By Jim Boyce | Let’s say you have a buddy named Johnny Latour who was born in 1982 and loves the fine wines of Bordeaux. Let’s also say Johnny’s birthday is coming up and you want to treat him, especially since he introduced you to the spouse of your dreams, helped finance your business, and saved your life, all within the past year alone. One obvious choice is to splurge on a dinner that includes a bottle of ‘82 Latour, no? Especially as heavyweight critic Robert Parker gave it 100 points.
Assuming you can’t bring your own—Fine Wine Experience in Hong Kong has one for å…ƒ12,200—some price shopping would be wise. At least that’s what I found last week while wading through 1000-plus pages of menus from Beijing, Hong Kong, Macau and Shanghai restaurants in the China Wine List of the Year Awards.
Let’s start in Shanghai with veteran restaurant Jean-Georges, which features modern French cuisine and Pudong views. That ’82 Latour bottle will cost you a crisp å…ƒ100,000. (The 10 percent service charge listed on the menu would mean å…ƒ110,000.) That’s enough for 2,200 bottles of a decent Chilean red at my local wine shop. Unfortunately, neither Johnny nor Parker like that one as much.
If that is beyond your budget, you could opt for fellow Shanghai restaurant Jade on 36 in Shangri-la Hotel, which lists the ’82 at less than half the price: å…ƒ45,888. (The 15 percent service charge makes it nearly å…ƒ53,000.) That’s still a substantial amount though you can even it out with a bottle Dominio Del Plata ‘Crios de Susana Balbo’ Torrontes for å…ƒ210.
For lower prices, grab your passport and head for Hong Kong or Macau. (Note: these prices are converted to yuan and assume wine quality is consistent across venues.)
Kazuo Okada in Hong Kong has the ’82 for CNYå…ƒ33,050, or just over å…ƒ36,000 with service charge, though you best be a fan of the Japanese style of cuisine called Kaiseki. By the way, this place also has lots of sake options and an eclectic wine list that covers both well-known producers such as France, Australia, Italy and Germany as well as less commonly found ones such as Canada, Croatia, Syria and Cyprus.
Or you could head to Macau, where the MGM’s Aux Beaux Arts has the ’82 for å…ƒ28,600, or 元31,500 with service charge. For the same price, you could get the 1949 Latour. Or the 1964, 1966 and 1970 Latour, with ten grand to spare for gambling. Perhaps it’s important to give Johnny some options.
Finally, The Kitchen at Grand Lisboa also has the ’82 Latour at 元24,600 and, if a smaller serving works, you can get a half-bottle for å…ƒ14,600, or just over å…ƒ16,000 with service charge,. By the way, speaking of options again, it might be fun to instead try a bottle of 1926 Latour for å…ƒ33,500. Just saying.
Why cheaper in Hong Kong and Macau? One reason is the duty-free regime. My guess is they also do more volume. But even at the lowest prices I saw, you could pretty much buy a round-trip ticket to Bordeaux, pay for a hotel and get your Latour there.
The China Wine List of the Year Award winners will be announced on May 21. You can get more details about the project here.
Check out the online China Wine Directory. And get the free Grape Wall e-newsletter by signing up below.
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