Try your hand at winemaking at the Ultimate Barossa Wine Experience

Winemaking in the lap of luxury at The Ultimate Barossa Wine Experience…

Australian wine industry continues its ‘hurray’ moment with yet another specially curated wine experience, designed to draw in the more discerning of oenophiles from all corners of the world. Yes, we’re talking about The Ultimate Barossa Wine Experience, a one-of-a-kind, luxurious wine journey into the heart of one of South Australia’s famous wine-producing regions, Barossa.

Offering the best of what the wine region has to offer, the seven-day package includes luxury accommodation in a boutique hotel, all meals, transport and even a helicopter tour of the vineyards. The highlight, however, is a winemaking session with Andrew Quin, the chief winemaker of the renowned Hentley Farm. Guests can experiment with grape varieties, vintages, blends to come up with their own unique wines, complete with a personalised label. All this for a mere price of HK$1.9 million. It’s a deal, we say!

The Bonhams Whisky Sale returns to Hong Kong with liquid gems from across the globe

Good news for whisky connoisseurs! The annual Bonhams Whisky Sale is taking place in Hong Kong on 17 August. Daniel Lam, Head of Fine Wine and Whisky in Hong Kong, says: “[This] is a wonderful opportunity to acquire the finest of Japanese whiskies and some of the most sought-after names in Scotch whisky such as Macallan, Port Ellen and Ardbeg.” A rare first edition of Yamazaki 50 years-old leads the Bonhams Whisky Sale. We round up some of the highlights from the sale:

A Yamazaki 50 years-old, estimated at HK$1,800,000-2,400,000, which was matured in casks made from Japanese oak before being released in 2005. Only 50 bottles have ever been produced, making it one of the scarcest of Japanese whiskies.

A bottle of Hibiki-Arita 35 years-old, estimated at HK$100,000-140,000, which was produced to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Japan’s traditional porcelain production. Only 150 bottles were ever released.

Karuizawa Sumo Trio distilled in 1981, 1982 and 1983, estimated at HK$90,000-120,000, which were framed in a crafted humidor designed by Japanese woodblock illustrator Hachisuka Kuniaki. Only 340 sets were ever produced.

A bottle of 37 years-old Macallan Fine & Rare 1937, the second-oldest whisky from the Macallan Fine & Rare Series, estimated to fetch HK$ 260,000-320,000.

A vertical collection of annual releases from Port Ellen, an extremely sought-after lost distillery from Scotland. 17 bottles – from 2001 to 2017 – will be auctioned off for an estimated price of HK$280,000-360,000.

Text: Suchetana Mukhopadhyay

Colourful cuisine with Veuve Clicquot and Aqua and Armani/Aqua

Veuve Clicquot, together with Aqua and Armani/Aqua, promises to make your life very colourful this summer. Throughout August, the champagne brand and the restaurants are offering a vibrant gourmet experience, imagined through the colours of Veuve Clicquot champagne.

Talking about the gastronomical experiment, Chef Alberto Hernández says, “Colours stimulate the senses and enliven the palate. The three dishes that we have created are designed to captivate the eye and excite the taste buds, with a unique feature of inspiring gourmets to add their own artistic touch.”

The first course is a tribute to the Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label. Chef Hernández pairs this iconic champagne with Japanese oyster and scallop ceviche, complete with a bold saffron cream to create a dramatic effect and complement the rich yellow colour palette of the Yellow Label bottle.

The second course – a slow-cooked Norwegian salmon, with king prawns and caviar – is even more striking and pairs well with the ripe flavours of the Veuve Clicquot Extra Brut Extra Old.

The most attractive dish is, however, the dessert – an Amarena cloud cheesecake framed with pink rainbow sauces that goes perfectly with Veuve Clicquot’s Champagne Rosé.

The PR blurb for the event sums it up in a catchy way – “Life tastes better in colour!” Well, we don’t know if life will taste better in colour, but your Instagram handle definitely will!

