New wine shop, Vine Wines, on Lyndhurst Terrace in Central, is running an Italian special this week (March 23 to 28), with 20 per cent off a selection of Italian labels. Included on the specials cart are Barolo, Barbera and Chianti, among others. Savings can be substantial. On a case of Abbona Barolo, for example, the per-case discount amounts to more than $1,000. The regular price per case is $5,472 ($456 x 12). Vine Wines is also running a series of wine tastings in the store's tasting room. Information on 2526-3133. Adding fizz to Chinese food The Wine Institute of Hong Kong kicks off a series of educational dinners this week with a look at how to combine Champagne with Cantonese food. The two vineyards participating, Dom Perignon and La Grande Dame, will demonstrate how to pull off the combination in style, with the help of the Chrysanthemum Court Chinese Restaurant at Times Square in Causeway Bay. The menu includes eight starters, braised shark's fin soup with crabmeat, braised stuffed vegetable with crab sauce, double-boiled sweet lotus seed and lily bulb soup, and deep-fried stuffed banana, among other dishes. A selection of Champagnes, including Moet Cuvee 1992, will be served. An invitation-only dinner on Wednesday night provides a preview to the public event on April 1. Call 2528-3974 for information. Cooking with a touch of class With at-home entertaining on the rise, who better to teach Hong Kong six-star skills than The Peninsula, which celebrates its 70th anniversary this year. There are still a few empty seats on The Peninsula's cooking courses, which run from Wednesday to Saturday this week. The Peninsula Academy says there is one place left in the Wednesday class, which runs through cocktail party fare; plenty of places on Thursday (patio luncheon); and two places on Saturday (leisure menu). The dinner buffet class on Friday is already fully booked. Call Carrie Leung on 2315-3142 for information. Hot bowls of cheap, tasty fare The endless search for value for money in Wan Chai ends this week on the second floor of Cinta Restaurant in Fenwick Street. For $27, there's a bowl of soup large enough for two, and a good selection of lunch-box combinations. These may include fried noodles, rice, beef curry, pork dish and vegetables. The takeaway lunch trolley starts serving at noon.
