Wine Times Hong Kong Issue 6 by Wine Times HK

April 2015

Issue 6 FREE

TOP 10

Sweet Wines 酒

十大甜

SUNSHINE in a bottle: Taiwanese Fruit Wines 瓶子裏的和煦陽光：台灣果酒

East Meets West:

Wine and Moutai Dinner 中西合壁：葡萄酒與茅台晚宴

Tripping with The Green Fairy; Our look at ABSINTHE

與綠仙子迷醉苦艾酒

Discover South African wine in April and win a trip to the beautiful Cape Winelands Join the Discover South Africa Festival at The Park Lane on 11th April (Saturday) TASTE over 180 wines, SAMPLE South African cuisine, DISCOVER the spectacular winelands, WIN a ticket to Cape Town. Tickets: $180/person, Tel: 2839 3328, banquet@parklane.com.hk Venue: Rooftop Garden, 28/F The Park Lane Hong Kong, a pullman hotel Purchase any South African wine at any of the participating outlet ENJOY special offers, STAND a chance to win a trip to the Cape Winelands. Restaurants:

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Drink Up, Hong Kong! 香港飲勝！

Ali Nicol Founder of Wine Times Hong Kong

A local Hong Konger who has been working in the wine business for over 15 years. Obviously loves wine and wants to share all the lovely wines with everyone.

ell the year is certainly flying by as expected in this fast paced city and as we head into and beyond Easter we may be more conscious of the increasing humidity than anything else! Yes, it’s our favourite time to moan about the weather and how it is just not physically possible to walk the streets of Hong Kong without shedding litres of sweat! Of course, this time of the year also means we need to start looking at the way we store our wines as, buy the beginning of May it will just be too hot to leave them lying around the house and proper temperature controlled storage will be needed. March came and went in a blur and was on the whole a fairly quiet month with very few visiting winemakers and even fewer tastings! At least we had the HSBC Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Rugby Sevens which we went to and had a great time drinking a few glasses of wine (and a bucket-load of beer too!) March also saw the departure of the lovely Stephy Poon who moved onto pastures new and further her career in the public relations industry. She will be missed as much for her bubbly personality as much as for the work load that she undertook while with us! May I take this opportunity to wish her all the very best in her new career. So, what’s in store for you this month? Well, as the cover would suggest we have taken the theme of spring and written a cover story on some very interesting fruit wines from Taiwan. Yes, we wanted to give you something different from the usual wines that signal the beginning of spring and we were rather impressed

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with these quality products from the independent island. We also take a look at some of the red wines you may like to enjoy over Easter weekend as the kids tuck into their chocolate eggs! Of course, with the time of year signalling all things sweet we give you our Top 10 sweet wines available in the city too. Editor Christie went on a mission to write about one of the world’s most feared spirits, Absinthe – if you don’t know what it is you had better check out her report! We also take a look back at another successful Macau Wine and Dine Festival and head to the former Portuguese colony for a very good, Michelin Starred Indian meal in the Venetian – so no more bad restaurant reviews like in the March issue! Our chef chat section has taken on a new look and this month we head to fine dining restaurant Town in Causeway Bay to talk to Chef Bryan Nagao about his life in the industry and the importance of wine as part of the overall dining experience. We also take a look at some excellent Lebanese wines and pair them with a strangely wonderful Lebanese vegetarian meal in this month’s tasting panel. Anyway, Easter is upon us and as thoughts lead towards chocolate and holidays may I take this opportunity to wish all readers a happy Easter and safe travels over the holiday period. As many of us depart Hong Kong for cleaner air and waters over the holiday period, may I remind you to try the wines from the countries you are visiting and not to be afraid of wines from places you never thought made wine. Cheers!

港生活步伐急速，轉眼間我們已來到四香月，相信這月的潮濕天氣比復活節更早來到迎接我們呢！是的，又來到一年中我們密密抱怨天氣的時分，惱人的濕度令家居變得極不舒爽，而漸漸提高的氣溫也開始令你汗流滿面。在這樣的天氣下，我們也要開始檢查家中貯存葡萄酒的方法，不然到五月的時候，貯存不當的葡萄酒可能已壞掉了。

三月份來去匆匆，但整體而言是酒界中較靜淡的月份，既少有釀酒師到訪香港，更少有試酒會舉行，但至少我們於香港國際七人欖球賽上盡慶狂歡過，喝了幾杯又幾杯的葡萄酒，更喝了無數以酒桶計算的啤酒呢！我們亦於三月初送別了可愛的Stephy Poon，她離開了WTHK 繼續發展個人事業，如舊從事公關工作。雖然她的離開使我們工作量增加，但我們定會記掛她活潑可愛的性格呢。讓我在此祝福她在新的仕途上前程似錦。今期的WTHK雜誌中，封面故事的主題圍繞着春天，特別為讀者介紹了釀自台灣的果酒，我們認為春天與果酒的關聯甚高，也可讓人認識到這些來自寶島有品質的果酒。此外，我們也為讀者推介了兩款適合與巧克力復活蛋配搭的紅酒，讓你與小孩一同開心過節！這個時分我們變得愈來愈「思甜」，因此為讀者推介了城中有售的十大甜酒。而編輯Christie則為讀者出走，寫寫世上其中一種最使人感到害怕的烈酒—苦艾酒。若你不認識它的話，就快快看她的報道吧！我們也回顧了上月舉行的澳門葡萄酒美食節，也為位於澳門威尼期人酒店的米芝蓮一星印度餐館寫下食評—跟三月號的食評簡直差天共地！我們也更新了專訪主廚的版面，今期我們找來位於銅鑼灣Town的總廚Bryan Nagao，請他與讀者分享其作為廚師的經歷。而《飲食擂台》中，我們讓讀者嚐到了黎巴嫩素食及產自該地的葡萄酒，兩者竟然意想不到地配合。復活節來臨，代表着巧克力和假期也正向我們招手。在此，我祝各位讀者能度一個快樂的復活節，而打算外遊的則旅途愉快且平安。容許我提醒一下，外遊時除了好好享受外，還可嚐嚐當地釀造的葡萄酒，可能你從沒有想過釀造葡萄酒的地區，往往會帶給你意外驚喜！乾杯！ (Christie Chan譯)

Contents 目錄

2 Drink Up, Hong Kong!

Hello Wine World 4 走進酒世界

7 Sunshine in a Bottle: Taiwanese Fruit Wines

Egg-citing Wines for Easter! 14 復活兔尋酒記

香港飲勝！

瓶子裏的和煦陽光：台灣果酒

17 The Wine Doctor:

Exploring the world of Orange Wines 酒博士專欄：探索橙酒世界

p7 Taiwanese

Fruit Wines

Get Enchated by 18 the long lost Green Fairy 醉心綠仙子：苦艾酒

21 “Join us for Tasting”

Highlights: The Third Macau 26 Wine and Dine Festival

活動回顧：第三屆澳門葡萄酒美食節

28 April's Wine Events

Top 10 Sweet Wines 31 十大甜酒

Panel: Vegetarian vs. Lebanese 飲食擂台：素食對黎巴嫩

品酒日曆－四月份

36 A Marriage of Wine, Food and Moutai

Chef Talk: 38 Bryan Nagao of Town

p21 Egg-citing Easter Wines

珠聯壁合：葡萄酒與茅台

主廚出廳：多國菜餐廳Town的Bryan Nagao

41 Macau: Golden Peacock: A Star of Indian Cuisine

澳門：印度菜之星—皇雀印度餐廳

Whine-On: 48 Ask us whatever you like! 讀者專欄：想問就問！

44 Recruitment in the wine business 行業人才招聘

p18 Absinthe

p21 Lebanese Vegeterian food

p38 Chef Talk@Town winetimeshk.com 3

Christie Chan Editor of Wine Times Hong Kong Almost an alcoholic who thinks the fun part of life starts getting unlocked when you drink. On first impression is not into girly-ness and sweetness; but spirits and liquors.

我來說，三月份既是傷感，但卻也喜悅。月初先對是我的好同事、好朋友Stephy的離開，她告別了 WTHK雜誌，繼續從事公關工作以發展更好的個人事

What made March heartening for me is that I have someone new to love and to hold – my newborn niece. My elder sister gave birth to this lovely baby boy at the end of February making me busy at the weekends as I would love to make time to visit them. Having a new family member is just too exciting and amazing that I would like to share my happiness with you and shout out my March is full of love!

