"I believe truly great wines come from traditional methods and sources. Everything else I try that's new or innovative just taste like replicas of the original; they just taste like products," says Alvaro Palacios, recently in town for a one-off wine pairing dinner at The Landmark Mandarin Oriental's Amber. "Great wine isn't a technical or mechanical thing based on formulas. Great wine comes from the place."

From his wineries in Rioja, Bierzo and Priorat in Spain, the most talked about "place" is his Priorat vineyard in Catalonia that yields his star wine, the L'Ermita. Once a remarkable winemaking region in the 12th century, the town fell into obscurity by the time Palacios arrived in the 1990s. Yet he recognised the area’s potential, especially the ancient Garnacha vines. Palacios shares his tale of helping the village get back to its original winemaking pedigree, and how he rose to become one of Spain's most illustrious winemakers.

AsiatatlerDining.com: For those unfamiliar with your wine, why are they so wildly successful and expensive?
Alvaro Palacios: My vineyards are at the village of Priorat, a tiny piece of land that's so beautiful with very, very steep slopes full of Garnacha vines. These vines are 75 years old, a handful are 100 years old. It's also a very small production, one of the smallest in the world, making just 900 litres per hectare. Because of the small place and tiny production, the prices of my wines are so high.

There's also the history and mysticism of the vineyards that are expressed in these wines with beautiful texture, identity and character. When I bought the vineyard in 1993, I was drawn to this magnetic place with centuries of tradition behind it, like a monastery that governed the area spiritually, economically and politically.

Together with the quality of the soil, microclimate and other ingredients from this geography, they helped create my emotional and so stimulating wines as a result. These great surroundings are why my wines are truly special.

ATDining: Back then, the Priorat region was a relatively forgotten and obscure area compared to the promising winemaking region it has become now, especially since you arrived. What made you decide to buy this estate in the first place?
AP: When I first arrived, I was already educated in Bordeaux from working with Chateau Petrus, so my sensitivity to viticulture helped me recognise the beauty that can come out of this place.

Also, right from the beginning, aside from looking for old vines, I looked for a place with lots of history, especially of religious and mystical origins. All the greatest wines in France, Italy and Germany originally belonged to religious people, who really knew how to make wine and the surrounding wine culture so important and spiritual. Even the sexiest, most glamorous and sensual wines, like champagne, were made from monks. Dom Perignon was a monk! This place had that mysticism; it was one of the first things I noticed.

ATDining: Can you tell us about your winemaking techniques?
AP: Actually I use traditional sources and methods in cultivation. I once tried to be innovative with one of my vineyards, the Finca Dofi, to make some approachable wines. So I put in a modern plantation, and also planted some syrah and cabernet with the Garnacha. Now I feel like that was a mistake. In a place where thousands of years of traditional winemaking, especially in the last ten centuries of Carthusian monks that ruled the area and brought real dignity to viticulture, how could you be so pretentious and say lets change this in one second with "innovation"? I've learnt that these centuries-old practices, which always follow and respect nature, brought more stable and logical support to the vineyards. The wines express all this too: it's just more harmonious, quiet and calm but also confidant. That is why I decided to go back to the old and traditional way of winemaking, especially more focused on Garnacha.

ATDining: How has the winemaking boom in Priorat affected you?
AP: In the last few years, there's been more newcomers coming in to Priorat to make wine but only five per cent succeed in making good quality wines. The people who come in are also always investors, not real winemakers. They arrive shocked to find how hard it will be since the land is so steep and harsh. Because of the harsh nature of the land, the only way to make it here is by being a romantic: someone who is passionate about wine and knows how to treat wine, not someone who only focus' on the business of things.

Because of nature of the land, it also makes you place traditional ways in high priority. I don't have trackers or bulldozers but mules and horses to work on my vineyards. Tractors only operate on flat land, so these machines are useless here on rugged and steep slopes. We do everything manually. We have around 25 people working on 35 hectares, which is almost one person per hectare. We are also organic, so no chemical fertilisers or added yeast, bacteria or anything like that.

ATDining: What bottles from your range are worth collecting as long term investments?
AP: The L'Ermita 1998 because the weather was very good that year, very dry with mild temperatures. Maybe not the 1999, which is good to drink but not to keep for a long time; the season was a bit too rainy. The great weather is also expressed in L'Ermita 2000, 2005, 2007, and also the 2008, all are great for a long-term investment.

Palacios wines are available in fine-dining establishments around town including Amber at The Landmark Mandarin Oriental. Or order his reds from Links Concept at +852 2802-2818 or go to www.linksconcept.com for more details.