As Mark Cholewka, Founder and Managing Director of Shore Restaurant & Bar admits, many of his life’s most memorable moments have occurred where land meets water. In other words, at a shore. Hence the inspiration behind the steak and seafood restaurant meets suave bar and lounge, located on the 3rd floor of The L Place in Central. The place specializes in in-house dry-aging premium quality beef, having been one of the first venues in Hong Kong to do so.

Shore Steak Dining Room (Photo courtesy of Shore)

To find out more about the wine program, designed to spotlight Executive Chef Jason Black’s steak-prominent cuisine, I met with Mark Cholewka as well as Group Sommelier and Beverage Manager Alexandre Loisel. With Mark I discussed in depth the inspiration behind the name and decor of the restaurant, as well as the overarching concept behind the menu. Alexandre described to me the famous Meat Bible, a truly holy book that serves guests by explaining in detail the different cuts of beef available around the world, and their different possible preparation methods. He also spoke of the restaurant’s mostly Old World oriented wine list, as well as some of the wine consumption trends he has noticed among Shore’s mixed local and Western clientele. When asked to recommend a signature dish and wine pairing, he chose the Dry-Aged Cape Grim Bone-In Striploin with the Domaine de la Grange des Pères, a hearty blend of 40% Syrah, 40% Mourvedre and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon.

After the interview, I also got a chance to visit Shore Hospitality’s latest project, a wonderfully rustic and down-to-earth eatery called The Salted Pig, just one floor down from Shore. A spacious, comfortable, country-style dining room welcomes guests to relax, share a carafe (or two!) of wine and enjoy Chef Black’s piggy-centric, European countryside style menu.

Our interviews follow:

Mark: My name is Mark Cholewka. I am the Managing Director and Founder of Shore Restaurant & Bar and I handle all of the day-to-day operations of the place.

Please tell me a bit about the name of the restaurant. What does the name “Shore” say about the concept behind this venue?

Mark: The original name and concept were meant to be a celebration of life experiences. I spent most of my good times and bad times on a shoreline somewhere, whether it was a lakeshore, river shore or seashore. I thought it would be appropriate to open a restaurant that would remind me of these moments in my life.

And about the décor here, is there a central theme running through it? What kind of atmosphere are you trying to create for your guests?

Mark: As the name suggests, it is a meeting point of land and water. We wanted to present the guest with nice earth tones juxtaposed to those of water. It is not necessarily a theme, but there is a “water’s edge” type of vibe resulting from this décor. The dining room has earthy tones and curves and is called our “Onshore” area. Our “Offshore” area is our bar and lounge, which emulates waves crashing against a seaside and smooth lines to represent water.

Offshore Lounge (Photo courtesy of Shore)

Please tell me a bit about the cuisine at Shore and about the inspiration behind it.

Mark: We primarily offer steak and seafood with a heavy prominence of steak. We were one of the first people in Hong Kong to dry-age beef. The history behind the cuisine stems from childhood memories of me catching fish at the cottage lake and fileting it on a rock, while my dad was barbecuing steak. So it’s a way of bringing the best of two worlds together.

That sounds wonderful. Thank you. 

Alexandre: Hi, my name is Alexandre. I work for Shore Restaurant and Hospitality. I am the Group Head Sommelier and Beverage Manager and I look after all beverage-related issues – wines, cocktails and so forth.

Mark has told me a bit about inspiration behind the cuisine of the place. I’ve also heard some great things about something called the Meat Bible that you provide here. Please explain what this is.

Alexandre: The Meat Bible is a tool we use to inform our guests in a bit more detail about the different cuts of beef we offer. We’ve arranged it by countries’ orders, and it explains the different systems of preparing the meat (wet-aging, dry-aging, etc).

Sounds like a pretty holy book to me! Please tell me a bit about the composition of the wine list here at Shore Restaurant & Bar. Is it mostly made up of Old or New World regions, and is there one particular region that is best represented?

Alexandre: I think it is pretty mixed and eclectic. It leans more towards Old World, due to the growing trends in Bordeaux and Burgundy, as well as my personal liking for Super Tuscans and wines from the South of France.

And which New World regions are represented?

Alexandre: Being a steakhouse, Napa Valley Cabernets are quite popular, as are the Shiraz from the Barossa Valley of Australia. The upcoming Argentine Malbec is also very popular these days.

And is there any one region that goes particularly well with the cuisine?

Alexandre: There isn’t really one. They all pair well. I tend to select New World wines with a bit of age, so that they don’t overpower the beef. The star of the show here is the beef and I really want the wine to be there to put the spotlight on the beef. Also, since our customers are from all over the world – locals, tourists, expats – I want to have wines to fit each set of preferences.

And how is the wine list physically arranged, by variety or region?

Alexandre: It is arranged by grape variety. I think this is more user-friendly, a bit different, less messy and straightforward. 

Offshore Bar (Photo courtesy of Shore)

Please tell me a bit about the structure of the clientele here. Is it mostly made up of locals, tourists, expats or Mainland Chinese?

Alexandre: It is really an even mix. We’ve got customers coming in from all over the world.

And have you noticed any trends in the wine regions from which restaurant clients have been ordering the most lately? Is there anything particularly popular nowadays?

Alexandre: I think Malbec from Argentina is getting very big and I’m very glad to see the comeback of Merlot. Merlot is becoming popular again.

And have you noticed any differences in how local customers choose their wines vs. how Westerners do? Are there any major differences in preference?

Alexandre: I think local customers are becoming more and more open-minded. They are really looking for recommendations and guidance. I think that Westerns, in comparison, tend to already know what they want. There is usually a certain brand or type of wine they are looking for, or a certain vintage. Often they are more brand-orientated. 

Looking at the wine list earlier, I saw that there is a “Sommelier’s Selection” section at the beginning of the list. How do you choose the wines that make it to this section?

Alexandre: Those are wines that are personally very dear to me, wines that bring back great memories of drinking with friends. Also on the list are the brands that are renowned worldwide, top chateaux and the best vintages from all over the globe.

And if you could pick one pairing of a dish with a wine that would best represent Shore Restaurant & Bar, what would you choose and why?

Alexandre: I would go for the Dry-Aged Cape Grim Bone-In Striploin [photo below courtesy of Shore]. The beef is from Tasmania. It is already wet-aged for 60 days and then we also dry-age it in-house for an extra 60 days. This really enhances the flavor. It is an amazing cut of beef and I think quite a special one to find in Central. With this I would pair one of my old-time favorites, the Domaine de la Grange des Pères. It is a blend of 40% Syrah, 40% Mourvedre and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. It is a beautiful wine, a lot of black fruits and red fruits from the forest, lovely barnyard flavors, which go great with the dry-age.

That sounds wonderful. I hope to get to try it sometime! Thank you for your time.

Please, any time. Thank you.

Shore Restaurant & Bar
Address: 3 Floor, The L Place, 139 Queen Road Central, Hong Kong
Phone: (+852) 2915 1638
Email: info@shore.com.hk
Facebook: shorehongkong
Opening Hours:
Onshore Dining Room:
Lunch: Monday-Friday:
Dinner: Monday-Sunday:
Bar and Terrace:
Monday-Wednesday: 11:30am-midnight
Thursday: 11:30am – 2:00am
Friday: 11:30am until late
Saturday and Sunday: 4:30pm until late

Erected in 1928, The Peninsula Hong Kong hotel truly is a shining gem in the city’s historical mosaic, as are the wonderful restaurants located therein. Although they differ from one another in terms of style and cuisine, what the restaurants of The Peninsula all have in common is an iconic status and an unwaveringly magnificent reputation.

