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Welcome to the IWC's June edition of Yummy News, your one-stop-shop for all things delicious, from wines to try, food and wine pairing, restaurant reviews, details of our latest tastings on offer and so much more. |
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Led by Greater China's renowned wine commentator Simon Tam, along with consultant and winemaker Eddie McDougall, the IWC comprises of a fully independent team of qualified consultants widely recognised for "telling it how it is". With nearly 20 years experience making, tasting, discussing, writing about, judging, studying and evaluating wine, the IWC is passionate about bringing the delicious wines of the West to the thirsty East and are all about nurturing and developing invaluable life-long wine appreciation skills among the everyday wine drinker. |
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| IN THIS ISSUE |
10 June 2009 |
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| ON THE GRAPEVINE |
| ViniPortugal visits Greater China |
IWC played host to Marcio Ferreira and the team from ViniPortugal in Hong Kong, Macau and Shanghai during the month of May. As part of the IWC’s consulting services, a number of fantastic tasting events and wine dinners were arranged in each location, to enable the wine lovers of Greater China to sample Portugal’s great drops and meet many of the country’s premier producers.
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| Left picture: Simon and Eddie pictured with Dr Manuel Cansado, the Portuguese Consul General, Hong Kong |
Great Chefs of Hong Kong
Eddie took on the role of MC extraordinaire for the 18th Great Chefs of Hong Kong, held on 21 May 2009 at Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, which saw over 1,000 guests enjoy some truly extravagant food and beverages. The IWC does its utmost to give back to the community whenever it can, and has been involved in this great event for a number of years. Eddie said he felt privileged to be a part of the event and was inspired by the kids the Heep Hong Society assists and saw what truly great work they do!
IWC Idols
The IWC recently supported the Macau Idol Charity Dinner. Organised by the Institute For Tourism Studies (IFT) the event was held at the Institute’s Educational Restaurant. All profits generated were donated to the Action Oasis of the Chinese Educators Association of Macau, a charity fund that provides education opportunities to disadvantaged children in mainland China. Simon's son Adriano donated a 3L bottle of Three Palms Merlot, which raised HKD$60,000 for charity at the auction. Eddie also took up the mic once again, MC’ing the auction.
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| IWC WINE TASTING WORKSHOPS |
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Eddie’s spotlight on…Meet Eddie the Winemaker Series:
"This series of workshops is the most challenging and innovative experience for the palate. You’ll push the boundaries of your tasting abilities and refine your sensory experience. Knowledge, the processes and methods used in these workshops come directly from the winery to the classroom, being the most up to date commercial winemaking experiences. It’s a fantastic opportunity to learn from someone who has not only read all the books but actually been there and made it. Enough said!" |
To whip your tastebuds into shape over the next month, here are all the important dates for the diary:
Check out more details, session plans, dates and prices on the website. |
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| TASTE THIS SPACE |
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Joseph Drouhin Wines
Eddie recently sat down with Frederic Drouhin from Joseph Drouhin to dissect and taste some of the winery’s finest drops at a Joseph Drouhin wine dinner (put on by their Hong Kong representatives, City Super). After an evening of great tastes and hearty discussion with Frederic Drouhin, Eddie shares his highlights:
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Joseph Drouhin Savigny Les Beaune 1er Cru ‘Les Talmettes’ 2006, Burgundy 
Drouhin has really pulled out all the tricks to make this wine. Noticeable characteristics of ‘whole bunch’ and barrel fermentation wafts out of this wine. This well crafted wine brings the palate to life with its firm acidity and mocha tannins. A wine with such balance and structure requires a home cooked wholesome and earthy meal. I’d drink this with my grandmother’s famous braised shitake mushroom and oyster sauce dish.
Check out the IWC website's Best Wines page for the low down on two other great wines from Joseph Drouhin:
- Joseph Drouhin Beaune 1er Cru Greves 2002, Burgundy
- Joseph Drouhin Puligny Montrachet 2006, Burgundy
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| PERFECT PAIRING |
| Grilled Sardines |
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Sardines can be cooked in so many ways, but sardine traditionalists insist on the simplicity of putting them on an open charcoal grilled with sprinkles of stony sea salt. Sardines are high in good fatty aids and have given generations of Portuguese glowing skin and beautiful eyes!
The best wine with grilled sardines needs to respect the rich freshness of the fish. Oak flavours will bring out the worst of both the wine and the fish. Keep it simple and pure. Chilled wines are a welcome tipple near hot and aromatic smoked filled BBQs. |
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Mateus Rosé, Douro, Portugal.
Wellcome (HK) – Ph: 852 2299 1133 |
This is one of the best Rosés in the world. Both the Mateus brand and Rosé style have little snob appeal. This consistent, enjoyable and inexpensive wine has changed little in the last 50 years. It has lovely aromatic, gentle fragrance and is filled with good fruitiness. It is also slightly spritzing to give that refreshing edge. This is a perfect match with grilled Portuguese sardines. |
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2008 Turkey Flat Rosé, Barossa Valley, South Australia.
Watson’s Wine Cellar (HK) – Ph: 852 2606 8828 |
This Turkey Flat Rosé is rich enough to handle the flavourful sardines, the red fruit sets off the dark flesh fish nicely without any interruption or distraction. It lends support in a refreshingly different direction. The wine finishes ever so slightly tannic, especially noticeably when served colder than necessary. The wines red fruit length lingers with the sardines’ sweetness. |
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2007 Tavel Rosé, Paul Jaboulet, Rhone Valley, France.
Rare & Fine Wines (HK) – Ph: 852 2522 9797 |
This is the driest of the three Rosés and also the most ‘restrained’. Be sure that the Tavel is the youngest vintage possible and should not be older than 12 to18 months from the vintage year. The character cocktail of southern Rhone Valley grapes give the wine depth and savoury notes. The lightly tannic base and low perfume sets a good platform for the unctuous oily grilled sardines. |
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| OUT & ABOUT |
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Sorobol Korean Restaurant
A tender rosé of beef, rich bubbling chicken ginseng soup and the classic Korean stone pot rice, washed down with potato Shoju, are just a few tasty reasons to head to Sorobol Korean Restaurant. Read More
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| HONG KONG TASTING EVENTS |
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Mills Reef Winery - Wine Dinner
On Tuesday 23 June, winemaker Tim Preston of Mills Reef Winery, Gimblett Gravels (Hawkes Bay, NZ) will personally present the prestigious Elspeth range of wine at a food and wine pairing dinner for Hong Kong wine lovers.
Click here for more details and to book your tickets.
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| WONDERS OF THE WINE WORLD |
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From Eddie's adventures in the wine world
Eddie the Winemaker’s favourite way to start the day is doing a spot of fermentation tasting. At 7.30am sharp! Eddie says, "The big winemaking decisions rely heavily on this morning session. One bad call or misjudgement and the whole 10,000 litres of wine can be bottled as vinegar."
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| Get In Touch |
| For further inquiries, please visit our web site http://www.iwinecentre.com or email admin@iwinecentre.com or telephone :(852) 2549 0181 |
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