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 The well-known and highly respected wine producer of Argentina and currently the President of the Wines of Argentina, Susana Balbo will be the guest judge at the 6th edition of Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Wine and Spirits Competition to be held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on October 6-10, according to an announcement by the organisers.
Cathay Pacific HKIWSC is a unique competition in that all the judges are from Asia or have been residents for a long time. ‘Asia’s Choice, Asia’s Voice, the slogan chosen by the organisers clearly identifies the consumers and the judges as Asians-with one exception-every edition sees a special guest with a celebrity status from outside Asia.
Established in 2008, it has been created specifically for the Asian markets. The judges are also chosen from Asian countries including India, representing a cumulative Asian palate which is considered to be different from the western palate, according to the Director of the Competition, Debra Meiburg MW, an American settled in Hong Kong for over 25 years and who has developed an Asian palate for wine and food. She, along with Simon Tam, runs it in partnership with the London-based International Wine & Spirit Competition, which has been running such competitions in England and overseas for over 40 years.
There is one exception to the list of judges though; a different expert is invited from outside the region as a VIP Guest, also known as the international judge. Tony Jordan from Australia was the first, followed by Tim Atkin MW from London and Alberto Antonini from Tuscany, Karen McNeil, food and wine writer and educator in the USA and Vanya Cullen of Australia last year. Susana owns the prestigious winery Dominio del Plata, wines of which are imported by the Wine Park, Mumbai.
Food and Wine Pairing
 This is an interesting and fairly unique part of the competition where on the last day, wines are tasted blind with morsels of the dishes prepared at the venue. Samples of wines are lined up in glasses-blind as usual, alongside a dish assigned at a time to a panel. The judges are asked to feel the taste on the palate of both the food and wine from each blind sample and rate the wine for a possible Gold, Silver or bronze. Here, quality of wine is not as important as the flavour of food combined with wine. Here are a few pointers for those who want to submit samples for this exciting component of the competition:
Peking Duck: a perfect wine match with this dish will enhance the duck’s oily, crispy skin, gamey flesh and deeply flavoured condiments.
Cantonese Dim Sum: the winning wine should pair equally well with steamed, deep-fried and stewed savoury items from the traditional dim sum trolley.
Kung Pao Chicken: judges will be looking for a wine that either harmoniously accentuates or suppresses the heat of this classic, chilli-laden dish from Sichuan Province in central-western China.
Braised Abalone: the winning wine must have resolved tannins as well as complexity and concentration to pair well with this dish: a sun-dried abalone, reconstituted in a concentrated chicken and Chinese ham stock.
Chicken Tikka: the ideal partner for this popular clay-oven roasted chicken will have plenty of fruit and weight with a full, luscious texture to balance the marinated chicken's flavourful, yet dry-heat character.
Pad Thai: the wine selected in this category will need enough fruit not to be overpowered by this slightly sweet, but deeply savory Thai noodle dish, with its shrimp, chili, peanut and spring onion garnishes.
Tempura Shrimp: judges will be looking for a wine that is bright and refreshing on the palate to pair with this crunchy, batter fried shrimp.
Sashimi: the best match will show restraint and delicacy.
Yakitori Grilled Chicken: the winning wine in this category will complement both the tender, mild-flavored chicken and the smoky char of this classic charcoal-grilled skewer.
Beef Teppanyaki: the chosen wine will have to exhibit sufficient depth of flavor in order to stand up to this smoky, rich Japanese grilled beef.
Although 3 samples are required for each wine entry, only 1 additional bottle is required for up to 2 food matches. With 2 bottles one can enter 3 to 5 matches.
Test Your Palate
What do you do with the left-over wine or the bottle? Sealed bottles could be given to charity or sold at discounts when feasible and proceeds donated to charity but what about the tens of liters of wine left in the open bottle The organisers at HKIWSC have found an ingenious solution to the perennial question asked at any wine competition, which has become a regular public event every year. The left over wines are kept in a separate rented hall for the evening. The public can pay a nominal amount every evening and taste hundreds of wines without paying any additional amounts.
 Not only this, the judges are assigned to the tables, representing the countries if the wines have been entered from that country. The participants can ask them any questions about their country, wines and the specific producers. There is an interesting challenge where one is asked to score the wines. If the official result matches the guess, the participant is rewarded with wine bottles and goodies. This has created a lot of buzz every year and this year ought not to be different.
Subhash Arora has been invited as an Asian judge from the very first year and has been appointed as the President of a panel at every competition since he started visiting in 2009. He has been instrumental in getting the organisers to add one Indian dish (chicken tikka) in the food and wine category.
Indian wines have been increasingly taking part in the competition and winning more medals. Though the Gold Medal has still eluded India, 15 wines won Silver or Bronze medals last year. The number is expected to be higher this year.
Last date for entries is September 12. For details on how to enter the competition, visit http://www.hkiwsc.com or write to info@iwscgroup.com for details and registration. For Indian participants who are always the last to plan for such events, I could request the organisers for some relaxation in the last date for entry-with no guarantees. And PLEASE DON'T FORGET THE FOOD AND WINE CATEGORY. Not only does it tell you if your wine matches with a particular food, it is relatively easier to win medals in this line-up.
Good luck to all the participants-especially my compatriots whom I always tell..Go for Gold!
For an earlier article detailing last year's winners. visit
HKIWSC: Silver Lining with Sparkling Soiree in Hong Kong IWSC
Subhash Arora
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Tags: Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Wine and Spirits Competition, Debra Meiburg MW, Dominio del Plata |