To find out more about The Peninsula’s wine program, renowned for always having been one of the best in the city, I sat down with Chief Sommelier Bhatia Dheeraj who, after joining the team in 2012, has taken on the task of adding his own influence to the hotel’s wine program. Throughout our interview, Bhatia explained to me the concept behind the cuisine offered at each of the hotel’s emblematic restaurants, and how the separate wine program at each restaurant matches up to those cuisines. We discussed how the structure of the clientele differs between the restaurants, as well as some of the trends Bhatia has noticed in the types of wines restaurant guests tend to order these days. Bhatia shared with me the reasons behind why the hotel has such a broad selection of sweet wines, including some very impressive antique vintages of Port, and a collection of Magnum bottle Armagnacs, to match the fabulous confections of the hotel’s in-house Maître Chocolatier. When asked to recommend a signature dish that best represents The Peninsula Hong Kong as a whole, he chose Rémi Van Peteghem’s “Roasted pigeon with Muscovado sugar crust, its stuffed leg and baby carrots,” and paired it with the Château Romassan from Domaines Ott, a wonderfully balanced blend of Granache, Cinsault and Syrah.

Peninsula Hotel Exterior Night (Photo courtesy of The Peninsula Hong Kong)

Our interview follows:

Please introduce and tell me a bit about the concept behind the new wine program you’re putting together for The Peninsula. Will all of the restaurants share the same master wine list or will they have separate lists, each fitting their own style of cuisine?

My name is Bhatia and I work as Chief Sommelier at The Peninsula Hong Kong. I am the responsible Sommelier at Gaddi’s and am also in charge for overseeing the wine programme and training of the entire hotel.

Each restaurant will have a separate wine programme, because we want to tailor the wine list to the cuisine showcased in each venue. There is no point having a single wine list with a similar pattern in all of the different restaurants, because then there is no fun, no synergy.

What is the concept behind the cuisine at each of The Peninsula restaurants, and how does the wine list at each restaurant fit with those concepts?

A larger selection of the wine portfolio can definitely be found at Gaddi’s, Hong Kong’s original French fine-dining restaurants, that has been open since 1953 and celebrates its diamond jubilee next year in conjunction with the hotel’s 85^th anniversary. The Gaddi’s wine programme has been developed over many years by the sommeliers who have worked here before me, as well as by the various loyal clients who purchase wine here. The advantage of this is that the wine list is extremely well developed, with many fine vintages acquired throughout the years. The wine list here focuses on the different regions (old world and New World), and includes some wines that I like to call “true sommelier wines,” ones that I really feel like I need to bring to the attention of our esteemed patrons. I’m currently listing around 230 new labels which we will be showcasing in December.

Gaddi’s at The Peninsula (Photo courtesy of The Peninsula Hong Kong)

So, mostly Old World wines on Gaddi’s list?

No, it’s really wines from around the world, a mix of New and Old World.

And how does it fit with the cuisine here?

Gaddi’s Chef de cuisine Chef Rémi Van Peteghem’s cuisine is classcal French , based on seasonal availability of ingredients. His sauces, compare to those of other chefs, are on the lighter side. He doesn’t liuke mixing too many flavors or textures in a single dish, and prefers to let fewer ingredients shine through in quality. When looking for wines to pair with his cuisine, I search for those with a light to medium body, and I try to source ones with less alcohol. For some reason, perhaps because of global warming, wines these days have an alcohol content of 14%, 15% or 16%, which was never the case in the past. I definitely do not want a high alcohol content in a wine to overpower Chef Remi’s dishes.

And what about the other restaurants? Please tell me a bit about their cuisine and how their wine lists pair with them.

Chesa features 100% Swiss cuisine; so, if you like fondue and classic Swiss German dishes such as Veal Zurichoise, you must go there. We serve only Swiss wines at Chesa, many by the glass. We also offer select Swiss beers there as well. It’s quite exciting to work on the wine programme at Chesa, because it gives me the chance to taste many Swiss wines. Locating the really good ones can be difficult sometimes, but thankfully there are importers and distributors in Hong Kong who are now taking Swiss wines more seriously.

Fondue at Chesa (Photo courtesy of The Peninsula Hong Kong)

Then there is The Verandah, The Peninsula’s international buffet restaurant which is just about to relaunch after an extensive renovation. Historically priding itself on being the very first buffet restaurant in Hong Kong, The Verandah’s appeal is the quality of its buffet offerings. It really is the best of the best and our guests respond to this with a truly loyal patronage.. It’s a stunning venue that lends itself to wine by the glass selections, because when people visit a buffet restaurant they really are there for the quality of the buffet offering – which is inevitably a combination of dishes.  We have a selection of wines from the New World and old world by the glass, so that people can make on the spot decisions. The wine by the glass programme at The Verandah is very successful. Guests like to mix and match. We encourage them to try different types of food and have a glass of wine to match.

Spring Moon, The Peninsula’s Cantonese restaurant, is where we mostly have wines that pair successfully with Chinese food. So you’ll find many wines from Alsace, Germany and Burgundy. We also have New World wines from Oregon and Napa Valley – my favorite Anderson valley, which has some fantastic Pinots. We offer a large Bordeaux wine selection at Spring Moon, because many customers still enjoy these..

In The Lobby our main focus is the wine by the glass programme, which is very strong  for lunch and dinner. During the afternoon, when we serve The Peninsula’s signature Afternoon Tea, we sell a lot of champagne by the glass, and we have a good mix of New and old World wines by the glass and by the bottle.

Felix features an innovative iPad menu, from which guests can  select wines from our main portfolio. We change these from time to time, as the Chef’s menu changes. We have a balanced selection at Felix of Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhône, the Americas, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, and Spanish wines. We do sell a lot of old world and New World wines there because of the diverse clientele from Hong Kong and around the world. The food and wine pairing menus such as the Felix Experience are very popular at Felix.

Felix Restaurant (Photo courtesy of The Peninsula Hong Kong)

And the structure of the clientele, how does it vary in the different restaurants?

Gaddi’s has been open since 1953, so we sometimes have two generations customers visiting, regulars who have been coming here for many years now. I would say the majority of the clientele are established Hong Kong people and in-house guests, We also have a lot of regular international guests who always make it a point to dine at Gaddi’s whenever they are in Hong Kong Chesa has many regulars from Hong Kong who enjoy Swiss cuisine in its cosy, romantic surrounds. The Verandah gets a mix of in-house guests, local regulars and tourists looking for a refined take on the buffet with the accent on service and quality. This mix is about the same for The Lobby. However, Afternoon Tea in The Lobby is renowned all over the world, so queues form daily, mostly made up of hotel guests, ladies who lunch – or shop in The Peninsula Arcade – and visitors who will often queue for the privilege. We do our best to serve everyone. 

Afternoon Tea at The Lobby (Photo courtesy of The Peninsula Hong Kong)

Out of these restaurants, which one would you say is the most active in terms of wine sales?

I would say both Gaddi’s and Felix sell a solid amount of wine. Gaddi’s being a classical French restaurant; our guests who look for a fine-dining experience really want to experience the gourmet cuisine as well as the wine. Felix serves modern European Cuisine and has various options to go for and the wine-pairing menus are very popular as highlighted. With trends changing, people are more and more curious about experimenting with Chinese food and wine pairings, so Spring Moon is a perfect example of how guests who are connoisseurs of Cantonese cuisine, can either choose wine or tea to pair with their meal.

Spring Moon (Photo courtesy of The Peninsula Hong Kong)

And besides this trend of pairing Chinese food with wines, are there any other major trends you have noticed at The Peninsula in the time you’ve been here?

Absolutely. Wine sales are always rising, and people are drinking more and more wine. If you look at the per capita consumption statistics, you can tell they are higher and higher each year, especially in Hong Kong, with it recently having gone tax-free. Another trend is that more young people are actively learning about wine here in Hong Kong,

Is there any region or varietal you’ve seen become especially popular in recent years?

Overall, Hong Kong is still very Bordeaux-driven. I do see a slight change from Bordeaux to Burgundy, as the palate is switching to the more delicate Burgundies. But this process is gradual.

Do you think there is a vast difference between the wines that locals and Westerns?

Bordeaux is popular among locals because of the demand of the Chinese market. The Chinese market went into Bordeaux very rapidly, and it has influenced the Hong Kong market significantly. Westerners drink Bordeaux as well, of course, but many of them do it because they are entertaining their local business clients, and are in this way indirectly influenced to order Bordeaux by the Chinese market. Tourists, depending on the part of the world they come from, seem to be a bit more open-minded when it comes to trying new wines

We’ve noticed that rosés are not as popular among local Hong Kong wine consumers as they are among Westerners, despite the climate being well suited for rosé consumption. Have you noticed the same here at The Peninsula?

