Shangri-La’s Festival of Wine concluded with a ‘Judgment of Paris’

After its successful debut launch last year, “A Festival of Wine by Shangri-La” again presented exciting wine events from 22 to 27 November this year at the Island Shangri-La, Kowloon Shangri-La and Kerry Hotel in Hong Kong.

Curated by Shangri-La’s Assistant Vice President and Master Sommelier Yohann Jousselin,  the 6-day wine festival featured 14 exclusive wine dinners and lunches, tasting experiences and sabrage activities. Over 160 labels of world-class wines and champagnes from around the world were showcased along with exquisitely crafted gourmet delights. 

The festival started on 22 November with a Hyde de Villaine wine dinner at the acclaimed Restaurant Petrus. Guests were able to enjoy a selection of fine wines by Hyde de Villaine, partly owned by Domaine de la Romanée Conti.

One of the highlights was the 7^th Anniversary Iconic Wine Dinner at Restaurant Petrus on 24 November. Priced at HK$22,888 per person, the highly privileged experience featured a series of premium vintages including Château Latour, Pauillac, 1er Cru Classé, 1959, Château Haut Brion, Pessac Léognan, 1er Cru Classé, 1959, and Château Palmer, Margaux, 3ème Cru Classé, 1964.

For the festival’s closing dinner on 27 November, the French Master Sommelier Yohann Jousselin has partnered with the American Master Sommelier Darius Allyn and ingeniously themed the dinner with “Judgement of Paris” to introduce wines from California and France. 

The Judgement of Paris in 1976 marked the rise of the Napa wines in the wine world after two Californian wines triumphed over their top-notch French opponents at a blind tasting, judged with a group of French wine professionals in Paris.

During the closing dinner hosted at Restaurant Petrus, each course was delicately paired with two wines from California and France’s classic wine regions so that guests could taste and learn the different varietals in one sitting. 

To spice up the experience, Yohann arranged a blind Chardonnay tasting session in the middle of the dinner featuring 4 wines from producers competing in the 1976 Judgement of Paris. The four wines included two California Chardonnay from Château Montelena and Freemark Abbey, and two Burgundy from Domaine Leflaive and Domaine Drouhin.  

To wrap up the week-long wine festival, Yohann poured a 1987 Moulin Touchais Côteaux du Layon from Loire as a tribute to where he hailed from at the closing of dinner.