Text: Suchetana Mukhopadhyay

Give wings to gastronomic fantasies at Popinjays, The Murray’s new rooftop restaurant

The Murray has added yet another feather to its cap with the opening of Popinjays – a rooftop restobar.

Intrigued by the quirky name that’s been borrowed from the parrots in the neighbouring Garden Road, we decided to check out this hotspot that everybody’s been talking about, and, honestly, it looked quite promising from the word go!

Clearly meant to attract crowds throughout the day and well into the night, Popinjays is a truly versatile space, easily serving as a brunch spot in the morning, a lounge in the evening and a fine-dining venue at night, all perfectly synced to the changing colours of the sky whose unrestricted views one can enjoy, through the glass pavilion and outside on the wraparound terrace. Located atop the 25th-storey hotel, Popinjays easily commands the most Instagrammable views of Central. We’d personally recommend visiting the restaurant a bit before dusk, just in time to see Hong Kong’s skyline lighting up with neon lights from the surrounding skyscrapers.

Suitably satiated with the view, we turned our attention to the cocktail selection, which, in keeping with the general bird-inspired theme, was titled The Aviary Collection. We particularly liked the fruity, fragrant flavours of the Amazon Sour (HK$130) and the Flight of Fancy (HK$130), but those looking for something stronger can go for Popinjays Punch (HK$130) or Cockatoo on the Rocks (HK$130).

With the cocktails setting a pleasant tone for the evening, Popinjays’ dinner menu had a lot to live up to, and, oh boy, it sure did! Specially curated by Head Chef Didier Quennouelle, Popinjays’ speciality is French fine-dining with typical French savoir faire. The two appetisers, a textured salad of Tomatoes and Philibon Melon (HK$220) and a thinly-sliced veal starter called Vitello Tonnato (HK$260) were both light and easy on the palate, but it was the main course of Roast Vendée Pigeon (HK$650) that was the show-stealer. Tender and succulent, we recommend ordering it medium-rare to enjoy its full flavours.

Of the dessert selection, the Caramelized Golden Apple Cheese Cake (HK$130) stood out for getting the right balance between crunchy and smooth. Not too sweet on the palate, it’s also recommended for those who don’t have a strong sweet tooth.

With its perfect fusion of cosmopolitan cuisine and breathtaking views, it wouldn’t be a flight of fancy to say that Popinjays has truly enriched the restaurants and bars scene in our beloved city!

Text: Suchetana Mukhopadhyay

Summer Cocktails: Stories behind the summer’s most spirited concoctions

With the mercury soaring to new heights in Hong Kong, the city’s bars have chosen an array of summer cocktails as weapons of choice to beat the heat…

At the heart this summer cocktail movement is Duddell’s, an institution seen as Central’s cultural and social hub. Perhaps somewhat boldly, it has put its new Harmony cocktail range – a selection of drinks inspired by Eastern mysticism – at the front of its bid to build the cocktail constituency. Curated by resident mixologist Masumi Tomioka and award-winning bar specialist James Barker, each cocktail in the Harmony series blends nature with art.

The bar’s cocktail menu is neatly divided into four seasonal sections, with each said to “explore Japanese spirituality and draw inspiration from natural imagery and proverbs”. It’s probably safe to say that several libations played a part in its creation.

Designed to please a variety of palates, Fuubutsu-shi is the section that evokes the spirit of summer. It is a process that seems heavily reliant on haiku-esque drink designations, including the somewhat gnostic First Reeds Sprout (HK$160) and the more prosaic Frogs Start Singing (HK$160). The true star here, though, is the Warm Winds Blow (HK$160), a blend of Kamm & Sons Ginseng Spirit, Islay single-malt whisky, turmeric, vanilla, Indian tonic and pink grapefruit. I think we can all agree just which warm wind is likely to blow after two or three of these.

Another forerunner in the summer cocktail carnival is Angel’s Share, one of the Hollywood Road’s most welcoming drinkeries. Its seasonal specials are all elegant variations on the highball, that most classic of cocktail styles.