We do have some rosés by the glass, and I do see many people drinking rosé wines here at The Peninsula. Why rosés are not as popular in Hong Kong on a larger scale? Maybe it is because there is still a preconception that rosé wines are perhaps geared towards women? I’m not too sure. I think Hong Kong can be a fantastic market for rosé wines, however, because there are four seasons, and so there is an age for each style of wine. I see it as the role of a Sommelier, and my own role here at The Peninsula, to place those wines that are not as popular, but still very good, in front of guests and encourage them to try them, rosés being one of them. Considering how much the local palate has changed in recent years, I would say that my Hong Kong sommeliers are also doing a good job and trying to surprise and make discover new wines to patrons.

Rose Champagne at The Peninsula (Photo courtesy of The Peninsula Hong Kong)

I’ve also noticed that the portfolio has a broad selection of sweet wines, definitely broader than that of an average Hong Kong restaurant. Is there a reason for this?

Yes, we have a large sweet wine selection at The Peninsula. We have an excellent Executive Pastry Chef, Ludovic Douteaux, as well as a Maitre Chocolatier who creates handmade chocolates in The Chocolate Room, and so desserts feature prominently as a speciality of The Peninsula’s culinary offering. We are always trying to mix and match different types of sweet wines with desserts. However, there are a lot of different types of sweet wines. There are those that are intrinsically very sweet, and those that aren’t so sweet, but have more of a balance. Because many guests from Hong Kong don’t like too much sweetness, we have a good array of sweetness in the wines we offer, in order to match those palates as well. We also try to do a lot of pairings of sweet wines to savory dishes. For example, some sweet wines can go very nicely with scallops, depending on the chef’s cooking style. Sweet wine can also come at the beginning of the meal, or be paired with an appetizer, depending, again, on the chef’s cooking techniques.

Among the sweet wines, we actually also have a very nice Port wine selection. We have, to name a few, Cockburn’s 1960, Dow’s 1963 and 1970, Sandeman 1955, Graham 1966, Fonseca 1934 and 1963. We have Taylor’s 1994 and Taylor’s 1924 – from even before the hotel opened in 1928! All of these Ports have been brought to the hotel by different people throughout the time it has been open. I found the collection in the cellar downstairs and decided I want to offer everything we have by the glass time to time. We recommend pairing these with selections of cheese from our cheese trolley, as well as enjoying them as a digestif, an after dinner drink. I would also pair the Ports with dark, bitter chocolate or a dessert containing chocolate, and a bit of coffee. 

In addition to offering these rare Ports, I am also currently sourcing special, rare vintages of Armagnac. I am aware that a few vintages are especially close to the hearts of our hotel colleagues – for example, the 1928, which is the opening year of our hotel, and the 1953, which is the year Gaddi’s opened. We are sourcing Magnum bottles of Armagnac from vintages 1928,1949,1953,1988,1994,1997, and are looking forward to having those by the end of November. There will be a special Armagnac trolley circulating at Gaddi’s, and the selections will be offered by the glass in other restaurants as well as The Bar.

I believe chocolate with Armagnac is one of the best existing pairings. I think the chocolate and Armagnac selection will be a new reason for people to come in and experience our restaurants.

How is the wine list structured primarily? By variety or region? Why?

The wine list is structured by region. My current focus is to have a selection of wines from different regions of the world, regions that are popular as well as those which aren’t as well known, Hence taste and source wines from regions that are less popular or unknown.

Stewed Sliced Pork Belly with Preserved Vegetables (Photo courtesy of The Peninsula Hong Kong)

What is an example of a wine region that you feature in your wine program but that is normally not so well known here in Hong Kong?

One wine region that isn’t very well known here is Hungary. We have, for example, Oremus a dry Tokaji Furmint from Hungary. Most people only know the sweet Tokaji of this region, the dessert wine. But the dry Furmint is also a great wine. It has a lot of minerality, freshness and citrus fruit characters to it and it’s a great wine to pair with seafood or to have alone as an aperitif.

If you could choose one signature dish that best represents the cuisine of The Peninsula, what would it be and what wine would you pair with it?

If I had to choose, it would be Chef Rémi’s signature at Gaddi’s, the Roasted Pigeon with Muscovado Sugar, which is created with sugar from Mauritius. The legs of the pigeon are stuffed with a chicken mousse and it is served with baby carrots and a very flavourful jus which I recommend to have by the side. Not too overpowering – you get the flavor of the pigeon and the nice crust of caramelized sugar on top of it, without it being too sweet. The dish is, overall, on the lighter side, but the stuffed leg with chicken mousse adds plenty of texture and flavor. To pair with this, I would choose Château Romassan from Domaines Ott. You must try this one. It is from Provence, of the appellation Bandol, and is made up of Granache, some Cinsault and a bit of Syrah. I think it does a fantastic job with the Pigeon. I would serve the wine at a 15-16° Celsius, which is how a red wine, I believe, should be served. Just as the Pigeon has different flavors and textures, the wine has a nice structure, a backbone, black fruit characteristics mainly. It has a nice lent, a great finish, and that is exactly what you are looking for in this kind of wine, a balance. You don’t want to drink a wine that is only very fruit-forward; you want something with nice, chewy tannins, a strong backbone, as well as fruit. This is one of my favorites these days. Many different Pinots could also go very well with the pigeon, but one of the most dynamics pairings would be this Bandol. My loyalty keeps changing, but at the moment it would be this one for sure.

The Peninsula Hong Kong
Address: The Peninsula Hong Kong, Salisbury Road, Kowloon
Telephone: (+852) 2920 2888
Email: phk@peninsula.com
Facebook: ThePeninsulaHongKong
Restaurants: Felix, Gaddi’s, The Verandah, Chesa, Spring Moon, The Lobby

Lately I’ve realized that many of my most recent interviews have been with Sommeliers and Restaurant Managers of Italian restaurants in Hong Kong, from whom I’ve learned very much indeed about the Italian wines currently trending in the city. Naturally the names “Nebbiolo, Barolo, Barbaresco” have flown out of the mouths of my interviewees, words beating with characteristically beautiful, undulating, rhythm. Although appreciating these key elements of the Italian wine industry because of the beauty of their names, I never really knew much about them. What makes Barolo and Barbaresco, two wines produced from the same Nebbiolo grape type, so different in texture?

To find out, I looked through some of Debra Meiburg’s winemaker interviews and found this one, in which she speaks with Italo Sobrino and Giovanna Rizzolio of Cascina delle Rose, a vineyard located in the Barbaresco area of the Piedmont region of Northern Italy. They discuss the differences between the two wine types, as well as the terroir characteristics which lead to these differences. Giovanna describes the region as well as the Barbaresco they produce, recommending some traditional dishes to go with the wine. She also describes to Debra what happens in the winery during the wintertime when the vines are “napping” under a layer of snow.

Hi I’m Debra Meiburg and I’m with Italo Sobrino and Giovanna Rizzolio of Cascina delle Rose. This is a winery that is in Barbaresco in the Piedmont region of Northern Italy. There is always a lot of discussion about Barbaresco vs. Barolo. What do you see as the difference between these two wines?

Giovanna: Normally, we think Barolo is the king and Barbaresco is the queen. This is the difference. The wines in Barolo are more structured, bigger. And in Barbaresco the wines are more fine and elegant. It is a more female wine.

They are both the same variety, Nebbiolo, so why does Barbaresco produce a wine that is more feminine?

Giovanna: Because of the soil. There is more calcareous material and a lot of blue marl comes up under the soil. This makes the wine finer, the tannins softer and more velvet.

And you have a lot of fog?

Italo: Down in the valley.

So it doesn’t affect your wines?

Giovanna: It’s very nice to see the fog down below like a sea and the tops of the hills come out like islands.

And the other things on top of those islands are beautiful towers.

Italo: Yes, you know the region very well.  

So what is your favorite food and wine match with Barbaresco?

