Gourmet Food & Wine Reviews

Premium Independent Wineries of South Africa (PIWOSA) is a collective of family owned, like minded, premium, independent wine producers of South Africa’s Western Cape, dedicated to the highest quality production of boutique wines. With innovative programs and events, they shine the spotlight on the flourishing premium South African category for local and global wine lovers. While each winery portrays its own micro climates and unique sites and soils, PIWOSA represents the incredible diversity of Premium South African wine today. Influenced by Mediterranean climate, the Western Cape is cooler than its position might suggest, with conditions that are ideal for growing a wide range of noble wine cultivars. Although winemaking commenced here in 1659, its viticulture is rooted in some of the most ancient soils in the world dating back over 600 million years. Combining distinctive and diverse topography, the region produces a wide range of style of premium wines of incredible character.   Map of Western Cape Municipal Districts, South Africa   PIWOSA wowed Hong Kong in a stunning debut last week, with a series of exclusive events for media, F&B professionals and trade, including a blind tasting competition for the city’s top sommeliers and wine professionals. Results were astonishing in that not one participant could detect all of the top French wines from amongst the line-up of premium South African wines. The first event of the day, “Flight Club”, was hosted by Debra Meiburg MW and 9 winery owners and representatives from PIWOSA. It comprised a blind tasting competition for 25 top sommeliers, critics and wine professionals with an all-expenses paid trip to South Africa at stake. One top French wine was hidden in each of the five flights of South African wines, separated by...

The award-winning Master of Wine personality, Debra Meiburg, http://debramasterofwine.com/ recently hosted the inaugural Swire “Women of Wine” (WoW) festival at the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce Chamber Theatre in Hong Kong. This debut event, teaming “wow-worthy women with wonderful wines” was an inspirational, learning and fun grand finale to International Women’s Week. The event featured some of the leading female personalities in Hong Kong from the corporate, finance, media, fashion, sports, travel, technology, entrepreneurial and F&B worlds. Combining wine tasting seminars, informative pop-up workshops and networking, this festival featured more than 50 global wines made by women winemakers and presented by Hong Kong’s leading female owned wine importers. The event attracted a full house of over 350 mostly female guests. Actress and celebrity winemaker, Bernice Liu, as the guest of honor, opened the festival with a bang as VIP female guests, led by founder and director Debra Meiburg, Master of Wine, popped a cluster of balloons to kick off the event. Swire Women of Wine festival - Wine List Swire Women of Wine festival opening ceremony Debra Meiburg MW said, “Wow, what an event! This was serious girl power and grapes all blended together in the most fabulous way. Along with celebrating International Women’s Day and the achievements of our leading ladies in wine, business and a cross-section of major fields, we wanted to bring together the city’s female wine importers with a large gathering of professional and lifestyle savvy women interested to know more about wine. Creating good relationships with importers and wine enthusiasts offers a great way for the introduction to wine for people who’ve previously felt intimidated to ask questions, experiment and learn more.” “As part of this learning experience, we...

The Hong Kong based boutique wine importer, Flavours from Apulia, recently hosted a wine tasting of Southern Italian wines from the Apulia region at the Gaia Italian restaurant in Hong Kong. Flavours from Apulia wines represent the richness of the grape varieties available in the Apulia region, focusing on both small and less known wineries of the territory, as well as more internationally known and awarded ones. The event was sponsored by the Italian Chamber of Commerce, which regularly sponsors some of the finest Italian F&B related events in Hong Kong. The setting for the tasting was the elegant & contemporary Gaia Ristorante, which has an alfresco Italian piazza style setting in Sheung Wan. Gaia Ristorante On offer was a great selection of 9 labels including red, white & sparkling, including organic and vegan certified wines from boutique wineries in the Puglia region of south-east Italy, which  due to its location and shape has earned the nickname “heel of the Italian boot”. It is the region with the longest coastline in Italy and offers breathtaking landscapes. But more than everything, it is a land of hospitality and great food and wines. The wine labels are produced from grapes grown in the Apulia region and most of these grapes are indigenous, dating back to the Roman Empire, such as Negroamaro, Malvasia Nera, Verdeca and Primitivo. Some of the wines are also produced using more well known grapes, like Chardonnay which gains very interesting flavours growing in this warm and dry region. Puglia Map Some of the wineries represented included: (1) Cantine Brancasi, with its DOC wines being produced using Negroamaro and Malvasia Nera grapes, typical grapes from the area, but also quality wines with Chardonnay and...