除了傷感的事，三月還滿載着喜悅的事－－其中之一便是我家添丁了。姊姊在二月底誕下小寶寶，母子平安。因此每逢周末，我也會到姊姊的家，探望小寶寶和姊姊，令三月份的每個周末都過得好不充實。抱着初生的嬰兒，心裏確是有種莫名的感動，而家裏增添新成員也是令人感到興奮奇妙的事，所以我想在此與讀者分享我的喜悅，分享這個充滿愛的三月。

Working on the April issue of WTHK, I suggested writing a story about absinthe which is something totally new to me and I so much want to learn more about it. The Fortune Goddess granted her smile on me that I had the chance to meet Sven Olsen, an absinthe maker who is not based in Hong Kong so I could only say I was lucky and everything went well with the story! In my opinion absinthe is a hidden gem that has long been unseen by people and it deserves more attention. So please read my article and hope you enjoy reading it as well as drinking absinthe if you have the chance to!

在今期雜誌中，我提議寫一個關於苦艾酒的報道，因為我對這種酒毫無認識，除了可讓自己多長知識外，也可讓讀者們對苦艾酒加深了解，實在一舉兩得！幸運地，有一位非駐於本地的苦艾酒生產商的創辦人兼總裁Sven Olsen到訪香港，我有機會可與之詳談有關苦艾酒的一切，繼而順利地完成了這篇報道！訪談過後，我真的認為苦艾酒顆滄海遺珠，是種久被低估的烈酒，值得更多人重新認識這種美酒。如果你也對苦艾酒不太認識，請你看看我的報道，希望你也能樂在其中，有機會的話也能嚐嚐這酒！

While I will be out of town for a relaxing vacation enjoying as much sunshine and beaches as I can get to, I wish everyone a Happy Easter; no matter you will be travelling around like I do or staying in town, please drink more to be as happy as the bunny in the picture that he never gets enough of wine!

在我到外地旅遊享受着陽光與海灘之前，我想向各位說聲：復活節快樂！無論你和我一樣卜金外遊過節，還是留港享受這幾更假期，請多多享受喝酒：就像圖中的兔子一樣，多喝點再多喝點！

lot happened in March whereas there were both things saddening and heartening. My lovely colleague and bestie Stephy has moved on from WTHK to further her career and for me this is of course one of the things saddening as working with her was fun and pleasure! I am sure she will be missed at work but I also hope her for the best and the brightest future ahead. (Hugs and kisses for you my baby girl!)

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業。雖然我享受與她一起並肩工作，對她的離開我也感到婉惜，但在此衷心希望她能有更好的發展，前途無可限量！(我會想念你的！)

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Sunshine in a Bottle: Taiwanese Fruit Wines 瓶子裏的和煦陽光：台灣果酒 Spring is finally upon us and as animals awake from hibernation, as do the plants and vines that form the basis of our diet of fruit. This month, for something different we take a look at some unique fruit wines from Taiwan where fruit wines have been made for generations now. Journey with us and taste the fermented fruit from the island and transport yourself from the city to the colourful world of Taiwanese Fruit Wines... Text by Ali Nicol 春風吹起，喚醒大地上的萬物，小動物從冬眠中甦醒過來，植物的枝芽也蠢蠢欲動，又來到期待各種水果豐盛生長的季節。今期的封面故事，我們以台灣釀造的果酒，為讀者帶來春日驚喜。這些顏色奪目的果酒，由一間家族經營的台灣酒廠所生產，就讓我們一起探索來自寶島的甜美果酒。譯文：Christie Chan winetimeshk.com 7

et me just put it out there so we start off on the right foot: I love Taiwan! I love the people; they’re friendly and welcoming, I love the women; they’re beautiful, well mannered and take pride in the their appearance and I love the food; it’s like local food here in Hong Kong; but without the bone, fat and gristle that gets on the nerves of Westerners trying to eat a simple dish without having to spit mouthfuls of debris out onto the table cloth. A recent trip to Kaohsiung last summer really brought home how much of a better lifestyle the Taiwanese enjoy compared to here in Hong Kong. Alfresco dining is embraced and championed with street food stalls making sumptuous and healthy fast food that can be swilled down with a cheap bottle of beer whilst sitting at a table by the side of the road as people get on with their day-today lives. It’s a compelling place that warrants more credit than it is given – and I for one am hoping to retire there (depending on what my wife has to say about that). It seems that our fascist Food and Environmental Health Department (FEHD) could do with learning a little from our Taiwanese counterparts on how to allow your fellow citizens a little bit of enjoyment whilst eating (it’s called being allowed to eat on the street and not be subjected to sub-arctic aircon temperatures that makes your food go cold in an instant).

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One thing that I missed during my trip last summer though was Taiwanese wine. I never saw a single bottle anywhere I went and it seemed to me that Taiwan’s wine production was about as developed as it is in most Asian countries - minimal at best. But there is a serious wine culture on the island; none more so than in the capital Taipei and it’s arguable that the Taiwanese have a better understanding and thus, a more mature wine market than we have here in Hong Kong. There is a small production of Taiwanese table wine but the majority of said wine is consumed (much like in Mainland China) within the boundaries of their territories and with little to none exported, it’s hard to say what these wines are like. However, one style of Taiwanese wine that is available in the city is Taiwanese fruit wines and, I must say they are pretty good and much better than some of the American rubbish on the shop shelves of our local supermarkets. When looking at these styles of wines we must first consider though whether fruit wine can truly be classified as a “wine” per se – or if it is just fruit with a bit of alcohol; something that most Westerners would just categorise as an alcopop or a cooler. The Oxford Dictionary definition of a wine is thus: an alcoholic drink made from fermented grape juice. However, it has been modified in recent years to include the

我把話說在前頭：我愛台灣！我愛台灣讓人，他們熱情友善；我愛台妹，她們漂亮動人，言行舉止都散發着自信；我愛台灣地道美食，它們與香港美食大致一樣，但對西方人來說，比起香港美食更易接受，沒有骨頭、軟骨，也沒有油膩的脂肪，不用吐得滿桌都是吃不下的部分。去年我曾到訪高雄，親身感受到台灣人的生活方式，真的比香港人的好多了。台灣人喜歡在戶外進餐，坐在街邊一面享受美食，一面看着街道上的行人熙來攘往；他們也同樣喜愛街頭小吃，使人吃得豐富飽足而健康，更可隨處買到一罐便宜的啤酒佐送小吃。台灣確是一個寶島，值得更多人注意到這個可愛的地方，我也希望能在此展開退休生活(當然也要看我太太的意願了)。其實食物環境衞生署可以學習台灣看看，使香港人也能享受在路邊及露天環境下進食(至少不用每每在近乎亞北極的室溫下進食—餐廳內的冷氣會把食物瞬間吹涼)。然而，去年的台灣旅行中，我卻沒有嚐到台灣釀造的美酒，只因我並沒有看到任何一枝當地釀造的葡萄酒，以為台灣也和其他亞洲國家一樣，其產量規模微乎其微。不過，葡萄酒文化正在這個寶島上興起，不僅只在台北，其他地區的台灣人也開始愈來愈懂喝葡萄酒，可能還比香港的葡萄酒市場更加成熟。台灣小規模的餐酒生產與中國內地一樣，其出產成品多為本地人飲用，出口國外的為數甚少，因此也不容易找到釀自台灣的酒品。不過，我們找到其中一款台灣出產的酒品並於香港有售，那便是今期封面故事的主角—台灣果酒。我得說這些果酒的確不錯，甚至比某些產自美國、超市有售的果酒味道更佳。對於其釀造果酒的方法，這些酒能歸類為「Wine」的類別嗎？抑或只是含水果味的酒精飲品，也就是西方人統稱為「Alcopop」或「Cooler」？