Giovanna: It can be pasta with truffles or a good fonduta with truffles also. Or it can be a white meat like pheasant, which has a very good connection with this style of wine. And then also Brasato with Barbaresco wine is great.

Okay, we better stop. I’m getting hungry. Let’s change the subject. What is it like in the winter to have a vineyard in Barbaresco? What are the winters like for you?

Giovanna: We like to have snow during winter, because it is the best cover in this season to stop for a moment the cycle of growth.

So it gives the vines a little nap? It gives them a chance to rest?

Giovanna: Yes, exactly.

And how about in the winery? What is happening in the winery in January, February and March?

Giovanna: We move the wine, we clean it and we carry out the sterilization. This is also because we are not doing any filtration, so it is good to have a very cold time, which is perfect for natural sterilization and then without filtering we can put the wine in the barrels to age.

And some of your favorite recent vintages, what are they?

Giovanna: 2001, 2005 I love. 2006 and 2007 and also we will see 2008…

So you have one every year?

Giovanna: We had two very difficult years, 2002 and 2003. One was very rainy and the other very hot. But this was a very nice moment for us to become determined to make wine.

Well, good. I look forward to trying all of the vintages. Thank you so much.

Giovanna and Italo: Thank you.

To check out more of Debra’s videos, visit her website at: http://debramasterofwine.com/ 

Yesterday my friends over at Triple B Ranches and Vesper Vineyards graciously invited me to help out with the crush. I tried to keep my camera out of their faces and to not eat too many grapes. (They were tasty, but the wine will be even better!)

The Sangiovese grapes arrived fresh off the vines at the Rappaport Vineyard in Rancho Santa Fe, just about 25 miles from the winery. (They are grown by Alysha Stehly and her father – she is married to winemaker Chris Broomell. Talk about keeping it all in the family.)

The bins are weighed upon arrival and each hold close to 1,000 pounds of grapes. Fruit is heavier than you think.

The stems (AKA jacks) and leaves are removed by hand on the sorting table. If you can move quickly enough…

It’s not magic – it’s dry ice to keep the grapes cool and slow the beginning of fermentation. The visually stunning, mystical element that it gives the whole process is just a bonus.

These stems would add green, funky, unpleasant elements to the wine. Instead, they will now make great compost.

Chris loves kegs – of both wine and beer – and serves some of his wines on tap in the tasting room. When the wine we made is ready to drink, you can take some of it home with you in one of these awesome growlers.

A winemaker’s best friend:

How does one pair wine to a cuisine whose central concept revolves around the sharing of multiple dishes that differ immensely from one another? Does one match each dish with the appropriate glass or search for a single miracle variety that goes with the myriad of flavors and textures on the table?

To find out, I sat down with “Wine Guy” Zachary Yu of Ming Court, the 2 Michelin Star Contemporary Cantonese restaurant at the Langham Place Hotel, home to famed Master Chef Tsang Chiu King. The Ming Cellar, managed by Zachary, boasts an impressive 430+ labels from all over the world and a wine team that works tirelessly to recommend classic food and wine pairings as well as more adventurous ones.

Zachary Yu, The Wine Guy of Langham Place Hotel Hong Kong

During our interview, Zachary explained to me why the rules of wine and food pairing at a French restaurant simply do not apply to Cantonese cuisine. He described to me his own pairing philosophy, one based more on texture than flavor profile. He walked me through the restaurant’s unique iPad wine application and the multi-sorting system that allows customers to choose their wines by applying a variety of preference parameters. We discussed some of Chef Tsang Chiu King’s signature dishes, including the Silky Egg White with Pepper Shrimp on Crispy Perilla Leaf and the classic Roast Goose, as well as the wines that Zachary would pair with them. Zachary also let me in on some of the wine-related events at Ming Court, including a Hairy Crab promotion at the end of October and weekly Argentine wine tastings through the month of November.

Our interview follows:

Hi, I’m Zachary. I am The Wine Guy of Langham Place Hotel. “Wine Guy” is an interesting title and it comes from the fact that we do not have a Western restaurant here, so we didn’t want to name our wine team member “Wine Steward” or “Sommelier” as in a Western restaurant. We want to simply call him “Wine Guy.” This is friendlier, more approachable and encourages guests to ask for our assistance.

Please tell me about the restaurants at Langham Place and describe the cuisine that is offered at each of the restaurants.

We have 2 major restaurants at Langham Place Hotel. One is Tokoro, which is a Japanese restaurant with Robatayaki and a Whisky Bar; they serve whiskey, sake and some wine. Our signature is a 2 Michelin Star Restaurant, Ming Court, the kitchen of which is managed by Chef Tsang Chiu King, our Master Chef. I very much enjoy working with him, because he is always enthusiastic about trying out new ideas. Something we’ve really focused on in the past 2 years is wine pairing. We have invented some new dishes and put together new menus, and now you will find wine recommendations for all of our signature dishes on those menus. 

Ming Court at Langham Place Hotel Hong Kong (Photo courtesy of Langham Place Hotel Hong Kong)

Please tell me a bit about the composition of the wine list. Would you say it’s made up of mostly New or Old World wines, and is there one particularly region that pairs especially well with the cuisine you offer here?

I would say I have quite a diverse selection. On Ming Court’s wine list I cover most of the Old World regions and am currently adding some new wines from Georgia. Pairing with Cantonese food is interesting, because the cuisine can be quite diverse. Some dishes are inspired by the Northern Chinese cooking method and thus have a richer style. These work best with full-bodied wines. Some dishes are lighter, and with these I suggest light-bodied wines like Pinot Noir. Even within Cabernet Sauvignons, we don’t want the wine to be a very powerful one with young tannins, but a mature, gentle and mellow one. So, I want to keep a diverse selection. The composition also depends on the season – different seasons, different offerings. Typically, I would say “elegant” is a key descriptor when selecting a nice bottle for your meal, because Cantonese food, even if it is inspired by the Northern Chinese cuisine, always maintains an elegance and a balance. 

And about the physical arrangement of your wine list, is it arranged by variety or by region?

We have it all on an iPad application, which is a very unique way of listing wines, compared to the traditional print version. On the application, we have a multi-sorting system – Old World wines are sorted by region, while New World wines are sorted by grape variety. We think this is a much easier way for the customer to choose the wine. At the same time we also have some unique ways to get to the wines, such as the “Gentleman’s Drink” selection, which lists wines perfectly fitted to men’s preferences and we also have the equivalent for ladies’ preferences. We include wine and food pairing recommendations in the app, with different grape varieties suggested for each dish and vice-versa. Because it would be quite difficult for our team and for customers to remember the pronunciation and grape varietal composition of all 450 labels, I also add a bin number to each wine, to simplify it. We get some customers that want to order a wine, but they hesitate to pronounce the name. These customers are happy to order the wine by the bin number instead, because it is easier.

Ming Court’s Wine List Application (Photo courtesy of Langham Place Hotel Hong Kong)

I’ve also heard some great things about Ming Court’s Ming Cellar. How many labels does it hold and how do you use the space? 

Before we built Ming Cellar, we only had a selection of around 100 labels. Once we added the cellar we had 300 and after we started using this application, we built the program up to 450 labels. How do we work this room? The interesting thing we want to suggest to our customers is to pick their wine before entering the restaurant. Everyone knows that Cantonese food is quite difficult to properly pair with wine. However, if you select the wine first and let the wine inspire you and tell you what to eat, you can ask our wine team members to recommend a compatible dish, and you may end up with a miracle pairing on your table. That’s why we have a long table and chairs here, as well as wine bottles always open. We invite people in to have a tasting before their meal, and through it we discover what their preference is and what they like. Then we recommend the food to go with the wine they choose.

Ming Cellar (Photo courtesy of Langham Place Hotel Hong Kong)

What is your philosophy on pairing Cantonese food with wine?

