Frederic Panaiotis

For Frederic Panaiotis, eating and drinking at the best restaurants in the world is all part of the job. The Veuve Clicquot winemaker was in Hong Kong to introduce the 1998 vintage of his champagne at the Grand Hyatt.

When did you have your first taste of champagne? 'I was one-minute-old! It's tradition in Champagne that when a baby is born, you put a drop of champagne on his tongue to welcome him into the world.'

Are you one of those who think the only real champagne is from Champagne? 'Yes, of course. All the rest is just wine. People forget that champagne is essentially a wine with effervescence. Only what comes from the city of Champagne is the real thing.'

Is Hong Kong a good champagne market? 'Hong Kong is an excellent champagne market and there are some very passionate, crazy collectors here. In all of Asia, it's second only to Japan. All the wine geeks I've met in Asia have been from Hong Kong - it's wonderful!'

Do you think champagne goes well with Chinese food? 'You'd be surprised how well it mixes. I've had excellent meals in Yung Kee restaurant [in Central] and seafood goes really well with champagne. As long as the flavours of a dish don't overwhelm the taste of champagne, it's a happy marriage of flavours. Golden Unicorn [in the Marco Polo] is another restaurant where I had the best Chinese meal. Other places I like in Hong Kong are Petrus [at the Island Shangri-La] and the Oyster & Wine Bar at the Sheraton. In a restaurant, I'm really looking for an experience - the food, the setting and the service - and you get the best of that here.'

What food goes well with certain champagnes? 'With Hainan chicken, I would drink a vintage yellow label, with Peking duck, a rose champagne - it's fantastic.