牛津詞典裏對「Wine」的釋義為：由葡萄發酵而成的酒精飲品。然而，這個詞語的釋義曾經經過修改，現為：由水果或植物的發酵果汁或汁液而成的酒精飲品。所以，你現在可以對着那些以為只有葡萄酒才是「Wine」的無知者，當着他們的面指出他們的誤解，因為幾乎任何東西也可釀造出「Wine」！英國著名的果酒(或統稱Wine)包括由骨木花、薑及蜂蜜( 即蜂蜜酒Mead)釀造。親身目睹、感受過台灣風情，了解到這島的成功之處倚重於其自給自足的特點，台灣人的衣食住行不會完全依靠外國進口。而台灣擁有幅員廣大的可耕農地，當中不小面積用以種植粟米、稻米和水果。台灣農民也種植葡萄以供本地人食用，也同時用以釀造小部分葡萄酒，但這次我們想為讀者介紹的是以其他水果釀造的果酒，最適合於春天時分享用，也可使它們成為均衡飲食的一部分。這些來自台灣的果酒由上村酒廠釀造，其酒廠位於台中阿里山腳下的嘉義。在品牌SunVill 下，酒廠共釀造出8種口味的果酒，包括蘋果、梅子、香桃、菠蘿、士多啤梨、柚子、藍莓和荔枝，當中士多啤梨口味最為缺貨，由於台灣的士多啤梨失收，不足以供應釀造果酒，因此士多啤梨果酒的供應亦不多。從酒瓶倒出來的就像是一束束的陽光，果酒香味仿如真的水果一樣，味道整體較甜而嚐不到其酒精的濃烈，因其酒精酒含量只有8.5%，所以十分適合春天及初夏飲用，與親友們共聚時作為餐前酒，場合可以是在小花園舉行派對，或是燒烤，又或是坐在船的甲板上邊曬太陽邊喝上它。(我們猜想這些果酒也可用於烹飪之上，可以煮成美味的醬汁，或用作製作甜品時淋上薄薄的甜汁，例如Pavlova蛋糕) 上村酒廠為家族式經營的酒廠，現由兒子繼承父業，不僅以代代相傳的釀酒技術去釀造葡萄酒，兒子更創新地以其他水果釀造果酒，更令酒廠揚名海外。有別於外國常見的果酒，這酒廠所釀造的果酒以日本清酒為酒基。

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following definition alongside: an alcoholic drink made from the fermented juice of specified other fruits or plants. So, we can throw the devil’s advocate back down his fiery pit and say to those that think only wine made from grapes is a true wine that wine is an all encompassing drink that can be made from pretty much anything. Famous fruit (or otherwise) wines in the United Kingdom (for example) include Elderflower, Ginger and Honey (otherwise known as Mead). Returning back to Taiwan one must remember that a large part of the country’s success is its ability to be self sustaining – that is, it does not completely rely on imported goods to feed, house, clothe and otherwise its population. There is an abundance of agriculture on the island and a vast proportion of that is devoted to perishables such as corn, rice and, of course, fruit. Grapes too are grown to feed both the stomach and the palate, but it is the fruit wines of Taiwan that recently caught our attention and, with the onset of spring, we thought it an opportune time to tell you of the delights of Taiwanese fruit wines and how they can be incorporated into a balanced diet. The Taiwanese wines that are available here in Hong Kong come from the Sun

Village winery in Minxiong Township in Chiayi County and are labelled under the SunVill brand. The wines come in 8 fruit flavours; Apple, Plum, Peach, Pineapple, Strawberry, Pomelo, Blueberry and Lychee – although the strawberry wines are now very hard to come by due to a poor strawberry crop this year in Taiwan. They are literally like sunshine in a glass and at only 8.5% alcohol are perfect for the early spring and summer days as they are a great representation of the fruit they are made from, not too alcoholic and are, on the whole, quite sweet so make for a perfect aperitif whilst entertaining friends or guest prior to a garden party, barbeque or just sitting out on the deck of your boat (we imagine they would be great to cook with too – probably used as

an ingredient in some delectable sauce or coulis for a dessert like Pavlova). In fact, the winery is a family business and as a son follows in the footsteps of his father, so this is true for Sun Village Wines. They do make traditional grape wine and this winemaking technique has been passed down from generation to generation, but it was the pioneering son whose foray into fruit wine has brought international success to the winery. However, this fruit wine is sake based giving it the kick of alcohol required (and not often seen) in generic Western fruit wines. Sitting in the Wine Times office with editor Christie Chan, we dived into the wines and our overwhelming favourite was the pineapple although it was, strangely enough the one that tasted the least of the fruit it was made from. My thoughts were that it was more like an aged and slightly oxidised Burgundy white – but there was some discernible pineapple flavours on the palate. But the overwhelming nuance that was present on the palate was Christmas pudding making it a very interesting and overall very drinkable wine. The Lychee wine was undoubtedly the wine with the most alluring aromas that really just smelled like lychee

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juice! Christie noted that it would be easy for kids to mistake this wine for a fruit juice and the weight on the palate would seem to suggest the same! In all, it was like a glass of fresh fruit both on the nose and on the palate with great acidity which regulated the sweetness nicely. The palate is much less pronounced than the nose, but overall would make a lovely aperitif wine. The Blueberry Red Wine is the only one that is blended with actual grape red wine and looks just like red wine in the glass. On the nose it gives aromas of blueberry tart and shows very little aromas of the red wine it’s blended with. On the whole, it’s a very pleasant drink with a short abrupt finish making it a good quaffing wine but there is a subtle tannic presence on the finish which makes it the most like a grape wine of the entire range. The Peach Wine shows and orange / peach colour in the glass and the aromas are just like smelling the outer skin of a real peach. It’s extremely delicately perfumed and there is a definite aroma of nougat exuding from the glass. There is a wonderful array of all round mouth flavours that leave a medium finish that is bursting with fruit and reminds the drinker of peach candy – but without the excess fruit. Finally, the Plum wine – which was the sweetest wine of the range – was tested and we found huge aromas of candy shop and is needed (unlike the others) to be drunk very cold to reduce the somewhat cloying nature of the wine. It’s like bubblegum plum on the palate and is reminiscent of an English Cider or Perry on the finish making us think that it would make an interesting sparkling wine!

我們於WTHK的辦公室裏進行了一個小型試酒會，我與編輯Chrisite Chan一同嚐過這些來自台灣的果酒，結果我們二人均認為最吸引的口味是菠蘿果酒。奇怪的是，菠蘿口味比起其他口味偏偏與原本的水果最不相似，個人認為它像陳年而有點氧化的勃艮地白酒，其味道帶有明顯可辨的菠蘿果味，但其香氣卻像英式聖誕布甸，是一枝有趣而又令人想繼續喝的果酒。荔枝果酒的香氣無疑是最香氣四溢的口味，而且十足十真實的荔枝果汁！Christie指，小孩子可能會把這果酒當作果汁，因為就連其質感也像荔枝果汁一樣！總的來說，這酒的香氣與口味猶如真的水果一樣，帶有恰到好處的果酸，中和着果甜，令兩者相得益彰，不過味道比香氣較不強烈，整體來說是枝可口的餐前酒。藍莓紅酒口味是唯一一款加入葡萄紅酒的口味，其酒體及顏色亦與一般紅酒無異。不過，嗅嗅杯中的酒香，只有藍莓果撻的香氣，一點紅酒酒香也嗅不着。這果酒的餘韻短促，帶有溫和輕微的單寧，就像是由所有不同葡萄品種所混合而成的酒，相當容易入喉。香桃果酒呈橙色/香桃色，而其香氣真實得就如嗅到香桃的表皮一般，香氣撲鼻得令人無法抗拒，當中也帶有一點鳥結糖的香味。這果酒具中度餘韻，最後所有味道在口腔內停留，讓人想起香桃味的糖果，但不至於過於濃烈。最後，來到甜度最高的梅子口味，我們認為其香甜的氣味令人聯想到糖果店，而且有別於其他口味，這果酒口感較黏膩，需要在低溫冷藏後才飲用。它的口味像是梅子吹波膠，其餘韻令人想起英式氣泡果酒(Cider)或是梨酒(Perry)，因此我們猜想這果酒或可加工製成有趣的氣泡酒呢！台灣SunVill果酒售價為每枝$110，並於代理商La La La Hong Kong Limited有售(地址：尖沙咀諾士佛臺9號冠福中心1204室)。欲索取產品詳情，請與Elsa Lee聯絡，電郵地址： elsa@lalala.com.hk；電話： +852 3990 0449。

SunVill Taiwanese fruit wines are $110 per bottle and are available in Hong Kong from La La La Hong Kong Limited (Address: Rm 1204, Koon Fook Centre, No. 9, Knutsford Terrace, Tsim Sha Tsui). For more information contact Elsa Lee by email on elsa@lalala. com.hk or by phone on +852 3990 0449

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Egg-citing Wines for Easter! Text by Ali Nicol Photography by Christie Chan

