Any Time - Any Where - HILDON

Summer time is the right time to enjoy HILDON natural mineral water when you are out and about enjoying the heat. Plus you know that it's good for you because it's high in Calcium (97mg/l) and very low in Sodium (7.7mg/l).

Here are some places you can stop and refresh at:

• Uncle Russ Coffee
• Clearwater Bay Golf Club
• Liberty Exchange
• Hullett House
• Yorkshire Pudding
• Harvey Nichols
• Grand Hyatt Hong Kong Hotel
• Saffron Bakery Cafe
• The Excelsior Hotel
• Langham Hotel
• Deck n Beers
• Simply Life Foodplace
• Simply Life Bread & Wine
• Simply Life Bakery Cafe
• The Phoenix
• Thai Basil Pacific Place
• Lucy's on the Front
• One Thirtyone
• Yellow Door Kitchen
• Chi Residences
• 1/5 Nuevo
• Castro's
• Ned Kelly
• Graze
• Soho Base Camp
• Gecko Lounge & Wine Bar
• St George
• Loong Toh Yuen
• Stables Grill
• The Parlour
• Culture Club
• The Fleming
• Wine & Pub

You can also get HILDON natural mineral water delivered to your door in 1l, 750ml, 500ml or 330ml bottles. You can choose from Delightfully Still or Gently Sparkling. 

Bottles are available in glass or PET plastic and sports cap.

For more information and prices contact Dean

Rebecca Leung Interviews for 'Wine is Beautiful'

Rebecca Leung interviews our very own Cristiano Van Zeller when he was here visiting during VINEXPO earlier this year. Cristiano talks about the traditional methods of wine making still employed by wine makers in the Douro like stomping the grapes by foot! Cristiano is owner and wine maker with Van Zellers and Quinta Vale Donna Maria in the Douro, Portugal.


For the latest happenings in the wine industry and more interviews go to Rebecca's group, 'Wine is Beautiful' 

July 14th - Bastille Day

To all our french friends - Happy La Fete Nationale

To celebrate this great day what better than great French wine like:

2000 Dom Perignon, Brut Vintage Champagne Wine Advocate 94 $950

2005 Domaine Jacques Prieur Beaune 1er Cru Les Champs Pimont, Burgundy

Burghound 90 $570 

Green-gold with silvery tints colour and the nose is pure and fine with aromas of fresh almonds, warm brioche and dried fruits. Palate has flavours of hot toasted bread with lemony notes and the finish is fresh with lovely persistence of good minerals. 100% Chardonnay.

2005 Domaine Jacques Prieur Volnay 1^er Cru Santenots, Burgundy 

Burghound 92 $755

It’s an intense ruby-red wine with fine and delicate aromas of spice and flowers like violets. The palate is soft and tender with flavours of spices and fruits on the palate with soft and fine tannins. 100% Pinot Noir.

For more information or to purchase contact Dean

WIN WITH WINE - Tuesday July 6th

We have joined with our friends at ipac to present a fun evening that explores wine, the industry in Asia and the benefits of investing in wine.

Presented by Lee Watson and Melanie Nutbeam it is an informative evening that will end in a wine tasting that will compare old & new world wines plus the difference vintages make. 

You must register for this evening by clicking HERE. 

We look forward to seeing you there.  

July 4th Independence Day

To all our American friends: Happy Independence Day.

We suggest you celebrate with a couple of your finest wines:

1998 Ristow Cabernet Sauvignon, Quinta de Pedras Vineyard, Napa Valley, USA 

(Wine Spectator 88) $615

Firm and complex, with a rich core of currant, mineral, blackberry and earthy, leathery notes. (WS – Oct2001) 

2000 Hedges,Three Vineyards, Columbia Valley, Red Mountain, Washington State, USA  (Wine Spectator 89) $275

Supple and refined. Chewy tannins. Meaty--almost gamy--in flavour around a solid core of black cherry and currant. Lasts nicely on the firm finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Best from 2005 through 2012 (WS – Sep2003)

For more information or to make an order contact Dean

TOP 10 Summer White Wines

It's summer and by now you've been diving for the wine fridge only to discover you haven't restocked the white wine from last year. Fear not! The team has put their heads together to come up with our TOP 10 White wines for you. If you're still not sure what to get, then get a mixed case and try them all.

1. 2000 Domaine Jacques Prieur Montrachet Grand Cru, Burgundy, FR

Price: $5,260 LIMITED STOCK  Wine Advocate 94

This was a unanimous choice for our favourite Burgundy. Although it's now in it's 10th year it is still as fresh and vibrant as it was when bottled. In fact we recommend that you decant it for an hour or so before serving. Not really one for around the pool but if you are celebrating then it's a great choice.

2.  2007 Antonin Rodet Puligny Montrachet, Burgundy, FR

Price: $475

OK, so if Grand Cru is not for you then how about this winner. This wine is rich and buttery with a warm and generous finish. Aged in oak for 14 months you will find it good with hot appetizers, seafood and well chosen friends.

