Wine List Tips

Jack Cheung Group Beverage Director, Hong Kong Parkview Group HKIWSC Wine & Spirit Judge DipWSET, CS, Kikisake-Shi

How do you 'promote' lesser known wines on your lists?

The best way to promote lesser-known wines is with food and wine pairing sessions. A set dinner, for example, is a good way to showcase the potential of wines with food as well as the quality itself. The customer has a chance to try a lot of different wines at the same time and they will enjoy their dinner experience and remember the wines.

Food and wine matching is always a challenge at Cantonese tables. Do your guests decide on a wine based on the food selections or do they simply choose a wine they like (or want to try)?

When food and wine pairing, the first thing we do is try the wine. We also need to look at the style of the food. The flavour of the dish is key to a successful wine pairing. There are usually no wrong answers. The possibilities are endless, as long as there are no big flavour conflicts. Most customers select wines based on their taste preference. Customers start by finding a wine that they’ve tasted before because it’s safer for them and they know what to expect. As people improve their knowledge of wines, they gain more confidence, read the label and look at the information on the bottle. Eventually, they get more adventurous and ask their trusted sommeliers and have faith in their own knowledge to help them choose new wines to pair with their food.

Do you have any observations about natural wines? Have you any on your lists and what type of guests ask about them?

We have natural wines on our list and we especially indicate whether these wines are natural or sustainable or organic. We have customers who like their wines to be organic or natural, not just for health concerns, but nowadays young people realise that natural wines have unusual styles and taste profiles. They will explore natural wines from different countries.