Made in Hong Kong wines that are making a splash
Who would have thought that one could make wine in Hong Kong? But Eddie McDougall has proven that good vintages can come from the most unlikely of places
Winemaking in Hong Kong sounds about as improbable as growing potatoes on Mars. But, like Mark Watney, the astronaut played by Matt Damon in Hollywood blockbuster The Martian, Eddie McDougall has made the seemingly impossible happen, releasing four locally made wines under the label The Urban Project. One of them, Sampan, was awarded first runner-up in the Old World Red Wine Below HK$100 category in this year’s Restaurant & Bar Hong Kong House Wine Awards.
McDougall, who calls himself The Flying Winemaker, has made wines all over the world.
“I started learning how to make wine when I was 19, in Australia,” he says. “I haven’t stopped since.”
Having worked in King Valley and Margaret River, in Australia, and Languedoc, in France, he came Hong Kong when an opportunity arose.
"In 2009 I took over the winemaking position at [The 8th Estate] winery and, as part of the job, I was put in charge of rebuilding it to commercial production capacity - buying the equipment and making sure it was a proper winemaking facility. I produced the wines and at the same time was able to produce the wines for The Urban Project," he says, of his own label, which came later.