3. 2009 Summerhouse Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, NZ

Price: $145 

This is no ordinary Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc. The quality of this wine comes from the care taken with the grapes and it's evident in every drop. Hand picked and bunch pressed it is a fine example of terroir and it is suitable for drinking by itself or with pasta and seafood. This is one to purchase by the case as you will find it disappears very quickly from the fridge.

4. 2007 Domaine Marcel Deiss Riesling, Alsace, FR

Price: $230 Wine Advocate 88

More citrus, less sweetness and good minerals in this Bio-Dynamic Wine. Refreshing enough to drink by itself but Riesling has always been a wonderful food wine. Relatively low in alcohol (12%) it can be enjoyed throughout the whole meal. 

5. 2008 ItaliaPinot Grigio, IGT, Veneto, IT

Price: $85

Many wines in this price range are very drinkable but not many truly reflect their style. This wine is an exception and from the moment you put it to your lips you know you are drinking an Italian Pinot Grigio from the sun drenched hills of Veneto. You really won't need an excuse to open a bottle but if you are having a celebration this summer this wine won't break the bank.

6. 2008 Domaine du Vieux Telegraphe La Crau, Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc, Southern Rhone, FR

Price: $440   Wine Advocate 91

This is one of the finest white wines of the appellation. Rich, full, super fresh and long bodied. This wine is maturing now and is great drinking.

7. 2009 Valduero Garcia Viadero Blanco, Ribera del Duero, SP

Price: $105  Wine Advocate 87 

A unique wine made from 100% Albillo, the only one of it's kind. Exciting citrus notes give way to a palate that is crisp, dry and fresh but most importantly it is balanced, leaving a clean finish. It's low in Alcohol (12%) so you can enjoy more than one glass. If you find Sauvignon Blancs a bit over powering then you will love this one. 

8. 2007 Domaine Marcel Deiss Langenberg, Saint-Hippolyte, Alsace, FR

Price: $340  Wine Advocate 91
When you want to provide a white wine that is a great expression of terroir look no further. Hand picked and blended this is a wine that is full, luscious and modestly sweet. A great choice for something above the rest.

9. 2009 MOJO Sauvignon Blanc, Adelaide Hills, AU

Price: $115

Light and refreshing there isn't a summers day that you couldn't enjoy this wine. Tropical fruits, good acidity and a long finish makes this a versatile wine that can be enjoyed with cheese platters or fruit but maybe best enjoyed with Oysters and Scallops. 

10. 2002 Domaine Marcel Deiss Gewurztraminer Vendange Tardive, Alsace,  FR

Price: $560  750ml

No list of fine white wines would be complete without a Desert Wine to finish off. This one is not too sweet with great acidity and evidence of aging starting to appear. Any cheese platter or desert with fruit would be a great companion. On a hot day it will make a superb welcome drink for your guests.  

Of course we have many other fine white wine samples and these are just a few of them. If you can't see what you're looking for give us a call and ask. we are only to happy to help.

Contact Dean, Lee, Casey, Kiki, Pierre or Connie for details

VINEXPO Report

OK, it's a week later. I've taken my pills, caught up on a bit of sleep, given up on the inbox, written the reports and followed up with new contacts so I'm ready to have my say on VINEXPO Asia-Pacific 2010.

Although at times it may seem like some form of ancient sleep-deprivation torture the week is a great opportunity to catch up with old friends and make a lot of new ones. Industry professionals get to feel special as everyone fights over them and importers, like us, get to make their clients feel special. It's also a good opportunity to get a glimpse (or taste) of what the future is in the industry, all be it a distinctively northern hemisphere view.

So what did we learn?

• The French are very serious about keeping their number 1 position in Asia but spent as much time watching the Chilean stand as they did their own
• The Chileans are very serious about taking the number 1 position from the French yet didn't look at their stands at all
• Chinese will still offer blank cheques to "Select" Chateaux
• "Select" Chateaux will still take blank cheques 
• When the first growths release En Primeur you will have to sell your house to buy any
• The Australians and New Zealanders prefer to have their own shows and we will see them in November
• Wine makers WILL whore themselves to get into China and the Chinese know it
• A massive bag of marketing dollars can buy success as shown by the Italians
• Germany and Spain are not the flavour of the month 
• The Chinese are fiercely patriotic when it comes to their own wine
• The market is very slowly opening up to white wine 
• European wine makers have spent millions of dollars on market research into China and have then ignored it and are going their own way - with little success.

Make no mistake this event was aimed squarely at the Chinese market and a quick glimpse around would tell you that it showed little reflection of what is happening in the rest of the Asia-Pacific region or even Hong Kong for that matter.

On the wine side our producers came up with some great 07's and a few barrel samples that were showing some real promise.

VINEXPO Asia-Pacific will be hailed a success for the most part and I know for our company it was. However I do wonder about the lovely German lady who sat at her stand for 3 days looking for an importer of fizzy Non-alcoholic fruit juice and didn't open 1 bottle. Maybe not so successful for her.

Dean

PS: My highlight was a 1998 Montrachet Grand Cru from Domain Jacques Prieur - but that's a story for another day