. I was in America watching sport and drinking beer, there was only one thing I could do; eat a hotdog. The dog itself was an average affair; a flavourless sausage, stale bread and disgustingly synthetic 'cheese', and 'pickle' toppings. Despite a good first half by the Knicks at the final buzzer it was a win for the Bulls, a headache for me the next day and one very fun night.

Challenge Shield Final

Hong Kong Senior Challenge Shield Final
30th January 2010

Hong Kongers apparently love football, but this seems to only go as far as betting on the overpaid posers who play for the big European clubs. I don't really love football, but do enjoy watching live sport and as a result spend a bit of time drinking cans of Kingway while watching the mighty Tin Shui Wai 'Pegasus'. This Saturday was the final of the Hong Kong Senior Challenge Shield, a knockout competition that has been running since 1896. Even though the Flying Horse didn't make it, a mate and I still trundled out to the wilds of Chai Wan to check out the action. I didn't take any photos on the day so the snap below is of TSW playing at home in Yuen Long. Kitchee were playing the ever popular and successful South China. I hadn't been to Chai Wan before - it's not really convenient to Yuen Long - but the airy Siu Sai Wan Sports Ground was a decent stadium and the Kingway was cold. The only thing that disappointed me was the tiny crowd and thousands of empty seats. The game was exciting with goals, yellow cards and controversial refereeing decisions aplenty. South China defeated Kitchee 4 to 2, but the real winners were those who bothered to get out of bed or leave the shopping mall to actually watch a bit of live sport. Hong Kongers apparently love football, it's just a shame they never bother to watch it; that the stadiums are empty and the local teams go unsupported.

Visit HKFA website.

Four Peaks Race

23rd to 24th January 2010

The couple of people who read this even remotely regularly may have worked out that I enjoy the odd jog. Running up Lantau Peak at midnight may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it was a part of one of the most enjoyable weekends of my life. I've no idea how the Aberdeen Boat Club's annual Four Peaks Race fits into a blog about food and wine, but I suppose I did eat a home cooked stew Saturday afternoon and drunk quite a bit of rum early Sunday morning. I'll let the video do the talking

Medoc Wine Workshop

Asia Wine Service and Education Centre, Sheung Wan
9th December 2009

This seminar was a collaboration between the wine loving dudes at SOPEXA and the wine teaching dudes at the Asia Wine Service and Education Centre. I'd never visited the AWSEC rooms before and I was impressed with the professionalism of the setup. We were seated in a large classroom and provided with everything we needed to learn, as well as drink.

The seminar used resources provided by Medoc Wine Council that included a seemingly never-ending parade of powerpoint slides. Stephen Mack, the lecturer, did a fantastic job of making all this information digestible in an entertaining manner. The Medoc and its communes were explored in detail and eight wines supplied to emphasis the different aspect of the area.

The wines were a good cross section of different styles ranging from unoaked Cru Bourgeois to classed growths Chateau Kirwan and Chateau Grand-Puy Ducasse. While the rich and structured Chateau Kirwan Margaux 2005 impressed with its floral nose and potential for cellaring my favourite wine of the night was the Chateau Chasse-Spleen 2003. This drop from lowly rated Moulis was delightful with a complex nose rippling with blackberry, mocha, smoke and spice and plenty of black fruit and spice on its long, smooth palate. My night of tasting the wines of Medoc was an entering and engaging evening. I was impressed with Stephen Mack's knowledge of the topic and enjoyed the opportunities offered by a comparative tasting.

Tai Tam Coteaux

Tai Tam Country Park
3rd October 2009
I'm a keen runner so when I saw an event that married wine tasting with running I was one very excited little camper. Organised by Wine Hot to raise funds for the Variety charity, the event was held at Hong Kong Island's spectacular Tai Lam Country Park. The themed run was styled as a journey through the wine regions of France. As things got underway I wasn't just impressed by the mere existence of a pre-race toast, but by the fact it included a pep talk about how the event wasn't timed, how there would be no places allocated and how it most certainly was not a race.

My brother and I headed off at a pretty good pace. The running was good, the views spectacular and the first few wines decent: a Corbières Rosé; Domain Pelle Menetou-Salon 2007, a Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire and Seppi Landman Gewurztraminer 2008 from Alsace. We were within the first twenty or so to arrive at the tasting table located on the Tai Tam Upper Reservoir dam wall, but somehow ended up being the last to leave. While sipping Chateau Moulin-à-Vent 2007 from a tiny cup something strange happened: what had previously been a charity run somehow metamorphosed into a day on the booze; it honestly felt like we were in a bar. When the boys serving the Beaujolais were finally dry, we headed down hill for a sip of Cuvée des Vignerons Vacqueyras 2007, a sample of Chateau Puy Castera Haut-Médoc 2004 and at the finish a plastic cup of Albert Beerens Champagne. What would normally be a half an hour run had become a six marathon; it was dark when we crossed the line. Sam, the bloke responsible for the running the show, was great; he didn't just put on the event for charity, but also insisted that we didn't leave until all the booze was finished.
Sunday I woke up with a very sore head; a half eaten bag of Big Big Chick scattered next to me and a wine stained t-shirt crumpled on the floor. While I may have indulged a tad too much; the Tai Tam Coteaux was an absolute blinder of a day. I enjoyed the wines - my favourites were the balanced Moulin-a-Vent and the rich and silky Vacqueyras - I enjoyed the scenic run, but most importantly I enjoyed the spirit of good natured fun, generosity and camaraderie that infiltrated the day. The Tai Tam Coteaux was awesome; get on board next year folks.