復活兔尋酒記

譯文、攝影：Christie Chan

aster is always one of the best times of the year for kids and chocoholics alike as it’s the time when the Easter bunny delivers his chocolate eggs and people break their fast of Lent allowing them to indulge in the delights that, for the forty days prior to Easter Sunday are forbidden. Seemingly these days very few Christians fast during Lent; many give up some of their favoured things (much like a short term New Year’s resolution) but seldom in the 21st century do people follow the rules of fasting, penance and prayer. Chocolate is often described as ‘sinful’ and thus is often something that many people resist during Lent. Therefore, Easter signals a time when you can break the fast – and what better thing to break the fast with then something delightfully and sinfully indulgent. But actually, chocolate Easter eggs have nothing really to do with Easter per se. The tradition of eggs at Easter can be traced back to the early Christians of Mesopotamia 14 winetimeshk.com

who stained real eggs red to signify the blood of Christ. Additionally, eggs were something that were cherished in days gone by as they were one of the foods that was forbidden during Lent and, as all the eggs in one’s houses had to be used up before the fast of Lent, then the fast was often broken with the symbolic egg. Decorating eggs is a popular past time still to this day but the tradition can be traced back almost 5,000 years to the time of the early Sumarians and Egyptians who decorated eggs in gold and silver to be placed in the graves of nobility or loved ones. Decorated Ostrich eggs have been found in Africa too that have been dated as far back as 60,000 years which means that the ritual of egg decoration pre-dates Christianity and is something that was adopted by the religion at a later date. But back to the chocolate! Basically, these days your kids would probably disown you if you gave them a real chicken’s egg for Easter so

小孩們和為巧克力瘋狂的人來說，復活對節必定是一年裏其中一段最美好的時光，復活兔會送上巧克力復活蛋，而基督教教徒40天的齋期也到此為止，可以再次盡情吃喝。來到今天，只有少數基督教教徒會牢牢遵守齋期，期間有人或會放棄自己喜歡的事物( 就像是短暫的新年目標)，但生活在廿一世紀的教徒甚少會謹從齋期禁食、懺悔及祈禱的誡條。為復活蛋塗上斑斕的色彩由古至今依是流行的慶節活動，其歷史可追塑至5,000年前，蘇美爾人及埃及人以金銀製作蛋形裝飾，放置在貴族或深愛的人的墓穴裏作陪葬品。非洲也曾出土過60,000年前加以裝飾的鴕鳥蛋，證明製作蛋形裝飾的傳統比基督教出現得更早，只是後來被宗教列入為其齋期儀式。還是先把注意力放回主角巧克力身上！假如你在復活節給小孩一隻真的雞蛋，相信先離棄對方的是他吧！這也解釋了巧克力復活蛋的誕生 ──全球不論大人或小孩也喜歡吃。許多基督教節日也少不了巧克力的份兒，從情人節到聖誕節，無一不吃上巧克力，但要數到其貴為主角的節日，則非復活節莫屬。如果你是個嗜甜嗜巧克力的成年人，配上紅酒來享用它便最好不過了。每年來到這個時節，腦子空空而又想不到寫作題材的博客，就會在網上發表如何配搭巧克力復活蛋及葡萄酒的文章，而且多數都以甜酒為題。不過，我們的想

thus the chocolate egg was born – much to the delight of children world-wide and probably many adults too! Chocolate is used in many Christian festivals these days from Christmas to Valentine’s Day but no religious holiday gets more chocolate attention than Easter. If you are a chocolate-loving adult then there is no better drink to sip whilst indulging in chocolate than a drop of red wine. Really, when it comes to pairing Easter eggs and wine we should leave that to the Bloggers who have nothing better to write about when this time of the year comes around. We are sure you will see many articles in the coming week about sweet wines for pairing with chocolate, but we think the best thing to do is pair it with a nice dry red wine that has some discernible fruit characteristics but is not too fruit sweet. Sweet foods on the whole need dry wines to pair with them; but the anomaly about chocolate is that it’s actually not sweet at all. Sure, those horrible milk chocolate eggs that are made with a chocolate with a minimum concentration of cacao are the most popular and most evident at this time of year; but true chocolate lovers will tell you that milk chocolate isn’t really chocolate at all! Sadly, the customer is king in this world of commerce and making an Easter egg of 90% cacao would a) be too bitter for most (especially kids) to handle and b) be way too expensive for most people to afford these days. Therefore, to go with the modern day chocolate Easter egg we recommend you two

wines this Easter that will make your Easter Sunday (after church of course!) much more pleasurable than just eating cheap chocolate! Our first is a wine from (close enough to) the cradle of civilisation; Lebanon. The Chateau Ksara Reserve de Couvent 2010 is a wine that has taken some time to get ready to drink but is drinking beautifully now with a dry palate, some signs of age and a long lingering finish that makes it a very pleasurable wine indeed. This is the kind of wine you want to eat with chocolate as it is dry and not overly fruity meaning that, if you have a slightly sweeter chocolate, the pairing will contrast as opposed to conflict. The wine is only $170 also making it a good affordable choice for Easter weekend and is available from Red Mill Limited in Hong Kong. Secondly, we think that a nice Farmers Leap Shiraz from South Australia would also make a fun and indulgent paring with some chocolate (and it works because we have done it on numerous occasions with this wine). It’s not a wine for the weak, nor a typical fruit bomb from Australia. Sure, its high alcohol content may put some people off but it’s the silky smooth, velvety palate that we love and something about the mouth feel actually reminds us of eating chocolate. It’s dense, but not a fat wine and the creamy, silky texture is so well complimented with chocolate you will find that in no time both the wine and the chocolate have been finished! Farmers Leap Shiraz is available for just $185 for the 2012 vintage from Vinspiration Hong Kong.

法有別於一般「行貨」，認為配搭巧克力的葡萄酒是乾身而帶點水果質感的紅酒，但絕不是甚具果甜的那種紅酒。一般而言，甜食需要配上口感乾澀的葡萄酒，但巧克力的奇妙之處就是它不盡是甜味。當然，有不少復活蛋以可可含量極低的牛奶巧克力來造，其甜味之高並非人人能享受或接受。真正的巧克力愛好者會認為，牛奶巧克力根本不是巧克力家族的真正成員！可惜的是，消費者在商業世界中為「話事人」，製造可可含量達90%的巧克力復活蛋，第一，其味道太苦( 尤其對小孩而言)；第二，其成本價格太高，令普羅大眾較難負擔，因此商家均捨難取易。有見及此，為現時常見的巧克力復活蛋配上美酒，我們特地為讀者推介兩款紅酒，使那些價格便宜的巧克力復活蛋可變得更可口，讓你度過一個更美好的復活節星期天！(當然在主日崇拜之後！)第一款紅酒來自(或接近)「文明搖籃」：黎巴嫩。Chateau Ksara Reserve de Couvent 2010已經陳擺過，現已來到適合飲用的時機。這酒口感乾澀，較能喝得出它的陳舊，其餘韻長而久久不散，是枝能令人愉悅的美酒。它很適合與巧克力一同享用，其乾身及不重果味的特質，與稍稍較甜的巧克力形成對比，而非強烈的抗衡。這款紅酒於零售商 Red Mill Limited in Hong Kong有售，價格為$170，歡度這個復活節周末也不算是難以負擔吧。其次，我們認為釀自澳洲的Farmers Leap Shiraz紅酒與巧克力也是個相當有趣肆意的配搭(這配搭經過多次試驗，百分百配合的)。這酒非一般人能夠享受箇中美妙，也是非一般產自澳洲、充斥着濃濃果味的紅酒。沒錯，它的酒精含量較高，一般飲者或許不能太接受，但其口感如絲般順滑，那種柔滑的質感確實令我們想起吃巧克力的感覺；其質感厚重而不膩，順滑柔美的口感與巧克力配搭起來，兩者就在不知不覺間消失溶掉了！這款紅酒於零售商 Vinspiration Hong Kong有售，價格為$185。 winetimeshk.com 15

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THE WINE DOCTOR: Exploring the world of Orange Wines 酒博士專欄：探索橙酒世界 by Maurizio Galli

A passionate wine aficionado and educator who believes in a non-pretentious approach to wine. Having a soft spot for obscure and exotic wine regions, he quickly gained a reputation of wine nerd under Red Mill’s umbrella.