Among the most popular highball creations credited to head barman Lok Cheung is the Monochrome (HK$118), a classic blend of Johnnie Walker Black Label and homemade smoked malt soda. Another seasonal favourite, the Lavender Cooler (HK$118), also features Johnnie Walker Black Label, this time paired with lavender cordial, ginger ale, Singha soda water, lemon bitters and a garnish of lavender and gooseberry.

Returning more to the fantasy realm, Quinary – the Central-set nightspot recently recognised as one of the world’s 50 best bars – turned to Peter Pan, a classic of children’s literature, as the inspiration for its summer cocktails themed ‘Finding Neverland’, all of which were dreamed up by Samuel Kwok, the bar’s resident mixologist.

For summer 2018, his most popular creation has proved to be the Cool Lagoon (HK$130), a deceptively potent cocktail of Italicus, Iron Balls gin, Thai basil, Pavan grape liqueur, kaffir lime, cucumber bitters and pickled jalapeno syrup. While it’s not guaranteed to transport you to a land where boys never grow up, chances are enough of them will.

Text: Suchetana Mukhopadhyay

Four DIY cocktail recipes to quench your summer thirst

Summer time’s meant for cocktails, whether it’s at a bar or at home. So we have for you a few DIY cocktail recipes guaranteed to ‘wow’ your guests at the next soiree.

The Bibi

Place the vodka, halved peeled lemons, agave syrup and ice in the blender. Blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into a glass and top with your favourite syrup like hibiscus, beetroot, ginger, orange or honey. You can also add fresh herbs such as rosemary, lavender or basil or fresh fruit like raspberries, cherries, passion fruit, etc.

The Glace

Infuse tea in one litre of boiling water and then cool it completely. Now pour the cold tea into a jug and add vodka. Add 30cl of ice cubes. If you like your tea sweet, add sugar as well. Top it off with a few hand-crushed mint leaves before serving.

Famille Sour

Take 50ml Camus XO Borderies cognac, 20ml Grand Marnier, some pineapple juice and fresh lemon juice. Combine all ingredients in a shaker and then shake and double-strain. Pour in a rock glass and garnish with dried grapefruit.

Black Storm

In a highball glass filled with ice cubes, add 2oz of Gun’s Bell and top with 4oz of ginger beer or ginger ale. Garnish with lime wedges and enjoy!

Macallan unveils new Speyside distillery and launches Edition No.4 in HK

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Scottish whisky maker The Macallan recently celebrated the opening of its new Speyside distillery with an exclusive, multi-sensory tasting experience at ArtisTree. Over 500 whisky enthusiasts and industry insiders were invited to experience a 3D tour of the new facility, allowing them to experience its innovative and contemporary architecture first-hand.

Moreover, the brand’s creative director, Ken Grier, personally flew in to launch an exclusive new tipple, The Macallan Edition No.4, at the two-day event, making Hong Kong the very first APAC region to be able to indulge in this latest whisky expression.

LOUIS XIII Legacy Limited Edition Magnum: A celebration of history

Born in 1874, LOUIS XIII was the vision of Paul-Émile Rémy Martin, the third generation to head the ancestral cognac house, which today still upholds the strong family ties and values of its origins.

When Paul-Émile’s son sought a successor in 1925, he turned to André Renaud, a trusted partner with whom he had been working for over 15 years. From the 1960s, André worked hand in hand with his son-in-law, André Hériard Dubreuil, to whom he entrusted the house legacy.

It was André Heriard Dubreuil who founded in 1965 what is known today as the Alliance Fine Champagne, a visionary partnership with local winegrowers, leaving the house an invaluable heritage that cemented its success. Still today, the Heriard Dubreuil family is the cornerstone of the legendary cognac house, the guardians of its values and history.

So as LOUIS XIII celebrates the iconic LOUIS XIII Legacy Limited Edition Magnum, we talk to Marie-Amélie Jacquet, fourth-generation member of the Hériard Dubreuil family, on what makes this drink so exceptional.

