[Photo provided to China Daily]

It's hard to know how the monks would feel about the addition of goji berries to their herbal brew. Maybe these old fellows are freer spirits than I imagine: With 130 different plants in the pot already, could a few goji berries really hurt?

Wines from the nation of Georgia will take center stage on May 28 in Nanchang, Jiangxi province, when the Georgian Wine Abbey is dedicated there. The new Georgian wine promotion complex will feature a wine museum, wine-tasting room, wine shop, warehouse, wineries exposition, and a display vineyard of Georgian grapes. The Caucasus nation has one of the world's oldest wine traditions, dating to ancient times.

As a longtime Shiraz fan, I'm excited that Vinexpo Hong Kong will host "Shiraz Day" events on May 26, including numerous tastings, food and wine pairings, a conference, a master class and a "best in show" contest. A morning conference explores the question, "Can Shiraz become the next trend in Asia?", and lectures will provide updates on the variety and the modern-day boom in popularity of the grape.

Shiraz is named after the ancient Persian city of Shiraz, once renowned for producing the finest wine in the Middle East, organizers say. But the modern-day red wine known as Shiraz is not related to the city's legendary Shiraz varietal, which was white.

Meanwhile, Italy is in the spotlight as this year's "country of honor" at the May 24-26 expo, showcasing its great diversity of wines and spirits. The Chinese mainland and Hong Kong are importing increasing volumes of Italian wine, with 2.63 million 9-liter cases exported to the region last year, making Italy the fifth biggest wine supplier to the mainland and sixth biggest to Hong Kong.

Prestigious Italian wineries exhibiting at the show will include Biondi Santi, Chianti Classico, Antinori and Masi Agricola. The best labels of traditional Italian liquors also will be on hand, ranging from vermouth and gin and more.

The Atmosphere bar atop the China World Summit hotel in Beijing will welcome its first guest bartender in 2016 with award-winning "Tiki Master" Daniele Dalla Pola from May 24 to 28. A sophisticated connoisseur of exotic drinks, Daniele achieved the title of "world champion" with his masterpiece cocktail called Elisir D'Amore during the 42nd Below Cocktail World Cup - New Zealand in 2011. Dalla Pola will presents eight drinks inspired by the allure of a tropical paradise.