Ca’ Del Grevino had a wine tasting to mark the launch of their brand in Hong Kong. The event was hosted at the Ritz Carlton’s chinese restaurant Tin Lung Heen with a very lavish spread of food, 12 wines with 12 different dishes . I was hoping it was solely a wine tasting when I had signed up for the event as the food is wasted on me. I loathe exotic ingredients. Awesome wines tend to shine irrespective of setting and food. Ca’ Del Grevino’s wines are distinct tasting.
The evening’s wine pairing was as follows:
2011 White Riesling paired with deep fried shrimp toast. It has the typical Riesling taste with citrus scents with lots of honey on the tongue. This wine would have paired well with sweet and sour tasting dishes as the shrimp toast did not do it for me. This was not dry tasting at all.
2011 Chardonnay paired with spring rolls (crab meat and salted egg yolk – I could taste neither but rather shrimp). It had floral notes with a woody taste.
2011 Chardonnay Reserve paired with pan fried scallop with pumpkin and caviar. The Chardonnay Reserve had a creamy finish with rough notes of dried sweet prunes. I loved it.
Grevino 2011 Pinot Noir paired with roasted chicken and shallot. My first sample of their award winning elixir. The wine exuberates strong spice.
Ca’ Del Grevino 2011 Pinot Noir paired with stir-fried duck fillet with assorted bell peppers. A very HK type of dish. The wine was spicy with a chocolate finish. It went very well with the alfalfa sprouts (used as garnish). This is around the time when I begin to feel these wines pair better with foods with strong herb tastes.
Ca’ Del Grevino 2011 Pinor Noir Reserve paired with sauteed porcini mushrooms with black truffle. My first tasting with truffle on the menu. It would seem the higher price range provides a more fruity taste. The pinots smell the same, never rough but the reserve had flavours of cherry and almond.
Element 2009 Dolcetto paired with US prime strip loin with fondant potato. The Dolcetto grape harks back to David’s (winemaker) Italian roots. Ca’ Del Grevino is the only winery in the Santa Maria Valley to grow this variety. Nose – citrus mandarin orange peel. The taste of the wine was playful, a very typical italian grape where I am unable to pinpoint the notes I am suppose to taste. The best steak I have had a chance to sample in Hong Kong.
Element 2006 Merlot paired with veal tenderloin with beetroot. The merlot had a coarse spicy black currant taste I was able to note instantly.
Element 2009 Grenache paired with char-grilled bbq Iberian pork.
Element 2009 Syrah with sauteed beef fillet with black pepper sauce. Taste buds and palette were no longer working properly at this point. A quick glance at the wines show an average alcohol content of 15%. Quick chat with David confirms my suspicions, the wines go very well with Mexican cuisine.
2011 Syrah with stir-fried lamb loin with spring onion. I am trying to ascertain if my senses were still albe to enojoy the wine.
Element 2010 Trilogy with stir-fried sliced pigeon with Jin Hua ham and brown fungus. I can confirm taste buds and nose on cruise control and just going through the motions at this point.
This was certainly the most memorable wine tasting so far, 12 different wines. I usually avoid tastings but this one was quite refreshing. The winery went backrupt and the current owners struck a deal to rekindle it. The owners being a billionaire, it’s always nice to see how far unlimited access to capital can do.
David Addamo is certainly a passionate wine maker. His wines are made in the traditional way with the avoidance of mechanization at all costs. A very labour intensive process which should yield grapes at their most ripe stage. This should be ideal for wine making. Too often wineries need large scale to break even. With Grevino, they are trying to avoid large scale at all cost. It’s a labour of love that my newbie palette fails to enjoy. I can feel his desire to make a true difference with his wines and leaving his own distinct mark. His mark on the wines have garnered quite a number of awards at the San Fran International Wine Festival. It was a fun tasting, I preferred their whites over the red wines. It’s going to be very interesting to see their footprint in Hong Kong and China as they’re in a market dominated by French wines. The China market for French has collapsed and the consumers there now deem good value as one of their pre-requisites. I never got to see the price points for the wines. I’ll be on the lookout for the wines again so I can taste in the comfort of my own home and pairing it with everyday food.
PDW Guide to Asia 