I wish I had pictures because this food and wine festival was quite the scene. It was held on the West Kowloon waterfront promenade, about a 20 minute walk from the ferry piers which Paul and I learned the hard way. Waterfront promenade to us meant where the boats were, nope, no dice. So we walked the 20 minutes down the highway to the real deal. The promenade was decked out in purple icicle lights and there must have been well over a hundred food and wine vendors all with a spectacular view of Hong Kong Island. We got there right at the beginning (which was 8 o'clock which I found odd. People finish work at 6) and by the time we left a couple hours later there must have been thousands of people there, including our friends Jackie, Justin and Merg. Tis a small little foreigner world!
Paul and I opted for the Classic Wine Pass which was $200 and came with 10 wine coupons, some food coupons, a wine glass and wine holder. If we had to do it again, I would skip the pass and just buy 20 wine coupons for $200. The food vouchers were pretty lame. Ohh mini bag of almonds, awesome!
Despite the feeling that you're constantly being ripped off (you have to pay for samples!), the wine really was spectacular. The entire wine producing world seemed to be represented! The best wine we had was definitely the Cherry Pie Pinot Noir from Cali (Water & Wine Limited). We also had some good Portugese wine, Japanese sake, Chinese wine, and of course French. One of the best tents visited was from a new store, Grandly Pacific Winery Limited. They just opened a few weeks ago but had a lovely staff, wines from around the globe, and cheap wine for sale on the spot!
Ohhh the food! Food was from around the world as well. We started with tteokbokki (spicy Korean rice cakes) which was awesome, although totally small. We also saw kebabs, yakitori, dumplings, sandwiches, cheese plates, fruit, ice cream...it went on and on and made it difficult to choose the "right" place to stop. The best thing we had was from a salami place, of which I don't recall the name. The place was clearly popular as the line was down the block. They served cones of cheese, salami, prosciutto, and parma ham. And you got to try each one before you decided which cone you wanted to buy. Good marketing my friends!
The biggest complaint I would have is that you're not allowed to open your own wine. There were several stages with music, beautiful lights, and the backdrop of the city which would have been the perfect venue to plop down with whatever feast you just bought, and open a bottle of freshly purchased wine. Again, trying to gouge you for more money. Buy more coupons! Regardless it's definitely worth the trek for some good food and wines. The wine distributors were all very enthusiastic and knowledgeable, so if you like drinking and talking about wine get your ass down there!
Paul and I opted for the Classic Wine Pass which was $200 and came with 10 wine coupons, some food coupons, a wine glass and wine holder. If we had to do it again, I would skip the pass and just buy 20 wine coupons for $200. The food vouchers were pretty lame. Ohh mini bag of almonds, awesome!
Despite the feeling that you're constantly being ripped off (you have to pay for samples!), the wine really was spectacular. The entire wine producing world seemed to be represented! The best wine we had was definitely the Cherry Pie Pinot Noir from Cali (Water & Wine Limited). We also had some good Portugese wine, Japanese sake, Chinese wine, and of course French. One of the best tents visited was from a new store, Grandly Pacific Winery Limited. They just opened a few weeks ago but had a lovely staff, wines from around the globe, and cheap wine for sale on the spot!
Ohhh the food! Food was from around the world as well. We started with tteokbokki (spicy Korean rice cakes) which was awesome, although totally small. We also saw kebabs, yakitori, dumplings, sandwiches, cheese plates, fruit, ice cream...it went on and on and made it difficult to choose the "right" place to stop. The best thing we had was from a salami place, of which I don't recall the name. The place was clearly popular as the line was down the block. They served cones of cheese, salami, prosciutto, and parma ham. And you got to try each one before you decided which cone you wanted to buy. Good marketing my friends!
The biggest complaint I would have is that you're not allowed to open your own wine. There were several stages with music, beautiful lights, and the backdrop of the city which would have been the perfect venue to plop down with whatever feast you just bought, and open a bottle of freshly purchased wine. Again, trying to gouge you for more money. Buy more coupons! Regardless it's definitely worth the trek for some good food and wines. The wine distributors were all very enthusiastic and knowledgeable, so if you like drinking and talking about wine get your ass down there!
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