Now in its fourth year, 19 restaurants in Soho will be serving up Time Out readers wine and food on May 7 so we can all make merriment. Chinmoy Lad offers a sneak peek at this year’s food and wine list

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Fine Wines for a Good Cause
This year’s Winewalk is generously sponsored by Citibank. Ticket proceeds will benefit the Society of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). Our start point is PURE Restaurant and Bar (SOHO), where ticket holders will receive a goodie bag with a limited-edition Winewalk glass, a passport for restaurant stamps, and a bottle of Fiji Water to quench your thirst as you meander through the route. Those who complete the entire walk can place their fully stamped passport page in our collection boxes and be eligible to receive fabulous prizes - including a pair of tickets for two to New Zealand, an indulgent experience from Red Packet, and a Nespresso coffee maker!

Fill Up The Gas Tank
Start off at PURE (32 Hollywood Rd) which will provide 10% off its brunch menu until 3pm. Posto Pubblico (28 Elgin St) lends a flashback to the Italian immigrant tradition that gripped America with homemade dishes providing comfort food that is certain to soothe your stomach before or during your four-hour alcoholic escapade.

Some Solids With Your Liquids
Complimentary canapés will accompany your wines at select restaurants. Nibble on bites at The Press Room (110 Hollywood Rd) with goose liver parfait and wild mushroom & Colston Basset crostini on offer. Chicken is on the menu at McSorley’s (55 Elgin St) – delectable chicken fingers – and Taku (35 Elgin St) – chicken cartilage yakitori.

i Caramba! (26-30 Elgin St) will tempt passers-by with chips and salsa. Lil’ Siam (38 Elgin St) will offer a lighter option of vegetable spring rolls. Vivo (41-43 Elgin St) will be serving Italian regulars, house marinated olives and bruschetta with buffalo mozzarella and tomato.
You can explore a whole region thousands of miles away at the Winewalk. Here are the regional specialties from various vineyards.

French Wines
Bouchon (49 Elgin St) will serve a relatively young French Beaujoloais 2009 from Maison Louis Jadot. A white Bordeaux will also be served in the form of Ginestet Bordeaux Blanc AOC 2008. Republik (108 Hollywood Rd) provides an interesting twist on French wines. Specially made to enjoy with Asian cuisine, the blend of Languedoc by Cornerstone Wines brings classic French white 2008 and a classic French red 2009. Languedoc is a popular production area for quality wines, with Staunton’s Bar (10 Staunton St) and their selection of C’est La Vie Chardonnay Sauvignon 2008 and a Pinot Noir Syrah 2008.

Italian Wines
Mostaccioli Brothers (16 Elgin St) will bring to Hong Kong offerings from its Italian-infused roots. Pinot Grigio 2009 and Cà Linverno 2004, both by Monto Zovo, will test Wine Walkers’ tastes for dry wines.

New World Wines
Bourbon Bar & Smokehouse (21 Elgin St), PEEL (U/GF, 21 Elgin St) and Sake San (10 Shelly St) will be presenting wines from the Durvillea estate of the Marlborough coast and from the Rock Pool Estate in New Zealand. Entourage (1-5 Elgin St) will also be showcasing their wines from the Marlborough vineyard from the historic Brancott Estate: Sauvignon Blanc 2010 and Pinot Noir 2008.

Chilean wines are gaining in popularity. Brat (7 Elgin St) provides the finest from the serene Maipo Valley. Brat’s De Martino Estate Sauvignon Blanc from 2010 and De Martino Estate Merlot 2009 will line the tables for Winewalkers to taste.

Elgin’s (10 Elgin St) pays homage to Californian wine with a Pinot Grigio 2009 and Merlot 2008, both by Blackstone.

With food, wines and canapés from all four corners of the globe and guaranteed fun with foodies and wine lovers, there’s something for everyone at Winewalk 2011.

Wine tasting know-hows

Caleb Ng and Joshua Ng, co-founders of Angeleno Wine, give the low-down on how to be a wine connoisseur

Drink according to the weather
Lighter-bodied wines are better for warmer days, fuller-bodied wines for cooler days. Body refers to concentration of flavours and weight. A lighter-bodied wine feels lighter and clearer in the mouth, like water. A fuller-bodied wine feels heavier, like milk.

Pair your wines with food accordingly
Keep the acidity level the same. If your meal was acidic, drink a more acidic wine to complement it, rather than balance or neutralise it. Acidic wines have a sourer taste, naturally.

Cleanse your palate
In between tastings, refresh your palate with a glass of water. This will help to neutralise your taste buds and remove any after-taste of the previous drink, allowing you to taste your next drink clearly.

Intense flavours after
Drink red after white. White wine is lighter and more subtle, so if you drink the red first you won’t be able to notice the subtler notes in white quite as well.

Eat some food beforehand
Last but not least, don’t forget to eat before you start drinking! It’s no good drinking any sort of alcohol on an empty stomach.

Chinmoy Lad