Discover Tunisian Wine at HK Wine Fair!



Le M

 5 Nov 2010: I visited the HK International Wine & Spirits Fair this afternoon.  I do not quite understand the way the organiser split up the fair into two exhibition halls.  To be honest, my main purpose was to drop into the booths of a few friends from overseas.  One of the booths I visited was the UCCV booth: Les Vignerons de Carthage (http://www.uccv.com.tn/), the largest wine producer in Tunisia.  I spent some time with Dr. Belgacem D'Khili, the CEO and Chief Winemaker of the company and Monsieur Maher Toumi, in charge of export and marketing.  Very charming gentlemen, passionate about their wine and their culture, and eager to share their passion with wine lovers in Asia.  Their wines are now sold as much abroad as domestically, with France and Belgium being the most important European markets, and Japan as their first foray into Asia.  Bravo!

Of the wines I tasted at their booth, I was most impressed by the traditional method sparkling wine: Le M, so well named. I tasted a very youthful 2008.  A blanc de blancs based on Chardonnay, having spent 24 months on its lees before disgorgement.  A lovely straw yellow colour, showing persistent and fine bubbles. On the nose, it was a complex mix of citrus, grapefruit, jasmine, almonds and toasty notes, overlaid with just a hint of oriental spice and some earthy character.  An expressive and characterful wine, extremely well-made, balanced, and nice long finish.  Drinking well now and will benefit from some bottle age over the next 5 - 8+ years.  I also love the packaging and the design of the label - everything speaks of mystique and regal grace.  Quite a revelation for me as one would never associate Mediterranean Tunisia with production of sparkling wine!  Quite an achievement - this wine compares extremely well with commercial style champagne, the best Cava, and high end New World sparkling wine, and in some way tastes even better, when it is not packed with the rather pretty tropical fruit character I sometimes find in New World sparkling wine...... I did not enquire about the price but I know it will be marketed and sold in HK soon, and with a very competitive price tag!



The dry Muscat and
Le Vieux Magon

 Next I tasted the dry Muscat: Muscat Sec de Kélibia.  Light golden in colour.  An expressive wine, expressive of its terroir and its grape variety.  Lovely floral and honey character, with a hint of spice and minerality.  Medium body with just enough complexity, ripe fruit concentration and rounded character to make it an attractive food wine.  It will go well with salads and seafood, such as scallops, oysters, mussels and clams, even better cooked in the "HK Typhoon Shelter style" - for the foodies amongst you! 

Le Vieux Magon, AOC Mornag - 2/3 Syrah and 1/3 Merlot. Hand harvested grapes.  14 days of maceration to optimise the extraction of aromas and phenolic compounds.  Aged in seasoned oak for 12 months before spending some time in bottle in the grottos for further refinement prior to release.  I tasted the 2005 vintage.  Dr. Belgacem recommended decanting for an hour before serving. Deep ruby core.  Elegant and complex.  Spicy, chocolate, black cherries, plums, liquorice and a hint of vanilla.  Soft tannin, giving the wine a velvety texture.  Well-crafted wine, balanced, complex, definitely a wine to go with Mediterranean and North African cuisine, but equally well with intensely flavoured braised dishes in the Chines cuisine.   Drinking very well now and will continue to evolve over 4 - 5 years, with potential to age much longer. 

All above wines will be available in HK soon!  Watch out for these great value quality wines!

Congratulations to team UCCV!  I am very confident they will succeed in educating our Asian wine lovers about their wine, culture and cuisine, given their drive and passion!  This is what I love about the world of wine - you are constantly humbled by how much you have yet to learn about!