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July 5, 2013

Andrea Franchetti Dinner

It’s always a date to look forward to – welcoming one the finest wine makers in Italy to Hong Kong. We were delighted to find out Andrea Franchetti was returning to our fair shores again as this, in my opinion, is one of the best dinners of the year given I am huge advocate of Andrea’s wines – they are simply wonderful. For the first time, we decided to pair his wines with traditional Chinese food – an exciting culture mix!

Did it work? Of course it did! His wines are so versatile, they can be matched with pretty much anything – and delicious to boot!
Andrea Franchetti is known for creating sensational wines – he first established himself in southern Tuscany, in an area not traditionally renowned for wine making. Here he created the phenomenal wines, Tenuta di Trinoro (taking the name of the estate) and Le Cupole; both predominantly produced from Bordeaux grape varieties, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. His next project led him to Mount Etna, Sicily with Tenuta di Passopisciaro and to the indigenous grape varieties of the region. He established – arguably – the most unusual vineyards in our portfolio, on the ash covered slopes of the still-smoking volcano. The results are spectacular and the wines have become firm favourites of ours at Corney & Barrow.
And so, to the main event. The venue was the famous Yung Kee Restaurant in the heart of Hong Kong and the evening began with a spot of Prosecco before being seated for our first course – Deep Fried Dumplings with Mini Crab Roe. These were quite delicious and accompanied by Guardiola Bianco IGT, Tenuta di Passopisciaro, Sicily 2010. An un-oaked chardonnay with a hint of Pinot Gris, this is a beautifully fresh and vibrant wine; perfect for oil-rich dishes.
Next up, Deep Fried Scallop Stuffed with Minced Shrimp in Pepper & Salt Deep Fried Bean Curd. The wine being poured was the wonderful and quite extraordinary, Passopisciaro, Tenuta di Passopisciaro, Sicily 2007 – fondly referred to as ‘Passo’ by the Corney & Barrow team! This is such an interesting wine and is drinking superbly well at the moment. Made with 100% Nerello Mascalese (a close relative of Pinot Noir) , it is indigenous to Mt. Etna and has produced a wonderfully fresh and elegant wine, yet has an underlying power to it. One of the stars of the evening came next – and a personal favourite – the quite outstanding Le Cupole, Tenuta di Trinoro, Tuscany 2008 which was served with Stewed Beef Brisket in Superior Soup with Whole Abalone. Traditionally, Abalone is one of those ‘marmite’ dishes – you love it or you hate it! I am pretty sure, however, that the dinner guests unanimously felt the 2008 Le Cupole was fantastic! Rich, luscious and oozing a magnificent perfume of violets – it’s everything a good wine should be.

Next came an interesting combination of Stir Fried Minced Pigeon with Black Truffle & Lettuce combined with Palazzi, Tenuta di Trinoro, Tuscany 2010. I found the Palazzi hadn’t opened up as much as we would have liked so couldn’t reach its full potential. The penultimate course was the ‘piece de resistance’ – Roasted Goose accompanied by the, quite phenomenal, Tenuta di Trinoro, Tuscany 2008. The combination was sensational and highly recommended!

Finally we had Smoked Layer Pork with Pine Nuts & Roasted Chicken Liver Barbecued Pork on Bread along with Franchetti, Tenuta di Passopisciaro, Sicily 2009. Franchetti is a huge wine, but again showed beautifully well, and to many, was the highlight of the evening.

It is always a joy to have Andrea visit and we very much look forward to the next time.

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