“The food chooses the wine.”

A prestigious wine program at a fine dining Chinese restaurant used to be almost unheard of. When Wine Buyer Christine Parkinson began her journey with Tao Group Hospitality she had concerns, not knowing if guests would acquire a taste for wine, and more specifically premium wines, whilst enjoying the restaurant’s cuisine.

In 2001 Parkinson joined Tao Group Hospitality, determined to find the best products. On this journey she found that guests responded well to pairing the Chinese fare with premium wines. Now, more than 10 years later, Hakkasan features nearly 400 wines as part of its extensive wine program.

Parkinson soon discovered that there was no one body of knowledge in existence that spoke with authority about the rules of wine and how to pair it with Chinese cuisine. Inspired by this opportunity for innovation Parkinson set her own rules and standards, which later turned into the ethos of Hakkasan’s wine program. Her rules were simple – each product had to be excellent quality and work well with the cuisine. From here, Hakkasan’s wine program was born.

Since its inception, Hakkasan’s wine program has set a standard for the classification and selection of wines used. With wines categorised under “Curious Vines: distinctive wines”, “Genius without a Château: the new classics” and “Spiritual Wines”, guests are given a look into why these wines were selected. For example, “spiritual wines” signifies the biodynamic production of the wine,  reflecting how the vines are treated during the harvesting process.