range what? I know orange wine sounds just like the latest style created by a congregation of hipsters or the recipe a clueless drunkard would come up with to fight his cold. But if you’re not familiar with it, I can assure you that orange wine is a real thing and yes it’s a little bit of an “underdog” of wines and no, it has nothing to do with fermented orange juice, nor the latest trend in Hot Toddy alternatives. In one sentence, orange wine just gets its name due to its appearance; usually somewhere in between orange and amber in colour. But what exactly is orange wine? In ancient history orange wine could in fact be referred to as white wine, with its origins dating back thousands of years in the area around Georgia. Evolution in modern white wine making which prefers to avoid skin maceration pushed modern producers and wine lovers, looking to revive this style, to coin the term “orange wine”, acknowledging that it is now a style of its own, along with red, white and even rosé wine. Simply put, in today’s wine world, one could define orange wine as a return to the past and in an arrogant and simplistic way as “white wine pretending to be red wine”. Let me explain: In modern days, most white wines are separated from their skins and pips immediately after the grapes are pressed, however orange wines take grapes used for white wine and, like a red, leave them macerating in contact with their skins, which is why Italians call orange wine, “vino bianco macerato” or literally “macerated white wine”. This process of maceration can go on for few days, weeks, months, or in extreme cases even years depending on winemakers’ preferences, defining the colour tone but more importantly the tannin structure and various flavour profiles. You may be wondering what it tastes like? Flavours, structure and tannins like any other wine style depend on the overly used term of “terroir” and ultimately on stylistic choices by winemakers which include grape varieties used, maceration time on the skins along with type of material

used for ageing and maturation such as oak, steel, concrete or for the joy of hipsters: clay. This being said a common trait from producers in Friuli-Venezia Giulia in the North East of Italy, who pioneered the revival of Orange wine in the 90’s and remain among the most iconic producers of orange wine, you can find ripe fruits leading to a distinct peach and apricot but you can find others with more herbaceous and floral characters. However in a very “Keep It Simple Silly” explanation, drinking a nice orange wine is like having white wine while bringing the pleasures of freshness and at the same time finishing with quite pronounced tannins, making this style of wine best appreciated not overly chilled (no less than 12°C) or in some instances at room temperature like red wines. Ideally some nibbles would definitely soften up the tannins and help you enjoy these wines better, although orange wine remains versatile enough to prevent over thinking food pairing options. Finally orange wine is mostly made by small producers who more often than other commercial producer use very little intervention in their vineyards, promoting if not “natural wines” then sustainable farming. Definitely worth trying and among the best producers that I had the pleasure to encounter, I can recommend Dario Princic who among many styles makes a delicious Bianco: a fresh and fragrant blend of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. In addition from producer Radikon, his Jakot is a beautiful and complex Tokaj, with gorgeous notes of peach and almonds. In Hong Kong there aren’t many options to enjoy Orange Wine but luckily if you are out and planning to have some, you can head over 121bc on 42-44 Peel Street and ask for some recommendations as they have a broad range of top notch orange wine (they use the Italian term “macerato”). Just don’t ask for fermented orange juice! Cheers.

甚麼酒？也許橙酒聽上去像是由一班所橙謂潮人發明，又或是一個頭腦不清醒的醉酒者，為了暖暖身子而忽發奇想地創作出來。但若你對橙酒不認識，我可以告訴你它是真有其物的：對，可能它是葡萄酒的「喪家犬」，但它並非由橙汁發酵而成，也非取代雞尾酒Hot Toddy成為熱潮的飲料。一句到尾，橙酒之所以被稱為橙酒，原因在於它的顏色，其顏色範圍可由橙色到琥珀色。那橙酒到底是甚麼？很久很久以前，歷史上所指的橙酒其實就是白酒，起源於幾千年前的喬治亞地區一帶。經過釀酒技術的演變，現代釀酒術偏向令葡萄接觸不到葡萄果皮，減少葡萄酒從果皮的色素着色，然而現代的釀酒商及愛酒人士卻想復興橙酒，使其成為葡萄酒的一種風格，與紅酒、白酒及玫瑰紅酒並駕齊驅。橙酒可說是歷史遺留下來的產物，但簡單帶點諷刺而言，它是「偽裝成紅酒的白酒」。讓我來解釋：現代釀造白酒的造法，多數在榨取葡萄後分隔開其果皮，但橙酒則不然，釀造時不將葡萄果皮分隔開，像紅酒一樣，因此意大利人稱橙酒為「vino bianco macerato」，字面解釋為「經浸漬的白酒」。浸漬過程可由數天、數周至數月，更有極端例子以年計算，視乎釀酒師對酒色的個人取向，更重要是決定葡萄酒的單寧結構及味道層次。猜想橙酒的味道如何？與其他葡萄酒風格一樣，當中的口味、結構、單寧主要視乎當地風土(terrior，被廣泛濫用的字眼)，也視乎釀酒師的個人風格，如釀酒的葡萄品種、浸漬時間、用以發酵待陳容器的物料，包括橡木、鋼、水泥，或是潮人之選：黏土。意大利弗留利(Friuli)的酒莊於90年代帶頭復興橙酒，目前仍是最具代表性的橙酒產區，其釀造出來的橙酒充滿熟果果味，當中香桃和杏子的味道很突出，也帶有其他味道有如草本植物及花香味。然而，以「白痴也看得懂」的語言來說，喝到一枝好的橙酒就如喝白酒時，喝到當中的清新而又不乏單寧，因此不適宜在過度冷藏橙酒下享用(不應低於12°C)，又或者可與紅酒一樣在室溫下飲用。在享用橙酒時，最理想當然是有東西可以「咬」，讓酒中的單寧軟化一點，使你能更享用這種酒，而其實橙酒也易於與各種食物配搭，它多用途的特性不會令你想食物配搭而抓起頭來。橙酒多數由小型的酒莊釀造，這些酒莊與一般商業化酒莊不一樣，他們偏向以「自然而然」的方式釀造葡萄酒，亦即是所謂的「天然葡萄酒」，或是可持續耕作。整體而言，橙酒絕對值得試試的，而以我曾喝過的橙酒而言，我可推介Dario Princic酒莊的Bianco以及Radikon 酒莊的Jakot。橙酒在香港並不常見，但你可到位於中環的意大利餐廳酒吧121bc，嚐到多款一流的橙酒。只是記緊不要點叫發酵橙汁便好了！ (Christie Chan譯)

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Get Enchated by the long lost Green Fairy 醉心綠仙子：苦艾酒

Text and Photography by Christie Chan 圖文：Christie Chan

any of the most beautiful and charming things in the world are profoundly involved with culture and history, be it the fascinating sophisticated city Paris, mysterious ancient architecture of the Egyptian pyramids, or the miracle that is Mother Nature. Unfortunately sometimes these gems can be buried in history for false or faulty reasons making the people of today not notice them; which is definitely a loss for all. Here at WTHK I am so glad to have the chance to dig up the long forgotten gem and share it with our readers – Absinthe, “the green fairy” (French: la fée verte). One of the best ways to learn about something you are not familiar with is to ask questions and learn from answers; and the shortcut is to ask someone who is professional and owns the expertise on the subject. As lucky as I am, I had the opportunity to spend an hour chatting with Sven Olsen, Founder and CEO of Metropolitan Spirits Group which produces La Mansion Fontaine absinthes in Pontarlier, France (centre of 18 winetimeshk.com

absinthe production), so as to learn about the product from zero knowledge. Absinthe is a green (verte) or white (blanche) coloured spirit with high alcohol content from 45% to 72% which is infused with grand wormwood, green anise and fennel as the base, and other herbs for extra flavours. It is believed that the origin of absinthe was from Ancient Egypt when it first appeared around 1,500BC but the first solid evidence that showed it was actually invented by a French doctor living in Couvet, Switzerland during the French Revolution, Pierre Ordinaire, who devised absinthe as an all-purpose medical potion in the late 18th century. Later on after the death of the doctor, the recipe of absinthe was passed down and people started making and drinking it ever since. It could be considered as “the hipster alcoholic beverage” in Europe at the time because it was so popular that famous artists, writers and intellectuals loved the drink; well-known drinkers are Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Ernest

界上許多絢麗迷人的事物，大部分都擁世有深厚的歷史及文化底蘊，不管是充滿引人入勝歷史痕跡的巴黎，還是神秘的古埃及

建築金字塔，或是奇妙無比的大自然，其共通點也是經歷無數年月的洗禮。然而，有時這些美麗的事物，或會因世事不盡完美而被歷史活埋，使人漸漸遺忘了它的存在，令人感到婉惜。可幸的是，WTHK有機會於今期雜誌中，為讀者尋得一種失落的美物—「綠仙子(法文：la fée verte)」苦艾酒。與Metropolitan Spirits Group的創辦人及總裁Sven Olsen訪談前，我對苦艾酒完全沒有認識，幸而邀得這位據於法國朋塔雷(Pontarlier，生產苦艾酒的勝地)的苦艾酒生產商，請他為我們介紹苦艾酒，可謂走上了捷徑去知道更多有關這美酒的一切。苦艾酒是一種高酒精濃度的烈酒，其酒精含量由45%至72%不等，而顏色分別為綠色及透明兩種，由三種基本香草浸泡而成，分別為苦艾草、綠茴芹及茴香，也可加入其他香草以豐富酒的香味及味道。有說苦艾酒源於公元前1,500年的古埃及，但在歷史記載在18世紀末，其由一位居於瑞士庫維特的法國藉醫生研製而成，本為醫治多種疾病的藥水。苦艾酒的配方自該名醫生去世後得以流傳下來，始後人們開始製造及飲用它。苦艾酒可謂當時歐洲最「潮」的酒精飲品，許多名畫家、作家及知識分子均喜愛喝它，連梵

