Celebrity Life

Fifty metres underground — this is the depth that local winemakers chose when they decided to store 10,000 wine bottles in the Aven d'Orgnac caves, an underground tourist attraction located at the southern end of the limestone plateau of the Gorges de l'Ardèche.

The experiment began in March 2018, when a new storage facility was specially created in a disused access tunnel to allow wine to mature in what amounts to a highly stable and peaceful environment.

A living product that ages best in undisturbed darkness, the wine will have benefited from ideal conditions: A constant temperature of around 12°C and an all-year-long rate of humidity of over 95%.

On December 12, 1,000 bottles of Côtes du Vivarais "Grand Aven 2017" from this treasure trove will be passed from hand to hand by a chain of human volunteers who will bring them back to the surface after two years underground. Thereafter, they will go under the hammer with a range of other local vintages in an auction with modest reserve prices.

Lots on offer will include 150 magnums of Terra Helvorum 2017 starting at 30 euros, 350 bottles of 2015 Terra Helvorum for as little as 15 euros and 350 bottles of Grand Aven 2016 from just 10 euros.

On land and sea

These days, experiments to store wine deep underground are very much in vogue in France. On June 3 of this year, 500 bottles were placed in racks at a depth of 103 metres in caves in Padirac under the watchful eye of Serge Dubs, the Best Sommelier of the World in 1989.

The first of these to return to the surface will be brought up for an initial tasting in the spring of 2021. And let's not forget that this experiment is focused on a very particular wine: A Clos Triguedina Cahors, christened Cuvée Probus, which has been produced to honour the 130-year anniversary of the Padirac Chasm.

Surprisingly enough, this new approach to maturing wine was initially inspired by a find at sea. In 2010, divers in the Baltic discovered a wreck containing what turned out to be a cargo of champagne, which was probably on its way to 1840s Russia.

The wave of experimentation that is now ongoing began when the bubbly, which was made by such houses as Veuve Clicquot, Heidsieck and the now defunct Juglar, was discovered to still be delicious after some 170 years under water.

In Saint-Jean-de-Luz in the French Basque country, winemaker Emmanuel Poirmeur has registered a patent for a process that involves vinifying wine in special vats at a depth of 15 metres under water. For its part, Leclerc-Briant set a record when it vinified one of its champagnes at a depth of 60 meters under the Atlantic in 2012, not surprisingly the vintage was christened "Abyss."

The post 18 of the Best Hong Kong Mooncakes To Indulge in This Mid-Autumn 2020 appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

These wildly imaginative mooncake flavours will excite the most adventurous of tastebuds this Mid Autumn Festival.

The post Taste-test and review: 34 mooncakes flavours in Singapore (2019) appeared first on The Peak Magazine.

These wildly imaginative mooncake flavours will excite the most adventurous of tastebuds this Mid Autumn Festival.

For more stories like this, visit www.thepeakmagazine.com.sg.

Annual mooncake mania has once again descended upon us all and as we gear up for Mid-Autumn festival, which falls on 13th September this year; there are quite a few cakes to get through.

From the undefeated classics to more contemporary and creative delights -- indulgence is the name of the game. But fret not friends, as we've done most of the hard work for you (someone has to!) with our top 10 list of Hong Kong mooncakes, to try yourself or gift to others, that are definitely worth the calories.

The post 10 Hong Kong Mooncakes That are Worth the Calories this Mid-Autumn 2019 appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

Here's how hotels are swapping Chinese tea for boozy tipples to accompany these traditional treats.

The post Wine and mooncake pairings for a boozy Mid-autumn Festival appeared first on The Peak Magazine.

Here's how hotels are swapping Chinese tea for boozy tipples to accompany these traditional treats.

For more stories like this, visit www.thepeakmagazine.com.sg.

If you’re well-versed in Chinese geography, you already know that Jiangnan, literally meaning south of the river, refers to the region beneath China’s Yangtze River including cities such as Shanghai, Hangzhou, Nanjing and Shaoxing amongst other neighbouring provinces. But what do you know of its cuisine and the heritage behind it?

Well, let’s look at history. According to an abundance of fourth century stories; including one about a Chinese official abandoning his post to go home for his favourite Jiangnanese dish, you could say that Jiangnan cuisine is missed by all who enjoy it -- emperors included.

