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PROTAGONIST / RED PASSION

o love wine is to love life. Enjoying wine is over twenty years ago. Today, Pianirossi spreads across 50 hectares
one way to love oneself.” A household name as in the vicinity of Montalcino that lies in the heart of Southern Tus-
well as a distinguished Hong Kong movie star, cany. Lau said, “I love everything about Tuscany- the people, the
Carina Lau needs no further introduction. Lau is food and wine, the sun, the rolling hills and their earthy tones as
T one in a string of high-profile celebrities to venture well as their respect for nature. They touch my heart.” +0 collabo-
into wine. This year in June, this multi-talented actress launched rated with Pianirossi for the production of five superior wines, in-
“+01”, a wine brand that is named after her Chinese name “Jial- cluding the ready-to-drink Nero d’Avlo, Montepulciano d’Abru-
ing”. Started tasting wine in her late teens, Lau recalled that she zzo, Chianti, Primitivo and the reserve wine Maremma. Made of
truly stepped into the world of wine when her generous friends Montepulciano, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Maremma will
shared some unforgettable bottles with her, thereby sparking her age beautifully up to twenty years to develop nuances of bouquet
interests to discover more about wines. As years go by, Lau has and flavor. As Lau told us, the origin of Montepulciano grape is in
grown passionate and knowledgeable, invariably seeking out the the Marche region, which is where Sincini comes from.
best wines. While France is one of the birthplaces of fine wines, It- Thus the blend of Montepulciano seeks to pay homage to Sinci-
aly also produces a vast amount of artisan wines that are particular- ni’s roots, while the Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot embody
ly alluring to Lau. She is captivated with the passion, the emotion the international aspirations behind the flagship offering of the
and the flair inherent in the Italian culture, especially in wines, cu- Pianirossi Estate. Since the Chinese wine market is still in a fledg-
linary arts as well as luxury products. +0 is an enthusiastic collab- ling phase, meticulous considerations were taken into the de-
oration between Lau and two of her close friends, Eric Tsang and sign of the wine labels to capture the consumer’s initial attention.
Sabine Brunner. Since Brunner’s husband Stefano Sincini, the For instance, the green label of Nero d’Avola symbolizes respect
CEO of Tod’s, is also the proprietor of Pianirossi Winery near Mon- for nature and a sense of well being while the label of Montepul-
talcino, the idea of collaboration started to take shape after Lau vis- ciano d’Abruzzo is cherry-red because of its red fruit flavors. De-
ited the winery on several occasions, tasted the wines and became voted to integrate wine into the Chinese culture, +0 aims to raise
infatuated with the excellence of their the consumers’ knowledge of differ-
super Tuscans. Lau also feels strong- entiating wines and to help them en-
ly connected with the Italian culture hance the enjoyment of wine. “As the
because of its matriarchal nature, “I standard of living continues to rise
have a very close relationship with and the middle class expands into a
my mother. That’s why I have tremen- broad consumer base, we would like
dous respect for the important role of to see the regular enjoyment of wine
the matriarch in Italian society.” Such become an integral part of the Chi-
personal bond with Italy leads to the nese lifestyle.” Lau said.Sharing a bot-
partnership with Tsang and Brunner tle of wine is as pleasurable as tasting
along with Pianirossi Winery to prop- it; Lau hopes to embark on a jour-
agate the beauty of Italian wines. Pian- ney into the enjoyable world of Ital-
irossi Winery started producing wines ian wines with the fellow wine lovers.

Here above, Marc Zhang of Tmall International, Eric Tsang, Carina Lau and Sabine Brunner. Top, Adrian Cheng and Carina Lau at the launch
event of +0 wines that are sold on Tmall in China. Hong Kong clients can direct their inquiries
to etsang@vendemmia.org. Adjoining page, Lau believes that enjoying a bottle of wine complements the joy of friendship and sharing.

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