Some of the biggest names in the wine industry were recently in Hong Kong, thanks to the Hong Kong Wine and Spirits Fair and WineFuture conference taking place only a couple of days apart. Everyone from Robert Parker Jr., Jancis Robinson, Francis Ford Coppola to Pancho Campo, the president of the Spanish Academy of Wine and the man who dreamt up WineFuture, were present. We took the opportunity to ask these luminaries their thoughts on one of the key aspects of wine: food and wine pairings.

Read our interview with Parker here.

Robert Parker Jr.

The straight-talking American wine critic is regarded as the leading expert on Bordeaux wines with a dislike of wines that are too acidic or tannic. He also believes that "there is actually much more flexibility with pairings than many writers lead us to believe". Among the many myths that he likes to dispel is the one that argues beer is what works best with spicier regional cuisines such as Hunanese or Sichuanese. Rather, he believes that "distinctive whites such as Riesling, sauvignon blanc, Gewürztraminer, and sparkling wines such as Champagne can work exceptionally well with these cuisines".

Read more about pairing wines with Chinese food here.

Jancis Robinson

A weekly wine columnist for the Financial Times, who edited the Oxford Companion to Wine and also advises Queen Elizabeth on her cellar selection, Robinson admits to being "quite libertarian about wine and food matches". She does, however, have a fondness for a good cru Beaujolais with saucisson" as well as "nebbiolo and white truffles".

The sommelier at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon also puts in his two cents.

Michel Rolland

An influential Bordeaux-based oenologist who acts as a consultant (or oenologist, cellar master, owner) on a number of significant Bordeaux properties, Rolland once tasted a bottle of 1947 Petrus for his 60th birthday, which he described as "simply grandiose". However, his food and wine pairing tastes are not always so extravagant. In fact, he is relatively easy going, stating that, "great wines are able to accompany everything. But it's true that blue cheeses go best with dessert wines".

For something different, how about pairing food with sake?

Angelo Gaja

Owner and president of Gaja winery in Piedmonte and known as "the undisputed king of Barbaresco", Gaja has no problems breaking one of the most standard of wine-pairing rules: he likes to drink red wine with fish. More conventionally, he also matches "red wine with meat and fresh or medium mature cheese".

Have you ever tried wine-pairing by colour? Check it out here.