For me the key point is texture, especially when I’m pairing wine with Cantonese food, because in Cantonese cuisine texture is as important, if not more important, than flavor. Bean curd, for example, is typically silky. We have a signature dish here, which contains a stir-fried, silky egg white [Photo below courtesy of Langham Place Hotel Hong Kong]. Honestly, I really can’t tell you that egg white has a lot of flavor. The key thing is the technique the chef uses to bring out such a silky texture in the egg white. When pairing with wine, you have to focus on not overpowering the flavor of the dish, but also maintain its texture. So for this dish I will always suggest pairing a wine with a round acid rather than a sharp acid. A Sauvignon Blanc, for example, would be far too acidic for the egg white. A Pinot Gris, such as the 2007 Movia Pinot Grigio from Brda, Slovenia, on the other hand, with a softer texture on its acid, and its characteristic punch of spiciness, would work very well with the egg white as well as with the shrimp served with it. 

And how do you deal with the fact that in Cantonese cuisine involves the sharing of multiple dishes between many people? Do you match each dish to a wine or does a table usually order a single wine to match all of the dishes they order? 

This is something I learned a lesson about at Ming Court. Before I worked here, I thought I could suggest each dish with a wine and that it would work, like when you’re having dinner in a French restaurant. But this is just simply not the case with Cantonese food. At Ming Court the food is fantastic, as is the wine. Pairing is also good, but the whole experience just fails to work. When you have four different glasses of wine in front of you and four different dishes that you are sharing in the center of the table, you will inevitably end up complicated and confused. Also, you need to use chopsticks and so every time you need to pick up a piece of meat, you would need to reach over all the wine glasses, which just doesn’t work. We figured out two solutions to the problem. The first one is to pick the best pairing with a dish that is the guest of honor’s preference, the dish which is the reason why they are coming to Ming Court. Maybe they just come for one or two dishes and are die-hard fans of those, so we just pair one wine with those dishes. The second solution is more interesting. We tell them to come to this cellar and, using our wine application, to “spin the wheel” on the touchscreen. The wheel picks out a grape variety at random and the staff then helps pair dishes that you can share to that wine. This activity is a great talking point and it often arouses great conversation to have a new pairing on the table. It is really fun and unique way to choose your wine, and I think our restaurant is the first to do it this way. 

And about the structure of the clientele here at Ming Court, how would you say it is divided between locals, expats and tourists?

Most of the guests are local, young execs who dine out quite often and are happy to find good wine and Chinese food at our restaurant. We have a very, very long list for reservations, so we always keep some of our tables open for Langham Place Hotel room guests, because most of the guests who visit the hotel are also interested in having a nice dinner at Ming Court, and we want them to have a chance to try it as well.

Is there any trend that you have noticed among your guests about regions and varietals that are most popular to order? Or do they like to try different things?

They really like to try different things, and because of this we will soon be trying a different method of pairing suggestions on our next menu. We will include the classic pairing, as well as an “adventure pairing” with each dish. So, following our recommendations, guests will be able to have either the traditional type of wine to match to their dish, or something a bit more unexpected. We have already done a brief trial of this, and have had very positive feedback. The end of October, for example, Hairy Crab season will start and we will promote this item on our menu. Traditionally, we pair Hairy Crab with Huangjiu, Chinese yellow wine because that is the classic pairing. This time, however, we will also have an “adventure pairing” and this will be Sherry, which has a touch of sweetness and a rich body. It is very similar to yellow wine but differs in the shape of its acidity and in its balance. It works very well with the crab. One I would especially recommend with the Hairy Crab is the Lustau East India Solera Sherry.

Lustau East India Solera Sherry

Are there one or two signature dishes that you feel best represent Ming Court? What wine would you pair with them?

One signature pairing I would highly recommend is the Silky Egg White, Pepper Shrimp on Crispy Perilla Leaf with a Pinot Gris, which I mentioned before. If you want to try something a bit simpler, I would suggest our Roast Goose [Photo below courtesy of Langham Place Hotel Hong Kong]. This is a very popular dish, which you can find in most Cantonese restaurants but ours is especially popular. It works well with many different styles of wine – from full-bodied white wines to light-bodied red wines, or even sweet wines. Sweet wine is a very interesting pairing with Roast Goose. It is very characteristic of Cantonese cuisine to have different types of sauces alongside your dish and traditionally Roast Goose is served with a plum sauce that is sweet with a strong fruit character. I would suggest replacing the plum sauce with a sweet wine like Sauternes, such as the 2002 Château de Myrat, which has an intense apricot flavor and a fruity sweetness to it. The beautiful thing about Sauternes is that it also has a nice balance in acidity, which helps a lot in bringing out the flavors of the goose. I always encourage guest to consider the accompaniment that comes with the dish when pairing a wine to it. The accompaniment will often tell you which wine to choose, and at times it will even inspire you to choose a wine with a style that can replace the sauce. It’s an easy way to pair a wine to a dish and guarantees success. 

I’ve also heard that for the past Mid-Autumn Festival Ming Court was offering its signature Michelin Mooncakes. What kind of wines would you pair to these traditional pastries?

We have a new signature mooncake, which is made with mixed nuts, black truffle and Parma ham [Photo below courtesy of Langham Place Hotel Hong Kong]. It is a traditional mooncake, but with a fusion touch. After trying out many different things, we found that the best pairing is sweet red wine, which can either be Port, sweet Sherry or a Late Harvest sweet red wine from Austria. I recently got one called Cuvée Mon Coeur from Rhône – they use a Gamay and a production method that makes a Straw Wine. Sweetness with just a touch of tannin works best with the mixed nuts.

And are there any upcoming wine-related events here at Ming Court that you would like to mention?

In November we will still have the Hairy Crab promotion. We will also have an Argentine wine promotion. Every Wednesday we will have tastings of different types of Argentine wines. The first Wednesday we will have Torrontés and Chardonnay, the Argentine whites. Next will be the blends and some interesting varieties like Bonarda. And the last tasting will be the best, featuring Argentina’s signature, the Malbec.

That sounds fantastic. Thanks so much for your time.

Thank you. 

Ming Court, Langham Place Hotel
Address: 6/F Langham Place Hotel, 555 Shanghai Street, Mongkok, Hong Kong
Telephone: (852) 3552 3300
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ming-Court-at-Langham-Place-Hotel-Mongkok-Hong-Kong/123906587666229?fref=ts
Twitter: langhamplacehk
Opening Hours:
Monday to Saturday: 11:00-14:30, 18:00-22:30
Sundays & Public Holidays: 11:00-15:00, 18:00-22:30

It was ‘back in the day’, as they say, in 1998 that I first visited Navarra in Spain. At the time I was working as sommelier at Oxo Tower Restaurant on London’s South Bank and I had already visited Spain a couple of times, but was in the process of getting into the wines from Navarra. I listed the wines from leading bodegas of the region such as Chivite, Guelbenzu and Ochoa and was soon acquiring a taste and enthusiasm for their distinctive flavour and character. This historic region, famed for agricultural produce, mainly rosado wines and the legendary ‘running of the bulls’ in Pamplona, was always in the shadow of its neighbour – Rioja. What immediately struck me though on becoming familiar with these wines, was that they tasted a little bit different, almost “Bordeaux-like” with good definition, varietal character and expression. I soon became fond of them and going on that trip was an amazing experience.

Chivite had been around for a long time and had built up a vinous pedigree over many years, but there were two exciting “new kids on the Navarra wine block” – the maverick producers at Bodegas Ochoa (Xavier Ochoa) and Bodegas Guelbenzu (Miguel Guelbenzu). They were starting to get a seriously good reputation too. I listed their wines and they have become firm personal favourites over the years. In 1996, the forward-thinking Xavier Ochoa decided to place the grape variety on the bottle’s label. This ground-breaking decision (as he was the first to do it) was a very smart move. The quality of the family’s wine was of top quality, yet the packaging and the emphasis on the varietal ensured that their wines stood out from the crowd (Spanish wines are in a very competitive market) and made them appear more ‘modern’ and contemporary. After all, a large portion of wine marketing and branding is all about perceptions. For me, it ensured that the consumer not only realized that they were enjoying a wine from the Navarra region, but also they could hopefully begin to understand was tempranillo, and so on, was.

