Raveneau & oysters: perfect in its simplicity. Atlantic, Sweetwater (Pacific) and Kumamoto from Hog Island Hog Island Oyster Co —so crystalline I drank their liquor straight. Paired side-by-side with Raveneau Montmains 2020 (calm, mint-hushed) and 2022 (bright, citrus-charged). Sea

Tasted two 2017s from Giuseppe Mascarello e Figlio — Villero (~0.5 ha) and Perno, Vigna Santo Stefano (~0.7 ha). For reference, the estate’s flagship Monprivato vineyard spans about 6 ha, showing how tiny these two sites really are. 2017 was a warm, ripe year, and both wines

Incredibly fresh and delicious live seafood hot pot in Xiamen China, the bounty of the ocean truly shines here!

Perfectly tender, spicy, numbing Sichuan frog dish pairs perfectly with chilled Kabinett level Riesling. In Xiamen🇨🇳

Really liking these seafood dishes in Ao Ke Ye Shi 傲客夜食 Xiamen with Kabinett Mosel Riesling, goes so well with mildly spicy, outrageously delicious food.

Finally tried a turtle in Hangzhou. Very special, softly chewy texture, delicious, nice match with a no-name right-bank 2012 Bordeaux that the restaurant must have had in their cellars for ages, since no one seems to drink grape wine here. Shame, because the food is very wine

Incredible Peking Duck in Hangzhou. Match made in heaven with Pinot Noir, except all they had on the red wine list was St Emilion. 😩

Dong Po Pork - one of the most incredible dishes in Hangzhou, a local specialty, the best rendition of pork belly there is. Gelatinous layers, interleaved with melting fat and soft meat. This is amazing with Chateauneuf-du-Pape.

Duck feet with crunchy chewy texture reminded me of jellyfish. Gently coated with Chinese mustard sauce, wasabi-like, can just eat the whole plate, like snacks. Will go with a wide variety of white wines, from Sauv Blanc to white Rhones.

2022 Bordeaux looking good. Chateau Kirwan tasting good out of the gate. A vintage to pay attention to.

Another very nice, approachable and quite flamboyant 2022 Bordeaux - Chateau La Gaffieliere, Saint-Emilion. 14.5% alc, rich but not jammy fruit. Great with lamb chops. The 2022 Bordeaux looking good.

Celebrating the K&L Wine Merchants legend Mr Ralph Sands’, the Bordeaux expert extraordinaire, 70’th birthday in style, with a range of glorious bottles from 1955, 1975, 2010, 2016, and 2019. The oldies were incredible. Happy birthday, Ralph! ❤️

One of the most impressive Bordeaux Blanc I have tasted - 2021 Domaine de Chevalier Pessac-Leognan, K&L Wine Merchants

2013 Dauvissat Vaillons, drinking great after 2 hour decant, keeps improving, incredible salinity and lime, classical Dauvissat notes of cream and honey, Chablis so great with lobster risotto made with home-made concentrated, briny lobster stock, with saffron and tarragon. 13’s

Marvelous 1961 Chateau Suduiraut Sauternes - all kids of middle eastern and African souk spices, hard to drink younger Sauternes after this!, matched with a gorgeous apple tart.

Creamy Chicken Fricasee with morels and a side of lentils and chard, paired with the bright and youthful red-fruited 2011 Meo-Camuzet Vosne Chaumes, a fantastic combo!

Two nicely aged California Pinots accompanied the mind-boggling, incredible Morbier+Gruyère onion tart (modified Dartois au morbier), both in great shape - the 1999 Rochioli Russian River Valley East Block was the more structured of the two, still quite youthful. The 2002

Paolo Bea Arboreus 2016 was fantastic! Probably the best Bea white (orange wine) I have had. Notes of chamomile and turmeric. So complex, went great with “kaiseki-style” matsutake mushroom soup with a side of mushroom infused aromatic rice.