Wine can turn into an expensive luxury, particularly with China’s high import duties (at nearly 50 percent). In addition, lack of quality control by some importers and retailers can make buying wine a gamble when you do decide to splash out. Here are some tips for enjoying good wine ... Read more »

While most of the imported wines sold in China come from the big producers (France, Australia, Spain, Italy and Chile), there are some very interesting, high quality wines from smaller countries available in Beijing. In Austria, small family-owned wineries dominate, producing outstanding sweet wines like Kracher (￥336) from ASC, as ... Read more »

As with many avenues of human endeavor, Greece was the first country that discovered how to produce wine. Some 6,500 years later, Greece is still making some very respectable wines but faces two great challenges: pine resin was added to the retsina wine in the ‘60s to ‘80s, creating ... Read more »

Staying Humble

Could you tell us a little more about how you started in the F&B business? I started my first restaurant in 1984, but before that I was helping to run the family business, a Chinese restaurant in Singapore called “Charming Garden”. At that time, I had a ... Read more »

Imagine opening a bottle of red wine on a summer’s day in the mountains and enjoying a glass or two, then driving down to the ocean and finishing the bottle on the beach. A wine that tastes refreshing and well balanced in the cooler air of the mountains could ... Read more »

For The Love of Food

When did you know you wanted to cook professionally? My grandfather was a chef, and in my family it’s always been very important to eat well, so when I was 16 I decided to study cooking in Barcelona. You worked at the much-missed Mare ... Read more »

France is the world's most famous wine producing nation, so with Bastille Day around the corner, now's the perfect time to taste the wines that are revolutionizing French winemaking. Long regarded as home to an ocean of cheap and not particularly good wine, France's south is now ... Read more »

Slice 'n' Dice MasterHow much training did you need to be a Teppanyaki chef? I had one year of professional training at Shanghai’s Tairyo before some other examinations. As a Teppanyaki chef, I think a wide range of knowledge is important, because we cook directly for diners. It ... Read more »

Screwcaps versus natural corks has become the wine debate of the century, and as a good Frenchman, I always prefer the traditional cork. However, I recently met with Peter Gago, the mastermind behind Penfolds “Grange,” wines, who has been doing intensive research regarding screwcaps and other new types of closures ... Read more »

Catering to the Stars

You've catered for the likes of REM, Heidi Klum and the Brazilian soccer team. What's been you most memorable experience? It had to be directing the food and beverage service of the 2001 MTV Europe Awards in Frankfurt. I had the chance to work ... Read more »

Wine tastings are suddenly all the rage in Beijing. Purple Lips Wine Tasting Shop opened in April, Block 8 Ladies’ Night wine tastings have gone from monthly to biweekly and wine pairing dinners abound. Sanlitun Sequoia’s weekly wine tasting, however, is a favorite that’s been around for years ... Read more »

Zagat Arrives in Beijing

What was the process of making the new Beijing Zagat guide? It was a six-month process. The first month was getting together the list of things we wanted, then two months polling, then two months putting it all together. All in English? Yes, but I want ... Read more »

Although beer may be the beverage of choice for many now that summer is finally upon us, a glass of wine can be just as refreshing. A good Pinot Noir, especially one produced in a cool-climate wine region such as Burgundy, New Zealand or Australia’s Yarra Valley, can provide ... Read more »