Was it always part of your plan to join the family business?

It was absolutely the opposite. I always said that I don’t want to join the family business; I want to do my own thing. In fact, I was an investment banker based in London. Funnily enough, my mother was exactly the same. She had her own job and even started her PR company when she was pregnant with me. She kept that going for about 10 years and after that, she relented and joined her father and her brothers, who had asked her for many years to join the family business. In my case, I changed my career path after I had a prolapsed disc when I was 30 and my doctors advised me to change my lifestyle.

I had always cared very much for Rémy Martin and Rémy Cointreau, and I wanted to prepare myself to carry on the legacy of our great brand. I know there will come a time in the future where our decisions will shape the company’s legacy and we need to prepare for that and there’s no better way to do that than by learning from the inside.

How has life changed for you since the career move?

Well, it’s a lot less stressful now! I did have a bit of apprehension in joining the company as a family member. At that time my mother was the chairwoman, so I did wonder if it would be a new dynamic altogether. But luckily, two of my cousins joined around the same time and it was so much easier than I had anticipated. And when I say it’s a family company, it’s not merely because the family is involved in the company but because Rémy Cointreau – the company – is actually a big family.

Could you tell us a bit more about what makes the LOUIS XIII Legacy Limited Edition Magnum so unique?

It is very special, not just because it’s a very limited release of only 500 decanters, but also because we had the privilege of bringing together our four last cellar-masters. Each of them had a great part to play in creating the drink that we have with us today. It takes decades – even generations – to make a product such as the LOUIS XIII Legacy Limited Edition Magnum.

How do you anticipate LOUIS XIII’s legacy to be in the future?

I think LOUIS XIII will remain the drink of choice for great celebrations. I think it’s a celebration of history because it takes so long to make. As a brand, we are also committed to thinking a century ahead. I think what sets us apart is our promise and commitment to make LOUIS XIII not just for foreseeable decades but for centuries.

Explore the unique pairing of Japanese and Italian cuisine with Chef Tabuchi

We check out the unique culinary craft of Chef Tabuchi of S’accapau, who brings together the best of Japanese and Italian ingredients in a beautiful blend!

Chef Tabuchi taps into his Japanese heritage and Italian experience in his culinary creations

While quite a few Hong Kong restaurants have been offering a fusion of Japanese and French cuisine – some of them even making it to Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2018 list – fusing Japanese and Italian cuisine has been something of a novelty so far. And that is exactly what Chef Taku Tabuchi has been attempting to do in his Tokyo-based modernist restaurant S’accapau.

Hong Kongers were in luck last weekend with Chef Tabuchi cooking up a cultural storm of sorts at The Mira, Hong Kong, over 8 and 9 June, using his signature techniques that blend the best of his Japanese heritage and his Italian culinary experience.

Chef Tabuchi’s creations are easy on the eye and on the palate

For two nights only, Chef Tabuchi prepared a special six-course menu featuring elements from both Japanese and Italian cuisine, such as yellowtail with fennel and flowers, a trio of sliders, summer flounder with classic Italian sausage, and fregola with flying squid, sea urchin, white shrimp and Asari clams and mussels.

To accompany the delectable dishes was a handpicked selection of wines specially curated by sommelier Seju Yang. The boutique picks included a flinty and refreshing Schloss Johannisberg, Gelblack Feinherb Riesling from Rheingau and a modern Senkin Yamadanishiki hand-made sake. The wine and food pairings were however elevated to the next level by the perfect palate cleansers – the Acqua Panna and S.Pellegrino waters.

Sommelier Seju Yang’s drinks pairing menu has its share of uniqueness

The entire menu will be available for tasting WHISK, The Mira till 23 June from Monday to Saturday at dinner. The menu is priced at HK$890 for six courses, and HK$480 more for six glasses of wine pairings.

Booking enquiries: 2315 5999 or dining@themirahotel.com

Text: Suchetana Mukhopadhyay