Hong Kong tempts visitors with food & wine year’s ‘wine & dine festival’

With an established reputation as the Culinary Capital of Asia and following the introduction of the inaugural Hong Kong Michelin guide in December 2008, the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) has introduced the Hong Kong Food and Wine Year.  Running throughout 2009 until March 2010, the Food and Wine Year will offer visitors a series of gastronomic events matching fine international wines with Hong Kong’s exemplary Chinese cuisines. 

A highlight of the Year will be the inaugural Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival from October 30 – November 1, featuring international wines paired with Hong Kong’s signature dishes.  More than 30 of Hong Kong’s leading restaurants will participate in the three-day Festival featuring their specialities and award-winning dishes.  Located at the West Kowloon Waterfront Promenade, the Festival will also include more than 100 tasting booths featuring wines from across the globe, wine appreciation classes and wine talks by leading oenological experts, cooking demonstrations by some of Hong Kong’s top chefs and live entertainment.

The ‘Wine and Dine Festival’ will be supported by food and wine events in some of Hong Kong’s leading food districts, including the annual Lan Kwai Fong Wine and Dine Carnival and the SoHo Wine and Dine Festival, from November 6 – 8. These events will focus on the pairing of fine food and wines and will also include street performances.

To support the Food and Wine Year the HKTB has introduced a dedicated mini-site highlighting Hong Kong’s food and wine calendar of events, dining tips from some leading food experts, recommendations on the pairing of Chinese food with international wines and dining E-coupons, for more information visit: www.discoverhongkong.com/hkfoodandwineyear.

The site also includes the HKTB’s latest online planning tool, the Interactive Dining Planner, which allows visitors to pre-plan their dining experiences in Hong Kong.  This new online tool allows visitors to select restaurant options from a variety of dining categories, including dim sum and local specialities, in all of Hong Kong’s major dining precincts.

The HKTB has also published the Hong Kong Local Delicacies guide to introduce four of the main staple dishes eaten in Hong Kong: congee, rice noodles, noodles and rice.  Supported by recommendations from leading Hong Kong food celebrities the guide is a practical tool to source