Good by Barry

Barry Burton passed away on the 6th of april. University librarian has lived in Hong Kong since 1973. His interest in wine began at the age of 15, while he was working in a restaurant in England. Burton's contribution to Hong Kong's wine scene can be linkened to the performance of an all-round athlete – he wrote, collected and judged, as well as orchestrating a number of wine societies. Burton has been chairman of the Hong Kong Wine Society since 1982, and was also Regent of the Commanderie de Bordeaux, Hong Kong. Burton wrote about wine for the South China Morning Post, for trade publication Premier Cru and for Wine & Dine Hong Kong. He has given talks on matters relating to wine in Italy and Australia, and has judged wine competitions since 1989. 'Bulk-imported French wines that were bottled in Hong Kong were the vogue early on,' he recalls. 'They were considerably cheaper than wine imported in the bottle. Now global wines are available, and tastes are changing. Three years ago, 70% of the wines drunk here were French. Now Australia and Chile are popular, and Italy is gaining ground. Collectors are serious and drink their great bottles.' Burton's own collection spans 1,000-plus bottles ('mainly red and Old World').