Uncorked
If your summer travel budget is tight, put away the suitcase and pack a wine carrier instead. Ditch the crowds on the Mid-Levels escalator. Instead, mentally stroll through Alsace's enchanting half-timbered villages (right) by opening a bottle of Hugel Alsace gwurztraminer (Rare & Fine Wines, half-bottle $92). Richly floral and spicy, picture Alsace's window boxes overflowing with red geraniums, flammekueche onion tarts blistering in wood-burning ovens and steep rows of sun-dappled vines clambering up the Vosges mountains.
Hike to The Peak's High West mountain. Lay out a blanket, unwrap a package of thinly sliced Serrano ham, cut a salty wedge of Manchego and open a bottle of Spanish wine, preferably from the district of Ribera del Duero. Leaf through Don Quixote while sipping this concentrated, regal wine from the arid landscapes where Cervantes began his masterpiece.
Hop on a ferry to Po Toi island and dream of cruising Germany's famed Rheingau region. Make your way past medieval castles, fortresses and sky-scraping vineyards, all the while sipping a glass of riesling from top producer, Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt (Oliver's, $165).
Take the minibus to Sai Kung. Imagine winding through Cape Town's sun-soaked streets. Make your way towards the famed winery, Klein Constantia, which sits on a narrow Cape peninsula jutting into the turbulent Atlantic Ocean. Pour a glass of Klein Constantia chardonnay (Gallerie du Vin, $195) while taking in the Cape's lush green slopes and views of spectacular False Bay.
Only a strenuous climb to Sunset Peak (700 metres) on Lantau earns the reward of opening a bottle of Bodega Salentein malbec (Kedington, $145) from arguably one the highest vineyards in the world (1,700 metres), in Argentina's steep Andean mountains.
Buy a cactus at the Mongkok flower market then open a bottle of Vina Errazuriz, Don Maximiano, cabernet sauvignon (Remy, $480). Sit next to your spiny cactus overlooking rows of vines in the special plots of land allocated to the Don Maximiano label. A fragrant red peppercorn tree is on your left, below is a historic mission-style winery and across the valley dances a line of snow-peaked Andes mountains.