As more varieties of wine pour into Hong Kong, there has never been a better time to fine-tune your palate. Crave offers a guide to the best centres to learn about vino.
Text by Jason Spotts
Not long ago the Asian wine market was completely dominated by classic French wines. But the days when “Bordeaux” was the first and last word for wine drinkers in Hong Kong now seem long gone. Nowadays wine connoisseurs in this part of the world need to be armed with more than a checklist of top French vineyards – they need to have a highly developed palate.
For this development we can thank an intrepid generation of wine lovers – people who were eager to embrace the world’s wine revolution and were armed with an insatiable thirst for knowledge.
Now the prestige of knowing your vintages and grape varieties is not confined to your social life. A good knowledge of wine can be vital tool in the world of commerce where every edge is needed.
And as the international wine scene expands across the world, more and more knowledge is required. The evidence points to the fact that Hong Kongers are rising to the challenge.
“Hong Kong is developing a very sophisticated wine scene,” says Debra Meiburg, one of only three residents in Asia to attain the title of Master of Wine. “We had a suffocating, narrow focus on Bordeaux for a long time, but with the elimination of wine duty in2008 we are seeing even more experimentation, especially among young, hip, trendy wine consumers.”
This is a trend that will likely continue. The International Wine and Spirit Record predicts the Asian wine market will have its highest growth ever over the next five years, an average of five per cent per annum versus just one per cent for the rest of the world.
While French wines continue to hold a certain sway, savvy drinkers now base their admiration on merit rather than reputation. “It’s easy to appreciate a $2,000 bottle of wine,” says Amanda Parker, General Manager and instructor at the Fine Wine Centre. “The ability to identify a great wine for great value is what people look for now, knowing where to find the gems.”
But to find treasure, first you need to learn to read a map. So where should the novice start? IT professional Luke Tam found that having a private love affair with wine did not help his knowledge, until he sought structured professional education.
“A teacher helps immensely because wine tasting and understanding aroma is so subjective,” says Tam. “You need a tutor to help you analyse and guide your appreciation for wine.
“I had been drinking wine for almost10 years and I really had no idea how to taste, analyse, and determine the work of the winemaker,” recalls Tam. “I even visited vineyards in Italy and France, but I still didn’t learn much because I didn’t have a background.”
Sefina Lam, a personal assistant to two wine brokers in Hong Kong, agrees that instruction is key for the novice. “My biggest problem at first was learning to taste and smell what’s in a wine,” she says. “Sometimes I can’t smell what others are smelling, and sometimes I can only smell alcohol. A class and a good instructor will communicate something which you cannot learn from a textbook: the stimulation of memory. Senses bring out our memories, and a teacher can jog that and guide you to the right aroma or flavour. That guidance and personal experience is crucial.”
A number of Hong Kong restaurants and wine merchants offer tasting sessions with multiple vintages or producers represented, but they tend to be more suitable for those with existing wine knowledge.
“At tasting events, you have people both attending and presenting who can claim to be experts,” says Jennie Mack, a senior wine educator at Asia Wine Service& Education Centre. “That can be intimidating for a beginner. One of the key things about effective learning is that all participants talk at the same level.”
Meiburg agrees that tastings, while informative, may not be so for novices. “It is easy to get distracted by delicious food and conversation. I would recommend attending a formal wine programme to first gain a solid foundation.”
Self education is always an option, but the major problem is selecting the correct wines to form a basis for your knowledge. “There’s no point focusing on aroma in one glass and then tannins in the next,” says Meiburg. “How can the wines be compared? To become a good wine taster, one needs a consistent and disciplined approach.”
This is what a formal wine course provides, as well as a suitable selection of wine, which, essentially, is the crucial classroom aid. The key to wine education is building a structured system to taste, evaluate, and understand a wine in comparison with others
The Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) designs and offers wine education for consumers and professionals worldwide, through a partnership network of education centres that teach its curriculum.