So, a few years later (2012) I attended a really interesting tasting of Wines of Navarra organised by Angeline Bayly. I spent time tasting the latest vintages offered by the bodegas and re-acquainting myself with ‘old favourites’ and tasting new ones for the first time. I had a quick chat with Beatriz Ochoa (one of Xavier’s daughters), who takes care of sales and marketing at the estate. Adriana, Beatriz’s sister, is the winemaker.

I hope you enjoy my roving sommelier video!

2009 Ochoa Tempranillo Crianza – Tasting note: 12 months in oak, 12 months in bottle, very nicely balanced, powerful, yet elegant plummy fruits with a lick of spicy oak. 13.5% alc. RRP £9.99 which makes it great value for money. Delicious with shoulder of lamb.

PLB Group Ltd are UK agents for Bodegas Ochoa wines. For more information on Wines of Navarra, please go to www.winesofnavarra.co.uk

Rest assured I have more blog articles, videos, interviews, wine reviews and food and wine matching ideas coming up soon.

Follow my tweets and updates on Twitter @rovingsommelier

The epicurean odyssey continues…

Va Bene is positioned to be a stylish recreation of a traditional Italain-style trattoria. For over 20 years it has provided guests the opportunity to enjoy a traditional Italian menu in a laid-back yet elegant environment, before immersing themselves in the bustling nightlife of LKF. Under high ceilings painted with the blue, sunny sky, one can enjoy Italian classics such as Beef Carpaccio or Veal Milanese, a pasta or risotto, pairing the dish with one of the over 200 Italian and French labels in the restaurant’s impressive wine cellar.

Va Bene Entrance (Photo courtesy of Gaia Group)

I met with Restaurant Manager Jack Gonsalves to learn more about the wine program at Va Bene. In addition to explaining the rather cheerful name of the establishment, the décor and the inspiration behind the cuisine, Jack described to me the composition of Va Bene’s mostly Italian wine list and the trends that he has noticed in which regions and appellations seem most popular among the restaurant’s mostly expat clientele. He recounted to me the story behind the wine list’s “Gaia Group Special Selection of Imported Wines” section and the special connection between the Gaia Group and Pietro Rinaldi’s wines, which are featured heavily in this section. When asked to recommend a signature dish and wine pairing, he chose the Scialatielli pasta with sea scallops and sea urchin, which he paired with the 2011 Ansitz Waldgries Sauvignon Blanc.

Our interview follows:

Jack Gonsalves, Restaurant Manager of Va Bene (Photo courtesy of Gaia Group)

Hi. I’m Jack, the Manager of Va Bene, a fine-dining Italian restaurant in Lan Kwai Fong.

Please tell me a bit about the name of the restaurant. What does “Va Bene” mean and how does it resonate with the concept behind the restaurant?

“Va Bene” in Italian means “going well.” When the owner opened the restaurant 20 years ago he wanted to give it a name that would make guests feel warm and welcome, while also being enthusiastic and optimistic. 

Please tell me about the cuisine here at Va Bene.

We serve 100% Italian food, trattoria style, at Va Bene. This includes some classic and traditional pastas and pizzas, as well as seasonal seafood and some farmhouse cheeses imported from Italy.

And the décor? What kind of atmosphere are you trying to create here?

The décor here is more of a Venetian style and was designed by award-winning New York architect Tony Chi. We have some authentic Venetian blinds and chandeliers. With these, we are trying to create a nice, friendly and relaxed atmosphere.

Va Bene’s Main Dining Area (Photo courtesy of Gaia Group)

Please tell me a bit about the composition of your wine list. Do you only have Italian wines here to go with you dishes or are other regions represented as well?

The wine list is a carefully chosen selection of regional Italian and French wines, champagnes and grappas. The majority of the list is from Italy, and we have an especially large selection from Piedmont and Tuscany, since those seem the most popular among our guests.

How is the wine list physically arranged?

The list is arranged by price, from least expensive to most expensive. We feel that many of our guests, here in the LKF area especially, order their wine mostly based on price. So arranging in this way helps them with their selection.

Please tell me a bit about the structure of your clientele. Is it made up of mostly locals, expats, Mainland Chinese or tourists?

We get mostly expats and tourists. We get almost no guests from Mainland China. Many are hotel guests from nearby hotels to whom Va Bene is recommended as a great place to have an Italian dinner in Hong Kong.

Have you noticed any trends in the food and wines that restaurant clients seem to order the most?

Nowadays more and more of our guests go for our starter cheeses – the burrata from Puglia, the mozzarella from Campania – or the cold cuts. With the cheeses they usually choose Pinot Grigio, which is a good wine to start a meal with. They usually choose a medium to heavy red to go with the meat, mostly Sangiovese from Tuscany.

Va Bene’s Wine Cellar (Photo courtesy of Gaia Group)

I’ve seen that your wine list closes with a section entitled “Gaia Group Special Selection of Imported Wines ‘‘Pietro RinaIdi and La Pietra di Tommasone’’” Please tell me a bit about these wines. Why did you choose to feature them? Which dishes do you pair with these wines?

Pietro Rinaldi is a very old winery in Piedmont. Pietro closed the winery a few decades ago, but his daughter Monica Rinaldi took over and she tried to revive the company. The reason why we have it here is that we are the only group in Asia that has these wines. They are very special to us.

If you could pick one pairing of a dish with a wine that would best represent Va Bene, which would you pick and why?

I would go with the Scialatielli pasta with sea scallops and sea urchin. The sea urchin gives the pasta a nice, pungent saltiness which coats the mouth in a marine flavor. I would recommend with that a Sauvignon Blanc, which balances it perfectly. Even after you swallow the food, the bouquet of the wine remains in your mouth, leaving a wonderful aftertaste. Specifically, I would recommend the 2011 Ansitz Waldgries Sauvignon Blanc.

Va Bene
Address: 17-22 Lan Kwai Fong, Central, Hong Kong
Phone: (+852) 2845 – 5577
Email: reservations@Va Beneristorante.com
Hours:
Mon.-Thu.: 12:00-14:30 and 18:30-23:30;
Fri.-Sat.: 12:00-14:30 and 18:30-24:00;
Sun.: 18:30-23:00

Entaste is proud to announce its most recent launch in Osteria del Pettirosso in São Paulo, Brazil!

Fabiano Mattos with Owner Erika Andrade

Founded primarily upon the concept of osteria (“hospitality” in Italian), Osteria del Pettirosso serves up an authentic version of the often imitated but, ironically, not very well known Roman cuisine. The place was opened only 5 years ago by Roman couple Erika and Marco Renzetti, in the cozy Jardins restaurant district of São Paulo, Brazil. Despite the rustic, comforing nature of its food, the restaurant has a sophisticated, elegant atmosphere that truly makes dining there a very special occasion.

Signature dishes of Osteria del Pettirosso include traditional Italian favorites such as Saltinbocca di Costolette vitella, Tonnarelli Cacio e Pepe and Artesanal Salumi. The bresaola, pancetta, guanciale and loin used in the dishes are produced by Marcus himself. The pasta, bread, vinegar, desserts and even mascarpone, indispensable ingredient in many Roman dishes are also house-made. The carefully selected, primarily Italian wine list at Pettirosso harmonizes wonderfully with the food and has even been recognized with an award for excellence by Prazeres da Mesa magazine!

As their mission is to spread the word and teach people about Roman cuisine, owners Erika and Marco will also hold cooking classes, focusing on Roman cuisine, every Thursday at 16:00. The classes will be 2 hours long and will cover both theoretical and practical areas of the cuisine. (For more information about the classes, contact the restaurant by email or phone, provided below).

Osteria del Pettirosso
Address: Alameda Lorena, 2155, Jardins, CEP 01424-002, São Paulo
Telephone: (11) 3062.5338 / (11) 3062.4531
Email: contato@pettirosso.com.br
Facebook: Osteria-del-Pettirosso
Twitter: OsteriadelPetti
Opening Hours:
Tue – Thu: 12:00pm – 3:00pm, 7:00pm – 11:30pm
Fri: 12:00pm – 3:00pm, 7:00pm – 12:00am
Sat: 12:00pm – 4:30pm, 7:00pm – 12:00am
Sun: 12:00 pm – 4:30pm

St. George, located in the historical Hullett House, formerly the Marine Police Headquarters on Canton Road, brings to the 21st century a feeling of colonial era luxury. Elegant hardwood floors, comfortable leather sofas and plush velvet curtains create an antique lounge environment, one that blends beautifully with the surf-and-turf based, Contemporary French cuisine of the talented Executive Chef Philippe Orrico.