Visit event website.

What Goes With Beer?

Hong Kong Rugby Sevens
27th to 29th March 2009
The end of March and again it's time for the carnival that is the Hong Kong Rugby 7s. My home is adapting to it's role as halfway house were a selection of sports fans, drunks and the insane seem to annually gather. With friends in town from Australia, friends in town from the UK and a pack load of local degenerates about it really is a weekend that involves way too much beer. Sunday evening, feeling tired, emotional and somewhat ill, I compiled an inventory of goods consumed. This prestigious list included two hamburgers, two serves of chicken and chips, chips, a kebab, a baguette and yet again one very dodgy pie. I should know better than to order those pies... Visit the HK 7s website.

Snap Shot Hong Kong Flower Show

Hong Kong International Flower Show
Visited 17th March 2009

Not really sure how this is related to food and wine, but I thought I'd throw in a couple of photos of this rather strange event. The Hong Kong International Flower Show sees the basketball courts of Victoria Park become a collection of flower beds, floral displays and souvenir shops. I personally thought most of the displays were pretty average, though a few stood out more for their bizarreness than beauty. There were certainly plenty of punters around, but the crowds seemed keener on visiting the stalls and souvenir booths than actually looking at the displays. Cosmos was the theme of the show. There were a couple of big displays built over Victoria Park's basketball courts. This floral swan sits amongst a background Causeway Bay's skyscrapers. Hey this is not just a giant squirrel with a big nut made of flowers, it's also a feat of mechanical engineering; the mechanised tail swings from side to side. Something a little more traditional. Yep, it's a dancing panda!

Visit event website.

Wedding of the Year

Osbornes Flat Hall, Yackandandah, Victoria
31st December 2008
When you live in Hong Kong having Christmas in England and New Year's Eve in Australia is a bit of a big commitment, but some things need to be done. I left Exeter train station at 10am Sunday morning and when I finally parked the car in Yackandandah it was Tuesday lunchtime; I'd come via London, Yuen Long, Brisbane and Melbourne. With the whole wedding happening outdoors the evening was truly beautiful in its simplistic grandeur. The ceremony by the dam, dinner under the setting sun and a live band beneath the stars to welcome in 2009.

As this is a food blog I thought I'd mention the delights we ate and drunk. Instead of the usual catered crap that tends to be served at weddings this event was all about home cooked goodness prepared with love. The bride and her family and friends made many of the dishes that were served picnic style. This is how the menu looked:

Grissini with Prosciutto

Baba Ghanoush

Osborne Olives

Benjamin's Beef with Relish

Local Smoked Trout

Dolmades

Potato Terrine

Spanakopita

Chickpea Balls with Halloumi

Tomato and Mozzarella with Basil Oil

Seared Zucchini Strips

Green Salad

Sour Dough Bread

Wedding Cake

Maz's Famous Ice-cream

Strawberries
The booze was just as much a task of love. Last July I helped bottle beer and there was a tasty range of homebrews to choose from alongside some great Aussie wine. The beers included:

Lovers Pale Ale

Orange Roughy

Kickback Ale

Thirsty Sanchez

Sparkling Ale
While a late contender the evening definitely took the crown for 'wedding of the year'. A truly great weekend amongst great friends that made me almost miss Australia.

Lamma Island Barbacue

School Picnic
28th November 2008 As Christmas approaches teachers and students scramble to take advantage of the mild weather and assault the country parks in great wave of school picnics. These annual excursions are for many Hong Kong students a unique chance to spend time in the outdoors and visit a new place within the territory. For me last year's picnic was a spectacular nautical adventure amongst the remote islands of the north-east. This year the class of Form Five students I accompanied where given responsibility for organising the day themselves; the students did a great job and managed to take advantage of free ferry tickets. Before you could say "Lamma island, never been there" we piled on to a First Ferry and were off to Yung Shue Wan. Despite not being able to swim the students had a fantastic time and enjoyed the chance to escape the confines of the classroom.

For many the highlight of the day was a local style barbecue. Everyone in the world seems to love a good barbie and all seem to have their own unique way of going about it. For Hong Kongers the first step is to get a brave volunteer to spend ages fanning charcoal in a brick pit to get a fire going. The next stage involves everyone reaching into bags of shop-marinated meat and defrosted fishballs to grab a tasty treat that is then speared on the end of a long wire fork. The meat is cooked in a similar way to Australians cook marshmallows on a camp fire; everyone crowds around, trying to position their delicacy over the coals. The final step may seem strange, but involves smothering the almost cooked meat in honey to give it a sweet, caramelised finish. To many cooking a barbecue in this way may seem like a crazy waste of time and energy, yet for people who very rarely cook it is a chance to get down and dirty and prepare their own meal. While I do find the environmental impacts of the layers of protective plastic gloves, disposable table clothes and bales of tissues a bit hard to deal with, a Hong Kong style barbecue is real, honest fun.