If you like seafood, you'll appreciate how incomparably delicious fresh scallops are. There are many varieties, including one called razor fish, which has a shell so sharp it can do you serious harm if you accidentally step on it while wading in the sea. The taste of the fan-back scallop - so called thanks to its corrugated shell - is immensely more succulent and sweeter than any other type. The ideal place to eat barbecued fresh scallops in their shell would be sitting under a palm tree on a deserted island, but they're still delicious cooked on a portable barbecue on a well-ventilated balcony in the middle of Hong Kong. Trimbach Riesling Cuvee Frederic Emile 2001/2002, Alsace, France Why do some Alsatian winemakers deliberately omit putting grand cru vineyard names on their bottles, and opt instead to pay homage to their ancestors? Simply because their forebears made their mark, while the same can't be said of the majority of the 50-odd grand cru vineyards. I caught up with Hubert Trimbach when he was in Hong Kong, and he's more energised than ever, eager to talk not just about Alsace but about wine quality in general. He's proud of this, his family's top-of-the-line riesling, and says naming it after a family member is more appropriate than stating the grand cru vineyards that many of the grapes were sourced from. It's a laser-precise riesling and the perfect match with grilled scallops. Available for HK$438 from Fine Vintage (tel: 2896 6108) Jim Barry Lodge Hill Riesling 2007, Clare Valley, Australia Winemakers in the Clare Valley have been producing limey, citrusy rieslings for as long as anyone in Australia can remember. This Jim Barry riesling is full of lively, fragrant fruit, with flavour that's miles long. It's a perfect base for fresh scallops, with their seawater richness. Add a few drops of mustard oil and a good splash of verjus (juice from unripe grapes) on the scallops for the perfect finish and as a link between the vineyard and the ocean. Available for HK$168 from Fine Vintage (tel: 2896 6108) Louis Latour Duet Chardonnay/ Viognier 2006, Ardeche, France This wine has the lovely fragrance of viognier and the richness and marketability of chardonnay. It tastes like chardonnay but, strangely, much more so, with a richness and flavour definition that carries the smokiness from the barbecued scallops. For another perfect match, separate the orange roe from the scallop and mix it into a cream sauce for fettucine. Available for HK$125 from Maxxium (tel: 2845 5995)
