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FYI SOUTH Magazine, December 2002. VOL.2 ISSUE 12

Cover Story:

Living the HIGH Life

By Donovan Smith and Douglas Habecker

      You've moved up in the world and it's time to impress your swank friends with your class and credit. So why not indulge in some fantasy party planning this holiday season? FYI gives you the lowdown on high end products that only cost a couple million NT$. Get your credit card ready?.and, try not to flinch.

OVERTURES

     A fine meal means fine wine. Guidelines that once helped the uneducated match fine wines with foods are now more relaxed. According to "Wine Spectator", it's more important to choose a vintage you enjoy since most wine is consumed before or after the meal. But if you insist, try this hint: pair heavy wines with heavy foods, and light ones with delicate dishes. Check www.winespectator.com for more pointers, and www.intowine.com for serving tips. Champagne is favored for toasting honorable guests. Consider Dom Perignon (NT$2,500 - NT$10,000), an impressive wine like Domaine Larouche Chablis (NT$2000 - NT$3000) or the Bordeaux limited edition - Chateau Petrus (NT$20,000 - NT$30,000) if you prefer red.

      What about fashionable hors d'oeuvres? Southern Taiwan has imported cheeses, but lavish items are available, too. Caviar -from the Caspian Sea - makes a serious snack statement. That of the Beluga sturgeon, an animal heading towards extinction, is most expensive runs about NT$7,650/30grams. A pate or fois gras with truffles is less costly. Try Classic Fine Foods (www.cffoods.com.tw) for an excellent selection and with shipping to Taiwan.

INTO THE SPIRITS

     Classy cocktail mixers are hard to find locally. Absolute Vodka, Bombay Sapphire Gin and Tequila Herradura (under NT$1,000) are as good as it gets. For true decadence, sip whiskey or cognac.

      Scotch whiskey is the premium choice. It can be enjoyed in a cocktail, although there is something of a cult to drinking whisky "neat". Flavors can be blended of malts and un-malted grains yet single malt whiskey is Taiwan's most popular craze. The Macallan dated series (from 1926 to 1972) claims top prize; only 40 bottles of the 1926 vintage is available worldwide (NT$1,100,000/each). Alfred Dunhill's Dunhill Diamond Scotch is more extravagant. A gift set (NT$1,500,000) includes a Baccarat crystal decanter and only 100 are available. Place your order with Maxxium at www.maxxium.com.tw.

     Cognac, for the connoisseur, is rarely mixed in cocktails. Surprisingly, "Tiger's Milk" - cognac mixed with heavy cream, milk and 'simple syrup' - is a hit at some places around Taiwan. Hennessy, the "Cadillac of Cognacs", represents the top end. Richard Hennessy (NT$50,000), a blend of cognacs with some dating back to the 19th century, is top-notch. Remy Martin, another respected name, offers Remy Martin Louis XIII (NT$26,000) as their best choice in Taiwan. It comes with a Baccarat decanter and a gold label.

      Now you can party like Bill Gates. When hosting your next bash, just remember who helped you plan it - we'll be checking our mailbox for that invite.

CUTTING THE CHEESE - By Steven Crook

     The best selection of cheese can be found at Joker (06-303-0221) in the Food Court Level of Tainan's New Life Square (658, ShiMen Road, Section 1 - next to the Tayih Landis Hotel. It has an impressive selection of fresh-cut cheeses, including Cambozola, various Camemberts, Gorgonzola, Mimolette, Goudas and Edams, Rambol Salmon (alluding to a critical ingredient), Rocquefort, Dutch Smoked Cheese and Crème Normande Au Calvados (not exactly cheese but rather cream flavored with an essence of apples). In Kaohsiung, Delight Gourmet at 57, Wufu 2nd Road (07-2729787) provides a limited sampling.

BOTTOMS UP - By Steven Crook

     Since the government dismantled its alcohol monopoly, Taiwan rides a tidal wave of imported wines and liquors. Drinks, an island-wide chain, is strong in French and Australian wines, and with a surprising number of Spanish and Chilean options. Those looking for something stronger will appreciate their Scottish and Irish whiskies and sakes (like Jyunmai Daiginjyo Kuranoyue). The company also sells liqueurs, which, while not particularly expensive, are seldom seen in Taiwan. Drinks has a branch in Tainan, at 231, ChengGung Road (06-226-4360), and three in Kaohsiung, including the 15, SanDuo 3rd Road location (07-338-3123).

      B.T. Wine & Cigar Inn offers many brandies and cognacs. Kaohsiung branches are in President Department Store at 218, HePing 1st Road, B-1, LingYa, (07-223-6690), and Dollar Department Store at 463, MinTzu 1st Road, 1 F, SanMin (07-390-5025). Their Tainan branch is at New Life Square.


UP IN SMOKE - By Steven Crook

     After food, it's time for a contemplative smoke. Taiwan cornered the market in steel cigar-cutters long ago, but cigar smoking remains a rich man's hobby with few dedicated stores. Some hotels and restaurants offer fine smokes. Try the Splendor Hotel - equipped with a humidor - or David Shen's Steakhouse. B.T. Wine & Cigar Inn also stocks cigars from Cuba, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic. Pipes are less popular, but you can find what you need at Chin Wei Pipe Smoker's Shop in Tainan at 187, YouAi Street (06-225-1768). This is a small family-run business carrying imported pipe tobacco, unusual lighters, and over a hundred different ivory and wooden pipes for approximately NT$2,500.