I was recently at Don Alfonso, in Macau, one of the region's best Italian restaurants, and chatted with the sommelier, Roberto Gallotto. Don Alfonso undoubtedly has one of the most impressive wine lists in town and was recently awarded the highest accolade by Wine Spectator for its 322-page selection. It shares the list with all the food and beverage outlets run by Hotel Lisboa and the newer Grand Lisboa Hotel.
'With such a traditional Italian menu, your Italian wines must sell better than the French,' I commented. Gallotto shook his head. 'No, French wines sell much more than Italian wines here. For wines by the glass and lower price point wines, Italian wines do OK, but even then, French wines are more popular.'
This is true for many other Italian restaurants, such as Otto e Mezzo in Central, where French wines are favoured over Italian in the fine wine category. It's not that Italian wines aren't faring well - sales in Hong Kong and the mainland last year are estimated to have increased by more than 20 per cent in volume from 2009. The point is Italian wines can do so much better.
Italian wines should be as popular as French: in most years, Italy produces more wine than France and it has been at it longer. The Romans spread viticulture throughout Europe and made wine an integral part of the dining cultures in the regions they conquered. Italian wines could have ruled our culinary universe, but instead they struggle to keep pace with French wine's success in key export markets like Asia.
Around the region, Italian wine as a category is keeping apace with the popularity and opening of Italian restaurants. However, this may partly account for its success as well as its main challenge: how to move beyond just Italian wine lists. How often does one come across Italian wines in a French restaurant or in an American grill?
French wine has moved across culinary boundaries, finding its way in Japanese or Chinese restaurants, but Italian wine remains entrenched in its familiar zone. This is despite that the acidity and tannins in most Italian wines make them perfect food wines, whether it is for Italian, Korean or Chinese food.
Another challenge is the grey area of Italian wine regulations, which sends confusing messages to consumers. Italy's controlled designation of origin, the DOC and DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Control - lata e Garantita) indicates the place of origin for the wines that uses the name and dictates the style, grape varieties and other details, but does not offer guidance on quality.