Hemingway, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Oscar Wilde and so on. Even the normal “happy hour” was renamed as “the green hour” owing to the rise of this beautiful drink. As tragic as it seemed, this gem had been rated from love to hatred in the early 1900’s due to rumours and scandals claiming drinkers would be out of their mind and thus they take evil actions such as murder. Absinthe was then banned from drinking and making in many European countries for the following century and the long exile was finally over in the 2000’s simply because it’s been proven to be just a regular spirit. Absinthe was originally crafted green in colour, making me curious about its white colour and wondering if there are other colours of absinthe. Sven explained that in the old days about 90% of absinthe were green and 10% were white; however after the ban on the product both production and consumption became illegal, while some people were still very much in love with the drink so they secretly produced it white in colour in regard to easy disguise as other alcohol. Sven noted that there is pink absinthe too. Here with expert absinthe maker Sven, of course we have to get to grips with the production of this drink. Firstly, put dried herbs into distilled alcohol with 82% alcohol content and leave it overnight to macerate. After the scented oil from the herbs are extracted and mixed into the alcohol, filtration comes second and the last step is to dilute it from 82% to a

drinkable level and also as the maker desires. With absinthe back on stage and as the younger generation becomes a more significant group of spirits consumers, drinking absinthe has not yet been a trend among youngsters simply because they have no idea about it. Sven pointed out the importance of educating both bartenders and drinkers about the product. “People don’t go to a bar and ask for absinthe, but when they see the absinthe fountain standing on the bar they get interested. And people behind the bar have to tell them more about this product such as how it is served.” Similar to the English tea culture, absinthe drinking also has its own culture as it is designed to be served with a set of specific tools including an absinthe fountain slowly dripping ice cold water, an absinthe spoon for placing a sugar cube on and an absinthe glass. In this way, absinthe is added with sweetness from the sugar cube and diluted with iced water, making it as easy drinking as an herbal cocktail. Fancy going on a date with the green fairy? Pay a visit to The Continental bar at Pacific Place in Admiralty as there will be 12 to 15 absinthe brands to choose from their menu along with 6 cocktails mixing with absinthe in no time. If you are dedicated to hang out with all the green fairies, please be aware of the magical power of the fairies and “spirits”; not only will they enchant you but also make you way too tipsy!

指，有釀酒者也釀造出粉紅色的苦艾酒。難得能與釀造苦艾酒的專家Sven對話，當然要問問他這酒是如何釀製出來的。首先，把水分已被抽乾的香草加到經過蒸餾、酒精含量達 82%的烈酒當中，然後讓其浸漬整晚，待香草中的精華及油份與酒精混和。然後，把酒精進行過濾程序，再把其酒精含量降低至可喝水平，或釀酒師心目中的理想水平。經過了整整一個世紀，苦艾酒才真正返回烈酒的大舞台，可惜作為主要消耗群之一的年輕族群，卻對苦艾酒一無所知，以致其銷量遠遠低於其他烈酒。Sven指，讓飲者及調酒師重新認識苦艾酒是生產商的首要任務，他說道：「人們到酒吧時並不會主動點叫苦艾酒，但如果他們看到有個苦艾酒泉放在吧臺上，很可能對此好奇而感興趣，而這時在吧臺後的調酒師就該向客人介紹一下這種酒，例如喝它的形式。」與英式品茶文化一樣，苦艾酒也有其獨特的一套品嚐方法，當中用具包括苦艾酒泉、苦艾酒匙及苦艾酒杯。在飲用時，準備好盛滿冰水的苦艾酒泉，然後在苦艾酒杯斟一小杯苦艾酒。在酒杯上放置苦艾酒匙，匙上放着一粒方糖，再把酒杯置於苦艾酒泉的滴管下，讓冰水慢慢滴經方糖而下，最後一杯經冰水稀釋而帶甜的苦艾酒便成，其味道就如一杯充滿香草香氣的雞尾酒。想跟綠仙子約會嗎？位於金鐘太古廣場的酒吧 The Continental將為客人提供12到15個不同品牌的苦艾酒，同時也設計了6款含苦艾酒的雞尾酒特調，讓你可嚐盡這種酒的美。不過，當心綠仙子的魔法和魅力，她們最擅長令人在不知不覺間着迷，更會使你迷得醉醺醺！

高、畢加索、海明威等人也名列其中。苦艾酒風靡一時，甚至當時的「歡樂時光」也易名為「綠色時光」，可見它受盡世人的萬千愛戴。然而好景不常，當時有謠言指苦艾酒會令飲者神智不清、思緒紊亂，繼而做出邪惡可怕的事，例如謀殺等罪案，令歐洲各國政府於1900年初下令禁止飲用及生產苦艾酒，直至來到2000 年才徹底取消禁令，只因證實苦艾酒與一般烈酒無異，非為「邪惡之物」，於是被人們遺忘長達一百年的綠仙子才得以解禁。顧名思義，苦艾酒的別名為綠仙子，可見是因為酒呈綠色，但同時也有透明無色的苦艾酒，令我好奇是否還有其他顏色存在。Sven向我解釋，以前約90%的苦艾酒為綠色，其餘的 10%則為透明。不過在禁令之後，生產及飲用苦艾酒均屬違法，不少人愛好者卻不惜鋌而走險釀造苦艾酒，因此他們多生產透明的苦艾酒，方便把其偽裝成其他酒精，逃過法網。他 winetimeshk.com 19

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“Join us for Tasting” Panel: Vegetarian vs. Lebanese 飲食擂台：素食對黎巴嫩

Let’s rock wine tasting in a way other than with the “professionals”. Here we present to you our “keep it real” tasting panel, where we invite our readers to join us to taste wines and give real honest feedback. Each month, we will take wines from a particular country or area and take you out for dinner with your friends and all you have to do is tell us and our readers what you think of the wines and simply enjoy a delightful dinner! This issue, we head out to Tsim Sha Tsui and to Lebanese vegetarian restauant Wild Thyme for a taste and pairing of some wines of Lebanon and tasty Lebanese food. Many cultures wines are made to be drunk with the local food and Lebanon is no different so follow our excursion through the wonderful and exciting world of Lebanese food and wine to see which ones our readers liked best this month. Text & Photography by Ali Nicol

有別於一貫刻板的專業酒評，WTHK每期的飲食擂台將邀請讀者與我們一同嚐盡美酒佳餚，讓他們寫下最真實的感受及酒評，並親身告訴所有讀者。我們每月會挑選一個國家或地區的葡萄酒，宴請讀者和朋友們邊享用晚餐邊品嚐美酒，並即席寫下和分享對酒品的想法。今期的《飲食擂台》我們邀請讀者到位於尖沙咀的黎巴嫩素菜餐廳Wild Thyme，配以釀自黎巴嫩的葡萄酒，邊享佳餚邊嚐美酒。許多非主流的葡萄酒是為了配以當地美食而釀造，黎巴嫩的葡萄酒也是這樣。現在，就讓我們的讀者嚐享用這豐盛的一餐，挑選出本月他們最喜愛的美酒吧！譯文：Christie Chan 攝影：Ali Nicol ALL WINES SUPPLIED BY Red Mill Ltd 葡萄酒由Red Mill Ltd提供 www.redmillhk.com

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♛TOP 1 Chateau Ksara

Reserve de Couvent 2010 Apperance: Brownish red with a deep rich colour Aromas: Rich, woody aroma with a robust nose on first impressions Palate: Sturdy on the palate with notes of woodland and a nice smooth finish Why do I like it? Drinking the wine feels like sitting on a red velvet sofa with smooth jazz playing in the background. Best food pairing: Falafel

Sharon Siu About her:

gets seriSotuudent; on the thirds Asian flush sip of wine 關於她：學生；

酒色：啡紅色而帶點深紅香氣：濃郁木香，嗅到酒時的第一感覺認為較烈味道：口感較強烈，帶有木味，餘韻順滑為何喜歡？喝這酒時就像坐在毛絨沙發上，背景還播放着爵士音樂似的最佳食物配搭：炸鷹嘴豆餅

