At the Mandarin Oriental, facing the bay of Hong Kong, Hubert Chabot can present a wine card of 1,500 references, half of them French wines, with white burgundies and grand red bordeaux as leaders. « In Hong Kong, people first want to taste wines they already heard about, specially the great châteaux, explains Pierre Gagnaire, the Chief Sommelier who joined the hotel six months ago.
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Great names and prestigious appellations such as Cheval Blanc, Lafite, Lynch Bages, Margaux or Saint Emilion are named first… Their taste is very specific to Bordeaux, but they also represent a status and people do not have any restraint when it comes to enjoying themselves ». But the people of Hong Kong may however be tempted by new wines if the sommelier explains them clearly, contrary to visitors from China, who only choose a famous name, and customers of luxury premises are becoming real connoisseurs. Wine is hardly drunk at all at lunchtime, specially in the business area, but, following the British tradition, consumers regularly come for a drink after work: a red merlot for the women, a chardonnay or a sauvignon for the men, in large balloon glasses; and hardly ever rosé, which remains little known or valued.
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A must is to order a glass of champagne before dinner. « No wine for dessert, however, but a table of men will easily go for a few toasts of cognac, which has been well known in the country for a long time. Armagnac is also getting to be known, as well as calvados, which enjoys a good reputation« .
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Cocktails follow the wine once at the bar, « Cosmo » and « Litchi Bellini » being fashionable here as well. Fruit cocktails with champagne are a success among women. As happens in the Unites States, branding is an important element of consumption and the LVMH range, which represents more than two thirds of available brands, is in a good position.
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Without VAT or taxes (which were cancelled two years ago), wines are 15 to 20% less expensive than in France. « Hence the considerable offer available, with more than one hundred suppliers, import or distribution companies which are being born every year, and a war on price which makes us compare prices before any purchase, says Hubert Chabot.
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It is frequent to see a distributor with several hundred references« . Without a true cellar, apart from an air conditioned space at the 25^th floor, beside the Pierre restaurant, the sommelier works in permanent tight flow with the grouping of orders for the various premises of the group and no buying of futures.
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Coefficients applied are comparable to those of French restaurants (3.5 to 4) with average ratios at 30%, up to 40-45% for great wines; which does not prevent bottles to be cheaper here than in France.
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November 2012
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