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Most people like wine, but knowing what you like isn’t enough if you want to hold your own against Hong Kong’s high rollers. To keep you from making any fatal faux pas, and to help you spot others that do just that, we bring you four sure ways to spot someone who knows next to nothing about wine:
They think cloudy white wine is off
While some cloudy white wine may indeed be past its best, it’s more likely that you’re looking at a bottle that has been fermented with “lees” – little deposits of dead yeast that are found in most red wines. A white wine that is “sur lie”, literally meaning “on lees” in French, is typically more creamy and rich tasting, and of cloudy colour.
They think red wine should always be served at room temperature
The extent of most people’s knowledge on wine temperature is that white should be served chilled and red at room temperature. However, rooms in Hong Kong in summer vary by a few degrees from rooms in France in the winter. Reds are normally best served at between 50°F/10°C and 65°F/18°C. Too cold, and it will stifle the aromas and flavours, leaving you with an acidic taste; too warm, and it will taste overly alcoholic, flat and lifeless.
They think more expensive wine always means better wine
While this is one of the wine myths that admittedly has some truth to it, it’s not always the case. You can in fact get surprisingly good quality plonk from some lesser known grapes, regions and producers, and a higher price tag doesn’t always guarantee gold in your glass. Just like any other purchase, wine sales can be influenced by fashion, with image and even celebrity endorsements affecting its assumed worth.
They think the longer a wine is aged, the better it will taste
We’ve all heard the saying that men are like wine – they get better with age. And just as this is only true for men up to a certain point, experts know that each wine has its own ageing capacity. Most cellar-worthy reds will taste great on release and would not improve by being aged longer than 10 years. White wine, on the other hand, very rarely needs any ageing at all.
If all or some of this is news to you, or you just really love wine, you need to meet Luibao, a newly launched wine delivery and education service founded by two Italians in Hong Kong. Members receive a different bottle of red or white each month from boutique wineries all over the world. The tipples are all recommended by Luibao’s network of expert sommeliers, who share the wine’s story and provide tasting notes via a QR code on the delivery box.
You are guaranteed a new, rare bottle of wine each month, always of higher value than your easy-opt-out membership fee – which just so happens to be HKD20 cheaper right now.
Cheers to that!
