Cru
018
Corner 2013
August
WHISK - The New Enlightened Wine Destination 最新葡萄酒好地方
I
n Hong Kong, the most pressing problem for discerning diners has never been about merely finding a place to eat and drink well, but rather about finding a place to eat well and drink well affordably.
Traditional Chinese restaurants have always been extremely reasonable for BYOB, but what about those times when it is a special celebration, or when friends simply want European cuisine? Good luck. The extremely high corkage fee that is imposed in most high-end dining restaurants prohibits a progressive BYOB culture, forcing many wine lovers to either fork up a huge mark-up for entry level wines, or dine without any wine at all (which hardly constitutes a good dinner party)! But in what we hope is the first bold step for the fine-dining restaurants of Hong Kong, WHISK, a Michelin-recommended European restaurant in The Mira Hong
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Kong Hotel, has introduced a new wine concept that highlights the restaurant as a destination for real wine lovers. What this means is that aside from having perfectly mature classics like Salon Le Mesnil 1997 or Domaine Leflaive Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru ‘Les Combettes’ 2005, the prices are incredibly close to retail price. The Salon is sold in other hotel restaurants for $5390, and is available in WHISK for $2176. The Leflaive likewise usually goes for $4890, but sells for $1398 at WHISK, proving just how insane wine mark ups in other restaurants has been recently. And for wines at more casual prices, one really cannot do better than $561 for Klein Constantia ‘Vin de Constance’ 2005 from South Africa, which is one of the great sweet wines of the world—and which costs $950 at comparable restaurants. We could go on and on, and assuredly there are wines at lower prices that will please every kind of diner. It is
ridiculous that many consumers have accepted that $400 will only get them a mediocre wine in Hong Kong, when in fact they can easily have something quite extraordinary at WHISK. So for that next romantic date out or reunion with old friends, put your faith in the 200+ wine list at the restaurant, and try something you wouldn’t previously have dared to. 在香港，對出外用膳的人來 說，要找一間好的餐廳不難， 但要找一間食物和酒都同樣高 質素的餐廳，而且物有所值的 話就絕對不是一件易事。 一般中式餐館來說都是自攜酒 水的好去處，但敞若遇著甚麼 特別紀念日或者很想吃一頓西 餐的日子怎辦？祝你好運了， 高級餐廳那高昂的開瓶費正正 就是為了杜絕自攜酒水的客人 而生的，迫使許多愛酒之人到 餐廳用餐時，只好叫一瓶價高 得離譜的入門酒，又或者索性 不喝酒了（實在令一頓晚餐失 色不少）！
在香港高級餐廳中踏出大膽一 步的，是位於The Mira Hong Kong酒店的米芝蓮推介歐陸菜 餐廳WHISK，創立了一套相當 獨特的餐廳葡萄酒制度，為愛 酒客帶來一大喜訊。就好像如 一些經典的酒款Salon Le Mesnil 1997或Domaine Leflaive Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru ‘Les Combettes’2005， 這些酒的價格都相當接近零 售價。Salon在其他酒店的 餐廳售$5390，而WHISK則 只 需 $ 2 1 7 6 ； Leflaive一般索 價$4890，在WHISK只需$1398 。說明了餐廳酒水的利潤是 如何地高得驚人！對於一般 中價的酒款，好像來自南非 的Klein Constantia‘Vin de Constance’ 2005售價為$561， 但其他餐廳則售$950。這些比 較其實還可以沒完沒了地伸延 下去，因為這裡有更多酒都能 夠以更合理的價格吸引食客。 對比起$400只能得到一些很一 般的酒，在WHISK卻可以享受 到更特別的東西。在下一次的 約會或者聚餐，不妨考慮一試 酒單中那些未嚐過的酒款？
26/7/13 8:30 PM