Robots and AI will take over?

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A very good friend who is a world renown academia at Stanford University recently met up with some Mainland Chinese entrepreneurs in the hi-tech industry. With Word Cup 2026 finished not that long ago, the conversation naturally touched upon the “beautiful game” and some of the controversial referee decisions (and non-decisions) during the course of the tournament. Allow me to divert a little here…a popular hypothesis is that the referees/VARs had been compromised by gambling syndicates. While every now and then in different parts of the World, players got caught receiving money to throw away matches and officials mis-applying rules in exchange of financial advantages, yours truly is the naïve type who choose not to believe such conspiracy existing in the World Cup. Human errors will always be there and that is precisely why technology is increasingly being used to help minimize that.  The consequence of becoming completely cynical is that one will not enjoy the sport the same any more.   

Now back to my friend’s meeting…the Mainland Chinese hi-tech entrepreneurs all felt confident that within a couple of years, they could make a robot equipped with multiple cameras capturing all that’s happening and have that analysed by AI too. This will replace the human referees as then every decision on the pitch will be correct every time!!!

Robots for industrial productivity and performing dangerous tasks (think entering a building on fire to save people or landmine clearing, for example) are great applications. But will one that can see every little thing during a football match blows the whistle so often that the flow of the game would be totally disrupted? Would footballers want to listen to orders given by a machine? We should embrace the advancement of science and technology but must not pretend that all things can be resolved purely by that. It could also be an alarming thought if we human beings are so conducive in ceding our power of judgment and decision.

Sorry for the random musings and let’s go to wines. The following are some of our latest additions:

2012 Paul Bara Comtesse Marie de France (VN95 HK$700/bottle) – This Champagne is wonderfully exuberant from the very first taste. Kirsch, lemon confit, white flowers, chalk and mint all grace this exquisite, translucent wine. The purity of the flavours is just striking, as is the champagne’s overall balance. It is all precision and class here.

2020 Domaine Hubert Lamy St-Aubin 1er Cru les Frionnes (WA93 at HK$800/bottle) – Excellent and at a rather affordable price, this Burgundy white is slightly reserved as it unwinds in the glass with aromas of orange zest, confit citrus, crisp yellow apple and white flowers. The wine is medium to full-bodied, satiny and incisive, with racy acids and a long, saline finish. Drinkable now but those with patience will reap further rewards after the wine spends another 5-10 years in the cellar.

2021 Battenfeld-Spanier Frauenberg Reisling GG (WA95 at HK$500/bottle) – This dry German Riesling opens with intense and concentrated, very elegant and pure yellow fruit intertwined with chalky notes. Salty and savoury, with highly stimulating and ascetic purity, this is a finely grippy and stimulating white that has more limestone than the average Riesling. Already very good at this youthful stage, the wine is reduced, pure and ready to be aged for many more years.

2012 Pavie (RP95 at HK$2,100/bottle) – The 2012 Pavie celebrates its reclassification and upgrade to Class A St.-Emilion by sporting a special black label with gold print. And every Pavie has benefitted since Perse began a complete makeover of this estate in 1998. From 47-year-old vines, this Bordeaux red has an inky purple colour, judicious toasty oak in the nose interwoven with copious blackberry and blackcurrant fruit, Christmas spices, as well as licorice and graphite. Full-bodied, rich and moderately tannic, the wine has entered its drinking window and will bring much pleasure for another 25 years.

2017 La Conseillante (WA97 at HK$480/half bottle) – This excellent Bordeaux red in half bottle format is great when you want something good but not more than just enough sips. It sashays out of the glass with the most gorgeous notes of lilacs, Black Forest cake, kirsch and black raspberries plus nuances of cinnamon stick, dark chocolate and licorice. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a finely grained texture with bags of perfumed black fruits and wonderful freshness, finishing long and very fragrant.

2015 Jean Grivot Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru Aux Reignots (WA94-96 at HK$3,600/bottle) – There are only 450 bottles of the elusive 2015 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Reignots from Jean Grivot. This Burgundy red has a captivating bouquet that offers exquisite delineation: mineral-rich red and black fruit, laser-like precision, chalk and a touch of quince jelly. The palate is medium-bodied with more black fruit on the entry, offering orange peel and tangy marmalade notes as it opens up towards the finish, which reveals great substance and weight in the mouth. Not the cheapest but then it is so rare, and good.

2016 Courbis La Sabarotte (WA94-96 at HK$580/bottle) – One of the top cuvee from this Northern Rhone sub-region, this red is an unabashedly modern style, full-bodied, creamy in texture and offering pristine purple raspberry fruit. It is all good and will be hard for one to keep from drinking this in its first 5 years rather than allowing for more aging.

2018 Domaine des Roches Neuves Clos de l'Echelier (VN96 at HK$300/bottle) – This red from Loire (west France) is out of 40-year-old Cabernet Franc vines. The nose is full of floral notes and mineral aromas. Expansive on the palate and rich in the mouth with black fruits and a hint of pepper, it ends with an intensive finish. A very good wine that walks that thrilling line of rusticity and elegance…

2021 Gomez Cruzado Pancrudo Rioja (WA97 at HK$350/bottle) – This stunning Spanish red out of Garnacha has a nose of violets, rose petals and translucent red berries with a twist of spice and herbs, making it so aromatic, intoxicating, profound and intense. It has a medium-bodied, elegant palate with vibrant acidity, pungent and persistent flavours and fine-boned tannins. It is nuanced, complex and balanced and has to be the finest wine from this producer for a long time.

Thank you for reading. Please feel free to go to our website www.vinopolis.com.hk to browse the full wine list. Purchases can be made through the website or by sending us an e-mail or simply WhatsApp 9195-7383.