與不少亞洲人一樣，喝喝到第三口酒便會臉紅

♛TOP 2

Chateau Ksara 1986 (magnum) Apperance: Brown, with shades of orange Aromas: In the language of aroma, the top note is ripe berries, the heart is of robust spiciness and the basis underlying notes are of leather Palate: Rich, complex and fruity with undertones of leather topped off with a hint of spice Why do I like it? It has amazing complexity with superb layers of aroma and taste. Best food pairing: Halloumi cheese

酒色：啡色而帶有橙色色調香氣：先是熟莓果果香，中心主要為香辛料香味，而基底層則帶點皮革氣味味道：口感豐富具層次，果味亦濃，具皮革氣味之餘，還帶點辛為何喜歡？它的香氣及味道層次均豐富得令人讚嘆最佳食物配搭：哈羅米芝士

♛TOP 1

Ixsir Altitudes White 2013 Apperance: White Gold Aromas: Lychee with a slight hint of fresh raspberries Palate: Floral and light. Very delicate with a hint of sweetness Why do I like it? Very easy drinking; fantastic for the summer months. Would pair with anything from Sandwiches to dim sum and brings out the best qualities in both the food and wine; especially the starch, sweetness and acidity. Best food pairing: Spicy Hummus, Hummus; Baba Ghanoush and Pita Bread

♛TOP 2 Chateau Ksara

1986 (magnum)

Apperance: Brick, brown Aromas: Leather and plum with hints of smokiness Palate: Earthy, with hints of spice and orange peel Why do I like it? Probably impossible to get at retail, but would be fantastic with any red meat and/or cheesy pasta. Best food pairing: Halloumi cheese

酒色：白金色香氣：荔枝果香，還帶點新鮮紅莓味道：淡淡花味，而且帶點可口的甜為何喜歡？非常容易入喉；很適合夏日飲用。這酒很容易配上食物，由三文治到點心也可，兩者的發揮也會不俗，特別與酒色：磚紅啡色澱粉質、甜味及酸度配合香氣：皮革氣味及梅子果香，最佳食物配搭：香辣或也帶點煙燻氣味不辣的鷹嘴豆豆味道：礦物味，帶點香辛及橙皮味蓉、中東茄子為何喜歡？可能在市面上無法購得此酒，醬及口袋但它與任何紅肉及芝士麵食將會十分配合餅最佳食物配搭：哈羅米芝士

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Antonio Da Roza About h Barristerim: sor; U at-Law; Re nderpaid

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is and und 關於他： er-apptraent Profes大律師；研究助理 ciated 薪水支不教授；足而又懷才不遇

♛TOP 2

Chateau Ksara Red 2009 Apperance: Red, like wine! Aromas: Distinct liquorice on the nose makes it very appealing Palate: Very easy and approachable, a wine to let the night roll on with! Why do I like it? It’s good with food, it’s good without food; either way, it’s good! Best food pairing: Any meat dish (of which there are none!) or Halloumi cheese 酒色：紅色，像紅酒一樣！香氣：明顯的甘草香氣，十分吸引人味道：非常容易入喉，是枝可以令各人在晚上盡慶的好酒為何喜歡？配上食物時是枝好酒；不配食物時也是枝好酒；總之就是枝紅酒！最佳食物配搭：任何肉類(而這晚的餐桌上並無任何肉類)，或是哈羅米芝士

♛TOP 1 Chateau Ksara

Reserve de Couvent 2010 Apperance: Looks like a red wine! Aromas: Intense fresh berries with a hint of woodiness Palate: Well balanced with good structure on the palate and the finish Why do I like it? It’s like a visit from an old friend; like a comforting motherly hug. Best food pairing: Falafel 酒色：看似紅酒！香氣：濃郁的鮮莓果香，也帶點木香味道：各方面也做到口感平衡，味道及餘韻結構很好為何喜歡？喝它時就像老朋友探望自己一樣；像一個親切的擁抱。最佳食物配搭：炸鷹嘴豆餅

LeeAboutMason him:

Lecturer; Oenophile and bon vivant. Can’t stand people who say they can’t stand people who have their heads up their own asses about wine

關於他：大學講師；歡樂滿點的愛酒之人。忍受不了那些說忍受不了對品酒抱着自以為是的態度的人

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♛TOP 1

Chateau Ksara Sunset Rosé 2013 Apperance: Attractive onion skin colouring Aromas: Floral, candy, mild and subtle aromas Palate: Hints of lime, fresh strawberries and other red berries Why do I like it? It’s refreshing and not a typical Rosé. It has a smoky note to it and is best enjoyed on the beach during summer. Best food pairing: On its own or with any kind of salad

Angus Lee & Lam duie Melo Abo t them:

mier .com (Prelin e r openwines n fo o s rs it ir te ri sp W d e Win wines an ed as b ees in e) h C magazin

酒色：吸引的洋蔥皮顏色香氣：花香、糖果、中性溫和的氣味味道：有點青檸果味，也有新鮮士多啤梨和其他紅色莓果類為何喜歡？這酒的比一般的玫瑰紅酒口感更清新，當中帶有一點煙燻，最適合在夏日的沙灘上享用最佳食物配搭：可以在不配搭食物下飲用，或者任何種類的沙律

♛TOP 2

Chateau Kefraya Blanc 2012 Apperance: Golden hues in the glass Aromas: Slight notes of oxidation but more pronounced floral notes with hints of corn and applewood Palate: Slightly oaky with subtle hints of cheese which moves into a slightly oxidised palate as it opens up Why do I like it? The wine has very special, different and interesting characteristics for a Chardonnay. Best food pairing: Halloumi cheese 酒色：杯中呈現金色色調香氣：有點氧化的氣味，但當中的花香更為濃烈，也帶有粟米及蘋果木的香氣味道：帶點橡木氣味，還有點微微的芝士味，及後轉化為輕度氧化的氣味為何喜歡？這酒十分特別，具多種不同有趣的特性最佳食物配搭：哈羅米芝士

關於他們：評人 om的酒 in openw es.c 訊網站) 的頂尖酒品資主為文中 (以

♛TOP 1

Chateau Ksara 1986 (magnum) Apperance: Dark, brick red Aromas: Gorgeous nose, very aromatic and still fresh Palate: Mild grip of tannins especially from the bottle rather than the decanter, spicy and peppery on the palate Why do I like it? It has the complexity of an old wine but still aromatic and fresh. Best food pairing: None! Don’t need one! 酒色：深色，磚紅色香氣：濃郁香氣，但感覺仍然新鮮味道：中度單寧，尤其酒在瓶裏的時候，比較帶香辛及黑椒味為何喜歡？這酒具有陳酒的複雜性，但其香氣及味道仍然保持新鮮。最佳食物配搭：沒有！不需要配搭食物來喝！

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♛TOP 2 Chateau Ksara

Reserve de Couvant 2010 Apperance: Deep ruby red Aromas: Hints of blackberries and bramble, very approachable with a touch on chocolate on the nose Palate: Pleasant, soft tannins, quite round on the mid-palate but the finish could do with being a little bit longer Why do I like it? --Best food pairing: Falafel 酒色：深寶石紅香氣：黑莓果及樹莓果香，亦帶點巧克力氣味味道：可口，單寧溫和，各方面也平衡，但餘韻收結時可更持久為何喜歡？--最佳食物配搭：炸鷹嘴豆餅

im L e i r r Ge About him: en writing

ave beyears now! riter; H w r ten anything e o f in e W ut win w abo still don’t kno but 他於：，關達十年評資歷酒寫；萄酒！酒評人清楚葡太不但仍然

♛TOP 2 Ixsir Altitudes White 2013 Apperance: Nice golden colour, definitely a white wine! Aromas: Like a Greek Siren; alluring and ready to drag me down to my erotic olfactory demise (yeah, there’s some great white stone fruit and a touch of honey in there too!) Palate: Divine! Like your first kiss behind the bike sheds at school, one that you will never forget and always cherish (although this wine tastes a lot better than Emily Colbeck!) Why do I like it? It’s just a superb wine! If there is a “Best White of Lebanon” award then this is it for me. World-class undoubtedly…. don’t believe me? Then go and try it yourself! Best food pairing: Spicy hummus 酒色：甜美金色，一看便知道是白酒！香氣：像是海妖一樣；具致命的吸引力，使人不能自拔！(也就是甜美的白核果果香及帶點蜜糖香氣) 味道：太美妙了！就像初吻一樣那麼美好，你永遠也忘不了那種甜絲絲的滋味，並且不斷回味(但這酒比Emily Colbeck甜美多了！) 為何喜歡？它是百分百的美酒！這酒必然是我心中最佳的黎巴嫩白酒，水準達到世界級！不信你話你也試試看吧！最佳食物配搭：香辣鷹嘴豆豆蓉

