Wineshark Weekly - 10 June 2012

Last week I went to a traditional style Cantonese restaurant for dinner, the famous Lin Heung Tea House in Central. One of the few remaining one in HK, it is serving some traditional dim sum which most restaurants already are not selling. However, I went there for dinner so did not get to try the dim sum but mainly for the dishes.

When one first walked up the stairs, you will see the same decoration that is so common for such restaurant in the 70s, with some bird cages hanging on the ceiling. Even the tables and chairs got you immediately thinking about that, and bringing quite a lot of memories of how we went to such restaurants when we were young, with our parents...

On the night we ordered a Skewered Pork and Chicken Liver, Bitter Melon with Spare Ribs, and Stewed Fish Belly. The first is something I have not eaten for a long while, which essentially is a piece of BBQ pork, sandwiched with a layer of pig fat and a small piece of chicken liver. Very fatty for most people, and in fact Ivy did not eat the piece of fat, but it was delicious and truly something you should try, though not good to eat a lot.

The spare ribs and fish belly were both nice, though not I would say anything exceptional. But overall still a good restaurant to visit and enjoy the good old times! Next time should also try the dim sum. Overall it cost $265 for three persons. But remember to book or go earlier as the restaurant easily got full.

I went to Korea last week to meet my supply chain manager there, who had resigned and having the last week in office. Apart from the handover with his replacement and other support activities, I also took the chance to take a one-day leave to go with him around in their Memorial public holiday, to relax and get to know the country and culture better. Even after going there for more than 20 times I simply know nothing except the hotel and airport.

Thanks to Paul, we went to Yang Yang province (northeastern part of Korea, more than 200km from Seoul) and to some of the beautiful places like the lighthouse, Seoraksan national park, the beach, and also able to have a good BBQ dinner in his resort house, with real log fire to make our own charcoal. The weather and everything was simply fantastic and I enjoyed very much. This provided me the energy and got myself prepared to face the challenges in work that I have to deal with...

After returning to HK I was able to join a wine-tasting and dinner with the theme on Pinot Noir, organized by Altaya. The wines were more the everyday type, not something exceptional, and the overall Masterclass gave me more a feeling of marketing promotion than serious educational purpose.

But I did enjoy the dinner in W Hotel, with the good food and also able to interact with Mandy Weaver, the owner of Churton winery in Marlborough NZ. Their wine was one of the best of the day and I particularly like their dedication on biodynamics and details in the winemaking process. I strongly believe that they will do very well, especially for drinkers who like a true representation of the terroir from their NZ wine.

Finally, sharing the wines I tasted for this week:

Deux Montille Auxey-Duresses 2005 (Auxey-Duresses, France)

Deux Montille is the negociant business run by Etienne de Montille with his sister Alix. The Auxey-Duresses is a village wine that is good value for money, offering drinkers the glimpse of the Cote de Beaune Chardonnay without paying too high a price. This 2005 got a nice palate though the nose is weak. Still able to grasp a bit of complexity, this is a good refreshing wine to enjoy on a summer day.

Maison Leroy Bourgogne 2001 (Burgundy, France)

Leroy is obviously a famous name for Burgundy, and their negociant business Maison Leroy produces good value wine in general. This generic Bourgogne is a disappointment though, with the first impression not good from the moldy and soaky cork upon opening the bottle. The wine is rather weak on palate, without much fruit remaining and fairly light in intensity. Also a bit too sour, though the nose is still enjoyable with a fair complexity. This wine should be drunk immediately and not to keep further.

Need to plan my wine study again, and also the tasting piece to ensure I did cover all the more simple ones before the final exam in Jan 2013. Looks still got a while, but I found that I need to organize tasting every week from now on to be able to taste all the styles, let alone to cover all the regions... So made up my mind to organize that starting next week. Stay tuned for more information.

Until next week, wish you all a happy week, and wish myself the best of luck on what I have to do....