The oyster dinner at the Bostonian was lovely. Nothing mind blowing, but certainly tasty. And the funniest part for me was that the second wine selection was one that I had the previous day with none other than the winemaker himself from Miguel Torres, Chile!
Saturday Paul joined me on a stroll to visit some customers and then we hit La Feria. My friend Allison from Amorosso Fine Wines (who also used to be a sommelier in Arlington, VA!), was kind enough to give me two tickets. Since it was free we didn't have much to lose. Had we paid the $200 face value (each!) we would have been a touch disappointed.
The event used to be at the Jockey Club, but for whatever reason they moved to Cyberport. I don't know if I've mentioned Cyberport before, but what a waste of space. It's supposed to be the tech hub of HK, but instead it's just office space, a movie theatre, a toy store, and that's about it. They used to have weekend markets once a month which HOFWs always participated in, and they were the worst! My friend Cathy lives in Cyberport and didn't even know where the market was. No one knew where the market was. Luckily it got shut down for noise violations, which is really unfathomable on account of the desolation that is Cyberport.
Anyway, the venue was not suited for this event. Perhaps for noise reasons, or perhaps not, they held it inside which was ridiculous. Cyberport is right on the water, has huge potential, but somehow always kills an event. Hm.
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| Sherry from the barrel! Amorosso |
With your ticket you get one free drink, some lucky draw tickets, and a wine glass (which is nice), I got a glass of Fino Sherry with mint, and Paul got an Estrella beer, which I would argue is maybe the best beer on draft. Ever.
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| Inside Cyberport |
I am currently studying fortified wines, and as such have been drinking a pretty substantial number of them. I am totally hooked on Sherry. It's amazing, and amazingly underrated. I've been chatting with some people (Allison's boss) and listening to some podcasts (Guild of Sommeliers) and I think we all agree that Sherry is on the verge of a renaissance. You heard it here first, kids. I still have a bottle of Olorosso at home that I am dying to tear open. I just know once I do, the rest of the evening is shot (22%!). While in KL I had a Sherry cocktail, and Fino Sherry with some mint, perhaps some Sprite if that's your thing, is the perfect refreshment in summer. And it's ideal with seafood...I could go on....
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| Paul, Patrick, Laura |
Anyway, the event. Strange as it was, it was a fun way to kill a couple hours. Word to the wise, don't pregame a night junk with Sherry. It's just not a good idea. We had a great time, but the end of the evening is a tad fuzzy. We celebrated Katrina's birthday with a Disney firework show from the sea. (PS Disney, I expected more).
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| Happy Birthday, Katrina! |
Sunday, we recovered, studied, cooked, and I closed out the Island East Market. I love that market!
This week is another full on week. I suppose they all are! Monday Paul and I went to the Foodie Awards party which hosted anyone who's anyone in the F&B trade in HK. Tuesday I had wine class with JC, a Master of Wine candidate. After working out way through 15 or so sweet wines (oh my god it was heaven!), I stayed to chat briefly with him about his MW journey. He sits for the final exam in June, and I have no doubt he will pass. He's a great teacher, and I look forward to sitting down with him post MW test to find out more about the process. JC seems to think it's possible to do in just 2 years....
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| My first Sauternes!! |
Wednesday was a holiday! Yey, Chinese Labour Day! Again, visited more clients and studied which was perfect because the weather has been shit. Back to work Thurs followed by an amazing evening of art, music, food, and wine at my friend's gallery Collin's and Kent. (Not her gallery, but she manages it and hosted the event). It was superb!
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| Great event, Alicia (far right) |
Tonight I am pouring wines for happy hour at a local Kwun Tong restaurant; I'm sure you've heard me mention because we always host events there; Factory 99. John, the owner, has agreed to take on our wines for his wine list, and in return I have to promote happy hour. I've been handing out business cards with HH details, and tonight I shall pour!
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| I got my ring!! |
Paul's on a junk tomorrow, so I have the whole day to study!!!! Asa! <3 wine studies.... <3 wine study tastings :)
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