French winery Chateau Suduiraut recently held a tasting of its 2009 vintage at the Ming Court restaurant in Mong Kok's Langham Place Hotel. The deliciously sweet vintage was described as "close to perfection", scoring 97-99 points, by magazine. The liquid gold's allure was such that even former chief secretary Henry Tang Ying-yen couldn't resist dropping by for a taste. The event was to celebrate the winery's new Chinese-themed logo, designed to appeal to mainland wine-lovers, and the unveiling of a commissioned artwork by Jiao Xingtao inspired by the vintage. Christian Seely, the winemaker's managing director, says only 6,000 cases of the wine were produced, which explains the HK$1,500 a bottle price tag.
US fashion house Michael Kors held an event recently to promote its campaign to end world hunger. A bevy of fashion fans and celebrities turned up wearing T-shirts promoting the cause. The campaign spans five cities, in which shoppers received free T-shirts in exchange for having their photo taken in a booth. Participants had the chance to have their image shown on the giant screen in New York's Times Square. Michael Kors has also announced a partnership with the UN World Food Programme, where shoppers can make donations of HK$5, HK$10 or HK$25 in its stores. Also, for every 100 Series limited edition watch designed by Michael Kors, that is sold, 100 children affected by famine will receive a nutritious meal. The scheme has so far supplied 1.5 million meals. The watches cost HK$3,000 each and come in two styles.
The Earthpulse Foundation held a gala dinner on the theme "Echo of the Forest" at Hotel Icon last week to raise funds to protect indigenous communities in northern China. The dinner was officiated by Florence Hui Hiu-fai, the Undersecretary for Home Affairs. A charity auction raised more than HK$1 million. Hing Chao, founder of Earthpulse, says funds raised will focus on the preservation of culture and aid education and social enterprises. The highlight of the night was an original dance drama titled , created by Chao and based on ancient Orochen folklore, to express Earthpulse's gratitude to the guests.
