Paulo Pong Kin-yee
What did you do after graduating from Massachusetts Institute of Technology? 'My first job was on a harvest in Bordeaux [France]. It was hard labour. You get up at 5am or 6am, have a bite, then go to the field, where you see property managers - in this case, Christian Moueix - directing the team on the right time to pick and how quickly. He directs how meticulous we have to be in dumping the inferior grapes. [That year] 2000 was one of the best vintages ever, so we pretty much had sunshine every day. But you weren't paid very well. I got 2,000 [French] francs [about HK$3,000 at the time] for two weeks of work. It was tough but also a lot of fun. Moueix and his family own some of the best properties in the world in Bordeaux as well as Napa Valley [in the United States]. He's a perfectionist. He taught me a lot about wine and life during that harvest.'
When do you open your own wines? 'I have an intimate relationship with [the wine in his personal collection] and I know I will want to drink them at some point. Sometimes it has to do with the year. In 2000, I opened some 1900 wines, because they were exactly 100 years old. In 2007, I opened a 1907 champagne rescued from the bottom of the sea. There were still bubbles in there. You can open a bottle of 1900 wine and, on the same night, the second bottle of the same wine can taste different. It depends on storage. Also, at the time of production, each barrel was treated differently. You may get 12 different tasting bottles in a case of 12. Wine is a living thing, so you can expect something different when they're that old; it could be 100-year-old vinegar.'
Where do you like to eat and drink in Hong Kong? 'I tend to eat a lot of Chinese food. Chinese food and wine actually match very well together. The problem with many Chinese restaurants is they don't have good wine lists. But there are some places, like The Chairman [in Central], that have a lovely range of wines from different countries. It is challenging to match wine with Chinese food because we get a big variety of flavours at the same time. If you have the luxury of time, you can ask the restaurant to serve dishes at different times, so you can pair them the way you do with a Western meal. But with a casual meal, when everything is served at the same time, a bottle of champagne does the job.'
What under-the-radar wines would you recommend? 'I'm huge fan of Austrian white wine - they make the best riesling and gruner veltliner. These are underappreciated in Hong Kong. Spanish wines are also underrepresented. In general, we don't have enough Spanish restaurants, so we only see the commercial brands in the market, which doesn't do justice to top boutique producers.'
Are there any no-no's as far as you're concerned? 'I wouldn't add stuff to my wine - crystal sticks or devices to quicken the pace of the development. You dip the device into the wine for a few seconds and the wine ages 'by a few years', so tannins will be softer. I would just let the wine breathe for a few hours. In general, wine is fun; it should be treated as a beverage that one can take pleasure in.'