♛TOP 1 Chateau Ksara

Sunset Rosé 2013

Apperance: Salmon pink, alluring and sexy in the glass Aromas: Pronounced strawberry with delicate and subtle aromas of other red fruits Palate: Dry Rosé unlike many other overly sweet ones on the market; definitely a summer wine with a juicy mouth feel, very (almost too) easy drinking! Why do I like it? Makes me think of beaches and ladies in g-strings! The kind of wine I want on a yacht in Monaco or St. Tropez with buxom ladies in white bikinis! Best food pairing: Crisp summer salads, cold appetisers or just on it’s own

ALI NICOL

酒色：三文魚粉橙色；顏色性感吸引香氣：強烈士多啤梨果香，也帶有淡淡宜人的紅果香氣 About him: 味道：口感較乾澀，不像市面上一般過甜的 der; Hong Kong Foun Rosé；絕對是夏日酒品之選，口味充滿水果而 Wine Timesfound propping a bar generally ewhere miles away 非常(幾乎太過)容易入喉！ up som not on in order la 為何喜歡？令我聯想起沙灘，以及穿着 te from civilisati pa s hi ng sti te 丁字褲比堅尼的性感女郎！最適合開遊艇出海到 to be beenhe be! t n’ ld ou sh in places 摩洛哥或聖托貝，與身材火辣、穿着關於他：白色比堅尼的女士共喝！酒吧，常在找尋隱蔽的通；最佳食物配搭：清新的夏日沙 WTHK創辦人方喝酒律、冷頭盤，或是獨在不該喝酒的地喝也可

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Highlights: The Third Macau Wine and Dine Festival 活動回顧：第三屆澳門葡萄酒美食節

Text & Photography by Ali Nicol 譯文：Christie Chan 攝影：Ali Nicol

he third annual Macau Wine and Dine Festival took place in early March and was a resounding success with hundreds of wine lovers and gourmands attending from Macau, China and Hong Kong to taste the plethora of top quality wines and fine foods that were on offer during the five-day event. Approximately 40 booths showcased the best of Macau’s culinary and wine scene in the open air events hosted at the Venetian Hotel located by the Lagoon. The event was co-hosted by The Wine Society of Macau and the Macau Sommelier Association and the opening ceremony saw Mr. Filipe Cunha Santos (President of the Wine Society of Macau) and Mr. Ciaran Carruthers (Senior VP and Director of the Venetian & Plaza Operations, Sands China Limited) officially declare the event open by toasting with gathered media, wine lovers and local food and beverage managers. There were plenty of interactive events taking place during the festival, none more so attended than 26 winetimeshk.com

the Wine School which held classes for both the public and professionals hosted by some of Macau’s most important sommeliers and wine business people. Highlights included talks by Roberto Gallotto, Hedi Lao and Luis Heredia and included subjects from simple wine opening skills to informative classes on Port wine and thought provoking conversations on Japanese Sake. There were some excellent food stands and first mention must go to Macau’s premier Spanish authentic Spanish Gastro Bar, BarCelona. Food was served throughout the Festival and we heard many people raving about the quality of the food from this new Macau destination. Also there was the Macau Slow Food Association showcasing its unique food, Indian Spice that was serving some quality Indian food, “Fish Me” – Macau’s premier fish and chips location, some lovely Mediterranean food from “My Chef” Andre Sa Correia who hails from Madeira and some “Taiwan Typical Food”.

年一度的澳門葡萄酒美食節於上月初圓一滿落幕，約有40名參展商參與是次第三屆的品酒節，於澳門威尼斯人酒店展出澳門的美食佳釀，一如以往地吸引了眾多來自港澳內地的饕客飲者，一連五天到場享受林林總總的佳餚美酒。

是次活動的由澳門洋酒協會及澳門品酒師協會合作舉辦，而澳門洋酒協會主席Filipe Cunha Santos，以及金沙中國威尼斯人酒店及商場營運高級副總裁及董事Ciaran Carruthers，同場現身開幕典禮，與各大傳媒、愛酒者以及美食供應商祝酒宣佈活動正式揭幕。品酒節期間有多個活動讓參與者與參展商互動，包括由澳門具份量的侍酒師或酒界專家主講「品酒學堂」，使行內行外人士也獲益良多。焦點人物Roberto Gallotto、Hedi Lao及 Luis Heredia主持講座，主題從簡單如打開酒瓶、砵酒的種種資訊，以至日本清酒的討論均包含在內。會場上有着不得不提的美食參展商，那就是澳門正宗高級西班牙菜BarCelona，各食客對其西班牙美食讚不絕口，更指其是澳門最炙手可熱的「飲食蒲點」之一。除了澳門慢食文化協會(Macau Slow Food Association)展示出其獨特美食外，印度香料美食(澳門)(Indian Spice Macau)也為各位提供高質素的印度菜，而脆魚點(Fish Me)超水準的炸魚薯條、由Andre Sa Correia主理的My Chef所煮的地

Of course, we were there for some great food but our main purpose was to check out the wines and wine companies that are available in Macau – and there were some real quality wines on show. Unlike Wine and Dine Hong Kong, we found a much higher quality of wine at Macau Wine and Dine Festival as no one was attempting to off load ‘binend’ wines and there is a more congenial atmosphere amongst the suppliers who are not trying to out sell each other by being the cheapest as they do in Hong Kong, quite the opposite in fact; many were actually happy to help recommend wines from other companies. Highlights were the wines from Claret Wines, Fine Beverages Limited, Pudao Wines and ASC Fine Wines; all located on one strip together making it a tough area to move on from. We had some excellent whites, rosés and reds from all the aforementioned suppliers

(there was a distinct lack of sparkling wines to be honest) and we also had some great wines from Macau Fine Wine Company. Nearer the stage, where live music was being pumped out all throughout the festival, we tasted some hypnotic vodka’s from Mongolia with Prem1er Spirits, some captivating Prosecco from Amorosso Fine Wines and some lovely biodynamic wines from Cottage Vineyards. In all, Macau Wine and Dine Festival was a great success (other than the weather – but we can’t have it all our own way!) and was well attended with quality wines and food. Hong Kong could learn a little from the great work done by the Macau Government, The Wine Society of Macau, The Macau Sommelier Association and the Venetian Macao – there’s no doubt we will be back for a bigger and better Macau Wine and Dine Festival 2016 this time next year! Cheers!

中海美食，以及地道台灣小吃也令眾人食指大動。雖然美食當前，但這次的主角還是葡萄酒，我們當然要為讀者介紹澳門有售的葡萄酒以及其供應商！會場上展示着不少好貨色，數量甚至比香港美酒佳餚巡禮(Wine and Dine)還要多，許多澳門參展商並沒試圖推銷品質差劣的葡萄酒，也沒有像香港參展商「頂爛市」，反之更樂意互相幫忙，推廣各參展商的美酒，整個氣氛和諧融洽。焦點參展商為醴然莊(Claret Wines)、優質飲品有限公司(Fine Beverages Limited)、葡道 (Pudao Wines)以及ASC精品酒業 (ASC Fine Wines)，以上參展商均聚落於同一位置，多不勝數的美酒可真令愛酒者「寸步難移」。當中紅白酒、玫瑰紅酒佳釀數之不盡，不過氣泡酒則有所匱乏。除了上述參展商，Macau Fine Wine Company也供應不少好酒，而靠近舞台的一邊，我們從Prem1er Spirits的攤位嚐到了產自蒙古的伏特加，也從Amorosso Fine Wines嚐到了不錯的Prosecco，以及在Cottage Vineyards嚐到生化多元的葡萄酒 (biodynamic wines)。總括而言，澳門葡萄酒美食節的舉辦非常成功 (雖然天氣不似預期…但我們總不能甚麼都擁有吧！)，而參與者都樂於享受美酒佳餚。香港大概也能從澳門政府、澳門洋酒協會、澳門品酒師協會以及澳門威尼斯人酒店中取經，從而舉辦一個更好的美酒佳餚巡禮。我們在此期待着下年度再次來到澳門，參與比這年更好的澳門葡萄酒美食節！乾杯！ winetimeshk.com 27

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