To find out more about the wine program at St. George I sat down with Chef Philippe Orrico (above left) and Restaurant Manager Gregoire Valentin (above right). Gregoire recounted to me the history of the restaurant and of the Hullett House, and Chef Philippe spoke of the inspiration behind his Modern French cuisine, one which is based on the marriage of land and sea. We discussed the private wine dinners held at St. George, for which the Chef designs personalized menus to match the wines brought by guests. Gregoire and Chef Philippe also explained to me the structure of the clientele and how it has changed throughout the 3 years that St. George has been open. When asked to describe a signature dish, Chef Philippe decided to speak instead of his signature style, highlighting his Spanish Beef from Galice as a dish which best reflects this style. He paired the dish with a Spanish Wine from Alvaro Palcios, the 2005 Palacios Remondo La Montesa.

Our interview follows:

St. George seems like a restaurant with a bit of a history behind it. Please tell me a bit about its story. 

Chef Philippe: St. George is located in the historical Hullett House, so we must first speak of the Hullett House, which is a heritage hotel that used to house the Marine Police Headquarters on Canton Road. It was renovated and made into a boutique hotel with five restaurants. One of them is a fine dining restaurant called St George. When the owner, David Yeo, was designing the Hullett House, he kept in mind the shared history of England and Hong Kong. Our restaurant is named after the Patron Saint of England, Saint George, who killed the dragon and saved the princess. So it echoes English history but also Chinese history, since the dragon also exists in Chinese tradition. We tried to make it related to the colonial past, but add to it a modern twist with the cuisine.

The Hullett House (Photo courtesy of the Hullett House)

Gregoire Valentin: The restaurant St. George opened 3 years ago, but the building has been around since 1881. We have some old British officers visiting the site every once in a while, and we had one come in, who said that this dining room was his workplace when he was part of Her Majesty’s Secret Service. His office was actually the wine cellar and there is a picture of him in his office from that time. He showed me the place within the wine cellar where he used to heat his water to make tea, and he used to sit there and watch the others work through the window. Stories like this make the place very unique.

So that guy has unlimited access to the wine cellar if he ever comes in?

Chef Philippe: No. Time passes.

Gregoire Valentin: No, but we absolutely encourage the old officers to visit, because it is important for them and for their families. Sometimes they come with the grandchildren to show them the history. 

Chef Philippe: Some cities destroy all memories of the past. Hong Kong is an example of a place where you can find many old buildings that get renovated but survive through time. 

And how is the restaurant arranged? Please tell me about the decor.

Gregoire Valentin: St. George is designed in the style of the colonial era, with high ceilings, vintage leather sofas, and long velvet curtains. We also have a lot of wood in the furniture and the flooring. There are two main rooms and two private rooms here, but sometimes we use one of the main rooms as a private room. The private rooms are usually for wine dinners or private functions.

The Hennessy Room at St. George (Photo courtesy of the Hullett House)

Please tell me a bit more about these wine dinners.

Gregoire Valentin: We are very flexible in organizing wine dinners and we cater the food menu to the wine that the guests decide to bring. We adapt everything to the guests’ preferences. If the guest wants specific food, Chef Philippe tailors the menu. If they need help with pairing, the sommelier is there to assist them. We have many regulars who often use St. George for their private functions. We normally charge guests who bring their own bottles a 350 HKD corkage fee or ask them to buy one of our wines for each one of their own that they consume. During the wine dinners, when guests take a room and Chef Philippe makes a menu for them, we waive this corkage fee. 

That’s pretty reasonable. Please tell me a bit more about the cuisine here at St. George. What is the inspiration behind it? 

Chef Philippe: I believe that food is something very personal and I think that if you are French, it is better to stay with French food. St. George is a Contemporary French restaurant. What we have always maintained in our dishes is the marine essence – I use a lot of fish in my cuisine. I grew up on the French island of la Réunion, near South Africa, so I have always been near mountains and sea. Hong Kong is also an island and near mountains and sea, so I fit in well here. The cuisine we have here is related to mountains and sea. We base the menu on fish, shellfish and a mix of land and sea, surf and turf [photos below courtesy of the Hullett House]. I’ve lived in Hong Kong for 6 years and have worked in various restaurants, so I have learned during that time about the market. People here like surf and turf – it works quite well. We also decided to have a wine list that’s related to this style. It is quite strong on French wines, Burgundy whites and Riesling for the surf, and bit of American reds to match the turf part of the cuisine.

So would you say that the composition of the wine list is more heavily based on New or Old World wines?

Chef Philippe: Old World. Most of our wines are French, because this is a French restaurant. The food I make goes very well with Chardonnay and Riesling as well.

And how is the wine list physically arranged, by variety or region?

Chef Philippe: It is arranged very traditionally – by origin, country and region. We try to have a simple wine list, where each wine fits in the right place. The selection is limited but each wine is exactly what we want it to be.

How many labels does the cellar have?

Chef Philippe: 250.

St. George Interior (Photo courtesy of Hullett House)

I’ve also noticed that there is a Sommelier Selection section on the wine list. How do you choose the wines to include in this list?

Chef Philippe: In this section we try to have some wines that fit the dishes and the flavors I am playing around with at the time perfectly. We will have, for example, a classic Chardonnay and a classic Sauvignon Blanc and then an Australian blend, something a bit more complex, to match some of the dishes offered at the time. The wines that make it to this list have to be, first of all, good. We also want them not to be too complex, because they are meant to be paired with food and in our case wine is meant to support the food.

And a bit about the structure of your clientele – are they mostly local, expats, Mainland Chinese or tourists, and how do you think your location influences this ratio?

Gregoire Valentin: The structure of the clientele has changed since St. George opened 3 years ago. At the beginning, it was mostly an even mix of Kowloon locals, Japanese and German guests, and Mainland Chinese who came to Hong Kong for the shopping. But now we have much more regulars and most of these are Kowloon locals. So 60% is locals from Kowloon, 20% is French and 20% is a mix of Japanese, Germans, U.S., Australian, Philippine. We have many Japanese guests, I think, because when people come here for vacation they visit St. George, enjoy themselves and when they return they spread the word to their friends. It is also because we are an old building and people like to come here for the environment. We get many French guests, because they are happy to have a French manager and French chef at the restaurant they are dining in, especially when we are tailoring the private dinner menus for them. The fact that we are in Kowloon means it is a bit difficult to attract clients from Central, but the cuisine of Chef Philippe is starting to pull more of them here. 

Have you noticed any trends in regions your guests tend to order, without even consulting a sommelier?

Chef Philippe: I would say Bordeaux reds and Burgundy whites. There are definitely two types of guests. There are those who order the wine they want and the food they want and they don’t really care about pairing and then there are those who want to match and they usually ask for help. There are about the same amount of these two types.

If you could choose a signature dish that would best represent St. George, what would it be and which wine would you pair with it?

Chef Philippe: I don’t think I could pick out a single signature dish at St. George; I prefer to speak of a signature style. My cuisine changes quite a lot and what you will be offered now you will probably not find on the menu in 2-3 months. We go by season and by guest preferences, so we change dishes constantly, while maintaining the same signature style that is typical to my cuisine at St. George.

Foujou – Tomette de Chevre du Dognon with Rosemary and Almonds Green salad with black truffle dressing (Photo courtesy of the Hullett House)

One dish we are currently serving, which is quite popular, is a beef from Galice in the Northwest of Spain, North of Portugal. We call it the Spanish Wagyu, but it is not too fatty and a bit tastier and tender, aged for 3 weeks and then one extra week in my own fridge. It is unique, since we are the only ones to have it in Hong Kong so far. It’s expensive, of course, because it’s so special. I do not touch the beef to much – it is cut, grilled on four sides, and then slow cooked with a bit of butter and herbs. It is allowed to rest for 15 minutes before being warmed up again in a pan. The beef comes glazed with a Japanese teriyaki inspired sauce. We serve it with a mix of shiitake mushrooms, Roman salad and snails over the top. The snails and the beef work very well together in terms of texture and there is a very nice conversation between the two. Around the beef we have a bone marrow with a touch of caviar to give the dish some freshness. The fattiness of the caviar and that of the beef have an interesting relation. This is a dish that I think represents St George. It is open to the world, a mix of cultures and communities, with some interesting games on the plate, contrasts in flavor.

