Personal Taste: Frederic Panaiotis

By P.Ramakrishnan

For Frederic Panaiotis eating and drinking at the best restaurants in the world is all part of the job. The Veuve Cliquot winemaker was in Hong Kong to introduce the 1998 vintage of his champagne at the Grand Hyatt.


When did you have your first taste of champagne?
I was one-minute-old. It's tradition in Champagne that when a baby is born, you put drop of champagne on his tongue to welcome him into the world.

Are you one of those who think the only real champagne is from Champagne?
Yes, of course. All the rest is just wine. People forget that champagne is essentially a wine with effervescent. Only what comes from the city of Champagne is the real thing.

Is Hong Kong a good champagne market?
Hong Kong is an excellent champagne market and there are some very passionate, crazy collectors here. In all of Asia, it's second only to Japan. All the wine geeks I've met in Asia have been from Hong Kong - it's wonderful!

Do you think champagne goes well with Chinese food?
You'd be surprised how well it mixes. I've had excellent meals in Yung Kee restaurant [in Central] and seafood goes really well with champagne. As long as the flavours of a dish don't overwhelm the taste of champagne, it's a happy marriage of flavours. Golden Unicorn [in the Marco Polo] is another restaurant where I had the best Chinese meal. Other places I like in Hong Kong are Petrus [at the Island Shangri-La] and the Oyster & Wine Bar at the Sheraton. In a restaurant, I'm really looking for an experience - the food, the setting and the service - and you get the best of that here.

What food goes well with certain champagnes?
With Hainan chicken, I would rink a vintage yellow label, with Peking duck, a rose champagne - it's fantastic. I was in Beijing a while ago and a chef created a menu to complement our vintage champagnes and it was exceptional.

Do you always have champagne with a meal?
It is the best way to start a meal! It puts you in a great mood and then you enjoy the experience.

What has been your worst dining experience?
I once had a very spicy meal that killed all the flavour in the wine. It was like a broken bone for an athlete, I had to recover from it! Artichokes, vinegar, bitter chocolate - all these strong-flavoured foods don't go with champagne, which is very delicate. Some people might like it but it's not to my taste.

On your travels, where have you had the best food and wine experiences?
In Italy, at La Bottega del Vino, I think it was the craziest and best of times. Italians take their food and wine very seriously and they like to have a good time at a meal. I won't tell you what happened [laughs knowingly], but it was a memorable evening. Les Crayeres in France is a favourite place of mine. The food is expensive but it is truly and consistently exceptional.

When did you decide to make a career from wine?
I remember exactly the time and the day. It was a Christmas party in 1982, at home, with my family. My uncle brought a bottle of Richebourg Burgundy, my other had prepared a white pheasant and I clearly remember being so happy at the time; the meal, the wine, everything was just perfect. I was just 18 years old and although I didn't make my exact career decision then, it was the first time I realised that wine was more than just a drink. I knew I would be in this field and not an accountant or something.

How big is your wine cellar?
My cellar has around 1,800 wines and I am most proud of my Veuve Clicquot 1959 - I am saving that for a special occasion.