Launched in 2013 and organised by Wines of Germany, Riesling Weeks Hong Kong is an annual month-long celebration of German wine in June. Together with wine suppliers, the campaign aims to introduce more German wine to HK wine lovers. Leading hotels and restaurants are offering German wine and food pairings, while retailers and wine clubs are hosting wine-tasting events. This year is the 10th anniversary of the event, with Riesling Weeks becoming a much-anticipated campaign by wine lovers.
As in previous years, several Riesling Weeks’ participating restaurants are featuring white asparagus and German wine-pairing menus. White asparagus is a German delicacy grown between mid-April and the end of June. Three outlets at Conrad Hong Kong are offering various white asparagus and German wine promotions, including a delicious four-course white asparagus degustation dinner menu at Brasserie on the Eighth. Golden Leaf is preparing an eight-course white asparagus dinner paired with Weingut Dr Loosen wines from Mosel on Thursday, 9 June, while Garden Café is featuring creative Riesling Weeks cocktails paired with German canapés, plus a German Riesling tasting, on Thursday, 2 June.
At the newly opened Heimat by Peter Find, German chef-owner Peter Find has created various asparagus dishes to pair with different German wines, as well as “Riesling afternoons” for customers to discover Riesling from different wine regions.
If you want a drink with a view, head to Sunset Grill at Sheraton Tung Chung for its white asparagus with Ibérico ham, Riesling sabayon foam and finger lime paired with a glass of dry Riesling from Mosel while admiring the sunset.
Riesling might be the signature wine of Germany, but the country is also famous for its Pinot. Germany is the world’s third-largest producer of Pinot Noir (Spätburgunder in German) after France and the USA, the second-largest producer of Pinot Gris (Grauburgunder) after Italy and the number-one producer of Pinot Blanc (Weissburgunder).
This year, wine lovers will have the chance to savour probably the first of its kind wine and food pairing in Hong Kong – the German Pinot Trio. Cuisine Cuisine at The Mira Hong Kong is presenting a seven-course Cantonese menu paired with four Reserve and Grand Cru Pinots from Weingut Salwey in Baden. At the other side of the harbour, Whey, which serves modern European cuisine with Singaporean influences, is featuring a pairing menu with both German Riesling and Pinot.
German wine, especially Riesling, is versatile and can pair with a wide range of dishes, from a spicy Thai curry to a juicy steak. Food and wine lovers can try the different German wine pairings at Mott 32 (Chinese), Aaharn (Thai), Hansik Goo (Korean), FRANCIS (Middle Eastern), Amelia (European), Bâtard (French) and Beefbar (steak). The Aubrey at the Mandarin Oriental will be hosting a Riesling class every Saturday in June, pairing five glasses of Riesling with Japanese snacks.
For those who simply want to enjoy the wine, there’s a German wine buffet at Mirage Bar & Restaurant at Renaissance Hong Kong Harbour View Hotel and a Riesling tasting set at The Fine Wine Experience at K11 MUSEA to look forward to. Wine retailers around town, including Enoteca, Ginsberg+Chan and Watson’s Wine, will also be running German wine promotions, as will online wine retailers. The full list of participants can found on the Riesling Weeks HK website.
Riesling Weeks ran the first German wine experience pop-up store, Vinothek Berlin, last year with much fanfare. It will return to Causeway Bay this year with classic German food and wine workshops and some hard-to-find German goodies. We will report more on this pop-up in the next article, so stay tuned!
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