November 2009 was a total oenophile's week. Earlier this month, the city was jam-packed with wine-themed festivals and events, from Soho Wine Walk to Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival. But the biggest and boldest of them all was the Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Fair on November 4. A 3-day extravaganza organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), the event expected to lure over 10,000 festival-goers as well as nearly 600 trade buyers from up to 55 countries and regions. So the organisers created an excellent line up of talks, courses, pairings and other activities and gatherings for such a wide scope of visitors and traders.

That includes the Asia Top Sommelier Summit, apparently one of the newest features at this event; HKTDC invited accomplished sommeliers from across the globe to share a few wise words, especially about their profession. One star at the summit was Andreas Larsson, who won the World's Best Sommelier title in 2007. A native of Sweden, he jet sets around the globe to give talks and advice on assembling broad and innovative lists for fine dining restaurants, a talent that has earned countless awards at home and abroad. Here, we caught up with the ambitious sommelier about how he prepared himself to win the 2007 title. And, Larsson also shared a few wine buying strategies, and personal pet peeves, in the process.

This video is supplied by Asiatatler.com; check out more of their stories here.