WSET courses are offered in four levels(see sidebar), with level 1 providing a straightforward introduction to wine, including basic grape varieties and food pairing. Most people who drink wine frequently but want to learn more will find themselves more at home at level 2, where a structured system of tasting is introduced along with an in-depth study of grape varieties.
According to Annabel Jackson, a private wine educator and teacher of wine etiquette, some folks are in need of the simplest course. “It’s amazing how basic some of the questions I get are,” she says. “Once, I was teaching a group of hospitality employees and after a long course, I was getting very little response during our class tastings. Suddenly, a student said ‘I think I taste coffee and chocolate’. I thought we were finally getting somewhere, until he added, ‘I therefore conclude that this wine was made from coffee and chocolate’.”
Most education centres will also offer supplementary courses away from a structured programme.
For example, the Independent Wine Centre (IWC) teaches customised courses based on practical and experience-based education. Led by Director Simon Tam – Meiburg’s co-director of the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Wine & Spirit Competition – IWC focuses on showing people how to taste.
Once you have a basic self education, themed tastings bring true value. Meiburg says that “one of the most important aspects to wine knowledge is to get out there and taste, taste, taste”. But, can anyone become a Master of Wine, like Meiburg? What can you do to refine your appreciation of wine?
“First, taking notes helps one focus on the glass and provides a record for future reference,” says Meiburg. “Also, spend time focusing on scents around you. I used to sniff everything in fruit and vegetable markets. I would also put a spoonful of jam, smashed berries or dark chocolate in a glass of basic red to train my nose.”
Jackson agrees. “Start smelling hand lotions, shampoos, everyday items to train your senses. You will start to pick up on details that were not there before.”
It is also crucial to always analyse. “If you drink without thinking, you won’t learn anything,” says Mack. “It’s about enhancing the senses.”
Meiburg adds that “inhaling might not have been a good idea for Bill Clinton, but when it comes to wine, always inhale pleasurably before sipping”.
Armed with a basic knowledge, and a desire to continue applying what you have learned, where your wine education transports you is ultimately in your hands.
“To become a Master of Wine takes years of self-study and effort,” Meiburg explains. “One must have a trained nose and palate to identify hundreds of wines in blind tastings. But anyone can become a good wine taster with discipline and practice, just like anyone can play the piano if you spend enough time rippling the keys.”
Regardless of whether you are teaching or learning, wine is a common language and inspires great passion to learn more. “It’s all about understanding what you taste,” says Parker, “and it’s opened up so many relationships. That’s the beautiful thing about wine education: a commonality in language, and helping people to enjoy their lives more by giving them a set of tools to do so.”
LEVELS OF INSTRUCTION
Founded in 1969, the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) is an international body providing education and training in wines and spirits worldwide.
WSET Level 1 Foundation Certificate in Wines
Entry-level qualification providing a straight forward introduction to wine, including main grape varieties and food and wine matching. Ideal for boosting the confidence of new or inexperienced front line staff in the hospitality and retail sectors.
WSET Level 2 Intermediate Certificate in Wines and Spirits
This qualification will teach the key grape varieties grown around the world,
different styles of wine produced and the production of spirits and liqueurs.
The systematic approach to wine tasting is followed when tasting each wine.
WSET Level 3 Advanced Certificate in Wines and Spirits
Teaches comprehensive coverage of wines and spirits with an increased focus on tasting technique and on the application of the knowledge gained. It is a prerequisite for candidates planning to study for the WSET Level 4 Diploma.
WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wines and Spirits
The Level 4 Diploma teaches specialist knowledge of the principal wines and spirits of the world, commercial factors and a thorough system for professional evaluation of wines and spirits. Considered the stepping-stone to Master of Wine qualification.
A STRUCTURED METHOD TO WINE TASTING
A consistent, systematic approach to wine tasting is crucial in evaluating the quality of wine.We introduce the WSET’s approach to tasting.
WSETR SYSTEMATIC APPROACH TO TASTING (LEVEL 2)
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