Hong Kong wine bars worth savouring

Despite being the world's second largest wine market Hong Kong only has a handful of wine bars, but they promise much, and deliver.

The roster of Hong Kong wine bars is short, but great. Approachable sommeliers, a wide selection of wines ranging from the rare to the easy-to-drink, and Enomatic dispensers all make these particular wine bars especially worthy of your patronage.

Sky Lounge Wineroom at Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel

This top floor wine bar has a list of about 400 rare wines from around the world and uses Enomatic wine dispensers for two dozen different bottles at a time. The atmosphere is similar to that of an understated, modern clubhouse, with plain wood floors, red brick walls and wine bottles crammed into every last nook and cranny. But it's a posh and practical setting more for young entrepreneurs trying their first wine and cigar pairing rather than a weary old boys club.

18/F, Sheraton Hong Kong, 20 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, tel +825 2369 1111 www.starwoodhotels.com

The Riedel Room at JW Marriott's Q88

Q88 Wine Bar has a room that serves wines exclusively from 100 different types of Riedel's prized thin-blown crystal stemware. These wine glasses are known throughout the industry for their taste-enhancing qualities, but this is the first and only time in the world that a room is dedicated to the wine glass maker.

Gimmicks aside, the bar offers a comprehensive selection of 200-plus top-dollar reds, with more than 40 varieties of wine available by the glass. Top wines at the bar include Château Mouton Rothschild 2003, Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1994 and a bottle of Chateau Petrus priced at HK$16,880.

Lobby level, JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong, Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Admiralty, tel +852 2841 3846 www.marriott.com

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Sparkz Wine Bar

Owner Albert Yam celebrates the lesser known and better value underdog wines at his bar with Enomatic dispensers. Stepping into his softly-lit space is like being welcomed at a friendly aficionados club. The 150-strong wine list is a very inside track selection from around the world and there's also some good tapas to match what you're drinking.

18 Gough St, Central, tel +852 2127 7533 www.sparkz.com.hk, CNNGo Sparkz

Tastings

You'll be hard-pressed to find a place to stand, let alone sit, at Tastings on weekends. Flanked by inviting Enomatic wine dispensers on the left and a prosciutto and cheese bar on the right, Tastings has a jovial atmosphere that gives it mass appeal, but also has enough top notch wines (think Opus One and Penfolds Grange) to attract snobby oenophiles. With a swipe of a pre-paid card, 25ml, 75ml and 150ml portions of wine are dispensed into your glass. The lineup of wines rotates every few weeks, with whites starting at less than HK$20 per glass, and star wines such as Opus One 1994 (HK$164 per glass) at the top. Tastings also frequently imports wines that we can't find anywhere else in Hong Kong, such as the Trisaetum Riesling 2007.

Yuen Yick Building, 27 & 29 Wellington Street, Central, tel +852 2523 6282 www.tastings.hk, CNNGo Tastings

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SPOON by Alain Ducasse

With 550 wines and more to come, SPOON by Alain Ducasse at the Intercontinental Hong Kong has one of the most extensive wine selections in Hong Kong. Although most gourmands know SPOON for its food, the restaurant also has an open bar area. The wine list -- which is set to grow to 660 wines by next summer -- is 70 percent French, the rest equal parts New World and Old World including Morocco, Greece, Lebanon and Portugal.

18 Salisbury Road Kowloon, tel +852 2721 1211 hongkong-ic.dining.intercontinental.com

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Wine Bar by Paul's Kitchen

Right next to Paul Lee's excellent, intimate French restaurant is his tiny matchbox of a wine bar. The place is decked out in comfy red sofas, flattering dim lights, and generates good vibes with a mellow jazz soundtrack. The bar also has one of the best all-you-can-drink deals in town. From Monday to Saturday, 5-8pm, HK$150 gain you a wine buffet of ten different wines.

16 Gough Street, Central, tel +852 2851 8515

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