And which wine would you pair with the dish?

Chef Philippe: Spanish beef, Spanish wine. From Alvaro Palacios, someone I know, I suggest the 2005 Palacios Remondo La Montesa. I really like what he’s doing. All of his wines are good and we have quite a large selection of them at St. George. Spanish wines are not so well-known in Hong Kong, so it is also a good way to help people to discover some very good wines, strong ones which they maybe have never tried before and which go very well with the beef from this part of the world.

St. George 

Address: 1/F, Main Building, 1881 Heritage, Hullett House, 2A Canton Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
Telephone: (+852) 3988 0220
Opening Hours:
Monday to Saturday: 12:00-14:30, 18:30-11:00
Sunday: Closed

Trattoria Doppio Zero, located on the Ground Floor of The Pemberton in Sheung Wan, specializes in Italian pastas made fresh every day by talented Chef Jake Addeo, using exclusively Double Zero (“00″) grade flour, the finest available in all of Italy. The restaurant runs on three basic principles: handmade pasta, traditional recipes from across the different regions of Italy, and seasonal, fresh ingredients. Elegant and modern, while also comfortable and homely, Doppio Zero is truly a place worth visiting.

Kevin Shih, GM of Trattoria Doppio Zero

I sat down with Kevin Shih, General Manager of Trattoria Doppio Zero, to discuss concept behind the cuisine and décor of the restaurant, the structure of their clientele, and, of course, the restaurant’s all-Italian wine list. Kevin explained that instead of offering the big brand names that are already very familiar among the restaurant’s highly (wine-)educated guests, they offer wines from smaller production boutique wineries from all over Italy, giving these labels the chance to shine as well. When asked to select a signature pairing which best represents Doppio Zero, Kevin chose the Beetroot and Gorgonzola Ravioli, which he paired with the 2010 Borgo dei Santi Pinot Grigio and the Tagliatelle Bolognese, with a 2007 Movia Lunar from Slovenia.
 Our interview follows:

Hi. My name is Kevin Shih and I am the General Manager at Trattoria Doppio Zero. I am here today to give you a bit more information about our wine program.

Please tell me a bit about the name of the restaurant. What is the significance of “Doppio Zero”?

Doppio Zero stands for “Double Zero” in Italian. It is the grade of flour that we use to make our pastas fresh every day. It is the finest type of flour available and, when used correctly, one can get a more refined, silky, smooth and soft pasta, which is always the intention of fresh pasta. The name also weaves back into our general approach to everything else at the restaurant. We want to use our hands, to handcraft and be as caring as possible with everything that we lay out in front of our guests. The same is also true of our wine list; we want to offer only the best to our customers.

And a bit about the concept behind the menu at Trattoria Doppio Zero, what type of cuisine do you offer? Are you more of a lunch or dinner venue?

We offer both lunch and dinner, Italian food in both cases. Our Head Chef Jake Addeo is originally Italian, from Puglia, and grew up in New York. He has studied all over Italy, and has worked for 15 years in New York as Head Chef in several very famous restaurants, including Esca, Abboccato and Felidia. Before coming to Hong Kong he also briefly worked at BLT, and now he has started this restaurant with me. His food really draws from a large geographical influence. The menu changes every week, especially the dinner menu. We want to make sure to keep all of our food seasonal. Because Chef Jake is also a Partner here, he can change the menu whenever he wants to, so we can really give the best to our customers.

Front Dining Area [Photo courtesy of Doppio Zero

Doppio Zero is a trattoria, so it has a homely style. We use a lot of wood, and earthy color tones, because we want it to be like your one’s home, a bit casual. We also install a lot of artwork here, and have a different show every two months, featuring mainly local artists. This is done to support the local artist community and to bring a more pleasant visual to the restaurant as well.

And a bit about the composition of your wine list here, would you say that it is mostly made up of Old or New World wines. Is there any region that is given preference?

Definitely the region most special to us is Italy and we have a mixture of both old and new world wines. We only carry wines from Italy and from a very small part of Slovenia right on the border with a very similar appellation, which many wine folk consider Italy as well. The wines here are all boutique wines from Italy, which the customers wouldn’t otherwise find on their own. We don’t sell the big names like Tignanello or Ornellaia or Sassicaia. We focus on brands and varieties that you wouldn’t find anywhere outside of Italy to truly share a taste of Italy with our customers.

Is there any region within Italy that is given preference, or is it a good mix of all the Italian regions?

It’s a good mix. The central reds and northern whites are definitely dominant for the respective regions. But we do cover all of Italy, making sure that even the smaller and lesser known varietals get represented, because these do also make up a very important part of the Italian wine landscape.

Wine Cellar [Photo courtesy of Doppio Zero

The wine and food go together very nicely. Chef Jake has studied all over Italy, so the types of dishes that we offer are from all over Italy as well. We have, for example a Mozzarella en Carozza, which is a traditional recipe from Campania, and Burrata cheese which is from Puglia. As we have dishes and food items coming from different regions, we also want to have wines from different regions, to make for a natural pairing. Our new menu, starting next week, will have all the wines split up by region and by appellation to get the customer to start thinking about how the appellations affect the wine, as well as which wines pair naturally with which types of food.

Please tell me a bit about the structure of the clientele that you get here at Trattoria Doppio Zero. What percentage are locals, Mainland Chinese, tourists and expats? How do you feel your location affects that ratio?

We definitely get a good mix – I’d say about 50% local and another 25% expats, and the rests are a mix of tourists and Mainland Chinese who have taken root here in Hong Kong. I really do think this ties into the fact that we’re out here in Sheung Wan. There’s a great deal of expats that live around this area, there’s a lot of Grade A office buildings in Sheung Wan, like the Cosco Tower and Grand Millenium Plaza, which is right besides us. So we do get a lot of educated wine drinkers who have plenty of experience with wine as well.

Have you noticed any trends in regions or varietals that customers tend to order from the most, without even consulting the wine list?

Regions, I wouldn’t say so, but there are some varietals that they have heard of and feel more comfortable with – the general ones, like Chianti, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. But precisely because of this fact, 90% of Doppio Zero’s wine list stays away from these common varietals to share more of the 300+ other varietals out there.

And if you could pick one pairing of a dish with a wine that would best represent Doppio Zero which would you pick and why?

We are best known here for our pastas. One of our famous ones is our Beetroot and Gorgonzola Ravioli. Inside we have a beetroot and gorgonzola filling, and it is covered in a light Italian butter sauce and sprinkled with poppy seeds. It is a vegetarian dish, very light, and I think it pairs particularly well with a Pinot Grigio that we have on the list, the 2010 Borgo dei Santi Pinot Grigio. Another one I highly recommend is the Tagliatelle Bolognese, which is done in a more Bologna style, more meat-based than tomato-based, so it is a little bit stronger in meat taste and less acidic than the general Hong Kong Bolognese. And that goes particularly well with another white wine that we offer, the 2007 Movia Lunar, a Ribolla Gialla from Slovenia.

So, something for everyone!

Yes, those are both very boutique, something that you wouldn’t really find elsewhere.

That sounds great. Thank you so much for your time!

You’re most welcome.

Trattoria Doppio Zero  
Address: G/F, The Pemberton, 22 Bonham Strand, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
Phone: +852 2851 0682
Email: enquiry@doppiozero.com
Facebook: DoppioZeroHK
Hour of Operation:
Mon – Fri: 12pm-3:00pm, 6:00pm – 11:00pm
Sat: 12pm-3:00pm, 6:00pm – 11:00pm
Sun: 11:00am – 4:00pm