Wine Opinion: Menus tell of a culture taking root

Hong Kong is a metropolis built around trends and the question of whether wine is a passing fad lingers uncomfortably. But a sure sign that a trend has grown roots is its appropriation by local culture, sometimes beyond all recognition à la Canto-pop, or Cantonese "French" toast.

So the appearance of wine on the tables of every breed of Chinese restaurant should be encouraging.

Chen Xuguang, CEO of large Chinese beverage distributor C&D, is very negative on the prospects of Chinese pairing food with wine, saying that Chinese drinking culture is not about pairing, but rather about community and, to paraphrase him, machismo. But Hong Kong wine lovers seem intent on bringing wine to the table nonetheless.

Mostly in grand fashion, judging by the DRC, Mouton and the like that can be ogled at restaurants and private kitchens from Causeway Bay to Kennedy Town. One consultant, who has developed many Hong Kong restaurants' wine programmes, notes that in Hong Kong, unlike London and New York, the tables near the door are most prized because of their visibility to entering diners.

But over and above this "Lamborghini factor", many Hongkongers have accumulated prodigious collections. Rather than drink these rarities alone at home, they prefer to bring them out to share with friends in the familiar environment of a Chinese restaurant.

But for those of us without the vaunted cellars, Chinese restaurants are still something of a wine desert.