Today, the regional cuisine is just as loved for its delicate balance of lighter flavours that harmonise gracefully with the seasons and landscape, and closely associated with hong shao, a slow red braising technique that produces dark and rich gravies, as well as plenty of pickling, drunken and rice dishes.

[caption id="attachment_155944" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Old Bailey in the Centre for Heritage and Arts, Tai Kwun.[/caption]

Enter Hong Kong’s very own Jiangnan eatery Old Bailey; a JIA Group restaurant which swept the city with its fresh and unique stance on this regional Chinese cuisine since opening in Tai Kwun last year. This season, they continue to champion the culinary philosophy of Jiangnan with Executive Chef Wong Kwan Man, a native from Yangzhou (the old gastronomic capital of the region), at the helm to launch a series of new seasonal menus, a la carte dishes, cocktails and mooncakes.

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A New Season for Jiangnan Cuisine

Three new tasting menus offer a seasonal taste of Jiangnan, including a 10-course option (HK$500) for vegetarians. The 'Green Taste of Jiangnan’ experience combines a selection of vegetarian versions of Old Bailey’s signatures such as steamed veggie Xiaolongbao, Sweet and sour bean curd, and a Village-style Hangzhou sautéed green chilli with aubergine. While a classic ‘Taste of Jiangnan’, which is a 9-course menu (HK$600), includes favourites such as spicy Mala xiaolongbao, a Red-braised lion's head (don't worry no actual lions were involved in the making of this pork meatball), along with Osmanthus-flavoured Jinhua ham with crispy bean curd sheet and mantou. A more extensive route can be found in ‘An Exquisite Taste of Jiangnan’ where a comprehensive 10-course meal (HK$800) offers premium dishes of Longjing tea-smoked pigeon and the ever-popular hand-pulled noodles covered with Hairy crab roe. Both meat-filled tasting menus can be complemented by curated wine pairings for HK$450 and HK$500 respectively.

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For those that prefer to go a la carte, newly added highlights like the refreshing Marinated Japanese yam complemented by preserved plum or the season’s first steamed mud crab, served whole and meaty with 15-years-aged huadiao wine are excellent choices. The whole Ten treasure duck, an elevated rendition of the Shanghainese eight treasure duck, also comes highly recommended and is available either braised or deep-fried with salt and pepper but must be pre-ordered 24 hours in advance. We’d also suggest a traditional serving of hand-pulled noodles with Clams and chilli, a Jiangnan delight to complete the meal.

Tai Kwun-inspired Cocktails

In honour of the historic and cultural arts hub its situated in, Old Bailey introduces its new cocktail menu with eight Tai Kwun-inspired drinks for the season. We recommend the Big station, a literal translation of Tai Kwun, which adds spicy herbaceous tones to a classic gin-based white lady cocktail, or Brick walls, an homage to the the prison yard walls, that also uses gin with bergamot black tea, cold brew coffee, tonic water, grapefruit zest. Meanwhile, the Guard house 1858 negroni-style cocktail uses a floral foundation of white peony and elderflower mixed with Lillet blanc, Cedars classic, Suze and aged mandarin peel, to represent the guard house building that became the first halfway house, named Bauhinia House back then, for female rehabilitation in 1984.

[caption id="attachment_155951" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Old Bailey's (left) savoury and (right) sweet Shanghai-style mooncakes.[/caption]

Handmade Shanghai-style Mooncakes

With Mid-Autumn looming, Old Bailey is offering authentic Shanghai-style treats to mark the festive tradition of mooncake gifting and eating. The handmade mooncakes are available in limited quantities and offer sweet and savoury filling options. Each flakey, buttery short-crust style pastry wraps around sweet red bean paste or a more dark, peppery pork flavour. Old Bailey's gift box will present 6 mooncakes (HK$238) and will be available for pre-orders starting 22 July 2019 on their dedicated form, which can be accessed here.

The post Old Bailey’s Jiangnan Cuisine Takes the Seasonal Spotlight with New Dishes & Mooncakes appeared first on Prestige Online - Hong Kong.

We've moved light years away from lotus seed paste and salted egg yolks.

The post The most luxurious mooncakes this season appeared first on The Peak Magazine.

We've moved light years away from lotus seed paste and salted egg yolks.

For more stories like this, visit www.thepeakmagazine.com.sg.