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wine
| Bel-Air
Bel-Air |
wine
Taste
Maker
Bel-AirMagazine
speaks toMasterofWineDebra
Meiburgonherpassion forpleasuresof thevine.
葡萄酒大師DebraMeiburg與〈貝沙灣雜誌〉暢談享受
美酒的無限熱情。
What sparkedyour interest inwine?
I’moriginally fromCalifornia’s Sonoma
County, oneofAmerica’smajorwine regions,
andhave alwayshadanattachment towine.My
serious interest inwinebegan inHongKong
when I attendedan introductoryWSET course,
andmy lifehasneverbeen the same!Wine is
liquidhistory, culture, language, nature andart.
It’s apleasure that touches all the senses: sight,
smell, taste and sometime even sound, as in the
pull of a corkor thebubbles inChampagne.
Howhas travel enhancedyourunderstanding
ofwine?
I travel everymonthand judge severalwine
shows eachyearon four continents so that I
cankeepupwithproduction styles andglobal
trends. Inpreparation for theMasterofWine
title, I travelled to everymajorwine-producing
region in theworld. I’veworkedharvest in
Chile, prunedvines inBordeaux,workedas
a cellar-hand inNewYork, runa ‘crusher-
destemmer’ inSouthAfricaandhand-bottled
our family’swine inSonomaCounty. Last
year I tapedadocumentaryofGreekwine
promotingour television show, Taste theWine,
whichwas recorded inArgentina, France,
SouthAfrica,Hungary,California,Australia,
Italyand Israel.
HowdoesHongKong’s scenemeasureup?
It’sbeen sixyears since theHongKong
government voted to eliminatewineduty
andwewere theonlymajorwine-trading
metropolis in theworld to take suchabold
step.The region’s robustwine activityhasbeen
onhyper speedaswe establishedourselves as
Asia’swine-trading centre. Ihave recordsof
350wine importingbusinesses actively trading
inHongKong this year!The cityhas longhad
anobsessionwith topbrands fromBordeaux,
but at lastwe are seeing experimentationwith
other styles gaining shelf space as themarket
gains confidence.
Whatwas it like to launch thefirstpan-Asian
winecompetition?
Founding theCathayPacificHongKong
InternationalWine&SpiritCompetitionhas
been tremendously fulfilling, bothonapersonal
andprofessional level.We raised thebarby
bringingworld-class judging standards and
practices inAsiaandappointing judgeswho
wereborn inandbased inAsia tonurture
young talent in the region.We introduceda
wine-pairing category to enhance consumers’
dining experiences, since the enjoyment of
foodplays suchan important role in theAsian
wayof life.
Doyouconsider the industry tobemale-
dominated?
I’venever felt that being femalehasheldme
back in thisfield. I’moften theonly female at
a tableof business leaders, but thepassion for
wineunitesus.One advantage is that some
menaremore comfortable askingawoman
questions, as it is less intimidating.Women
increasinglyhold seniorpositions in the
industry.AhighpercentageofHongKong
importers are female, ourwine societies and
education centres arefilledwithwomenand
the threeMastersofWine inAsiaare female.
Maledominance is still seenon restaurant
floors, however, asmost sommeliers inAsia
aremen.
What is thebestway forpeople to
learnmore?
Taste!Taste!Taste!Andmost importantly,
spit, so that you rememberwhat you’ve tasted.
Beingmindful of thewine as you sip is key.
Introductorywine courses are excellent as
theyhelp to explainwine features thatmake
tastingmore interestingandpleasurable.
What’syour favouritewinememory?
There’s a heart-stoppingmoment in every
wine professional’s lifewhen they realise
they’ve fallen in lovewith this ethereal
liquid. I’ve been lucky tohavemany.The
best have been around the tablewithmy
husband anddearest friends, evenbetter
while amongst the vines.
Top three favouritesonyour list rightnow?
Only three? Ihave apassion formature
Burgundy,whichwouldbemy choice if there
wasonlyoneglass left. I also loveBordeaux,
butmore recentlyhave enjoyed the fresh,
invigorating sour cherry characterof Italy’s
BaroloandTuscanwines.And let’snot forget
Wine is liquid
history, culture,
language,
nature and art.
Riesling, port, sweetwines andwho could live
without bubbles?
A “dream-team”would include: Salon
(Champagne), EgonMuller (Germany),
LeFlaive’sBatard-Montrachet (white
Burgundy),ArmandRousseau’sChambertin
(Burgundy),Vietti (Barolo),Chateau
Margaux (Bordeaux) andZinfandel from the
DryCreekValley (California).And let’s
not forget aTokaji (Hungary),Quintada
Noval (Porto) anda sipofRutherglen
sticky (Australia) to finish!
