09.28.07
Posted in Cafe Europa, Dionysus at 12:43 pm by admin
I owed myself a weekend of fun for ages and cashed in last Friday, Saturday and Sunday by attending five wine events. Here’s number five:
Sometimes you need to cut your losses. After four fun wine events, I pushed Lady Luck when Sir Campbell T called last Sunday afternoon about a wine auction being held at a new store - Dionysus - in Jianwai Soho. I made a hasty retreat from The Rickshaw, met Sir C, and headed for Soho where, with the help of Cafe Europa’s Joseph, gained entrance to an open-air event being held in the middle of the complex.
The themes were eclectic - a company named after a Greek god, a backdrop that was a tribute to jazz, an entertainment lineup of classical music acts, a virtual ceiling of traditional Chinese lanterns, and a hint of trailer park America (the plastic lawn furniture). The free wine was… um… not a tribute to Dionysus, let’s just put it that way.
Anyway, I’m not sure if the auction ever happened, as I was more interested in the wine shop, which unfortunately wasn’t quite ready, though I was able to sneak in there with a wine lover named Vic, who bought the first bottle the night before as he watched the inventory being moved in (yes, that was a very long sentence). It was one of those, “I would like a bottle”, “Sorry, not for sale yet”, “[Grabbing one] Oops, I accidentally opened the screw top“, “Um, okay, I guess we have to sell it to you now” deals.
I’ll have more on Dionysus soon, especially since Sir Campbell T says they are bringing in some very nice wine.
Note: Get more info on the Chinese wine scene - go to Facebook, search “China Wine” and join the group.
Previous wine weekend stories:
A grape-stomping time
One year for wine bar
Cabs, quizzes and sauerkraut
Reds, whites and you
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Posted in Torres, Traders Hotel, Uncategorized at 12:29 pm by admin
Torres China is organizing “Taste of the Nations” at Traders Hotel Beijing on November 3. The 188-kuai entry fee gets you more than 150 wines from 11 nations, not to mention free appetizers and live performances. Space is limited, so reserve yours by contacting Sophie (5165-5519, extension 208 / sophie@torres.com.cn).
Note: Get more info on the Chinese wine scene - go to Facebook, search “China Wine” and join the group.
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09.27.07
Posted in Bolongbao, Bolongbao at 12:53 pm by admin
I owed myself a weekend of fun for ages and cashed in Friday, Saturday and Sunday by attending five wine events. Here’s number four:
We be jammin’
A winery-touring, grape-stomping, bottle-uncorking day lay ahead as ten of us boarded a bus in Guomao on Sunday morning and headed to Chateau Bolongbao, outside the city, for a harvest festival. Just over an hour later we disembarked and walked past row upon row of grape-heavy vines as we headed toward the well-kept facilities, set amid the mountains. The stroll alone justified the trip out of typically smoggy Beijing.
The festival kicked off with (a thankfully short) firecracker display followed by a dozen attendees - including several from our group - climbing into a vat of grapes and learning what it felt like to have fruit squish between their toes. We then headed inside to see how the grapes are processed and to view the winery’s equipment, before getting to the important part - trying some Bolongbao wine.
This day’s menu featured the 2005 blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, which I thought had a bit of woodiness on the nose, but was more balanced and fruity than the 2004. The accompanying food was an eccentric mix of peanut butter and ham sandwiches, chocolate cookies, cucumbers and bean paste, and cherry tomato - this was wine tasting Chinese-style!
A few notes about Chateau Bolongbao:
- Re the 2005 vintage, besides the blend we tried, the winery is releasing a Cabernet Sauvignon, a Merlot and a Cabernet Franc. Some Syrah was bottled, but is being used only for testing purposes and media tastings.
- The wine is available in the VIP lounges of three Chinese airlines, in duty free shops, and in about a dozen Parisian restaurants, but in only one public restaurant in Beijing. I asked Tony Chen of Bolongbao why and he said it was because restaurants were asking for an “opening fee” of 10 to 20 kuai per bottle and the winery was against this practice. He noted that Bolongbao wines may soon be available in Metro.
- Chateau Bolongbao plans to experiment with numerous whites, including Semillon, Chardonnay and Viognier.
- The leader of the tour, conducted in Mandarin, had an eager audience as people seemed highly interested in learning about wine.
Thanks to Tony for his hard work, including securing transportation for our group, and to the folks at Bolongbao for creating a fun itinerary. I bought two bottles of the 2005 blend and will be entering them in one of my upcoming blind tastings.
More vines than you can shake a bottle at…
Thanks to Sparkle P Productions for the photos.
Note: Get more info on the Chinese wine scene - go to Facebook, search “China Wine” and join the group.
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09.26.07
Posted in Le Baie des Anges at 12:33 pm by admin
I owed myself a weekend of fun for ages and cashed in Friday, Saturday and Sunday by attending five wine events. Here’s number three:
It took (exactly) one year but I finally made it to Houhai wine bar Le Baie des Anges last Saturday night for its first-year anniversary party. The layout is tight but cozy, with two seating areas separated by a bar with space for a half-dozen people. There are about ten wines by the glass and prices are reasonable - two roses and a house red set me back 110 kuai. The wait staff is friendly, though service was a bit spotty at times, partly due to the busy night and partly because they weren’t coming to the back areas much, but twas no biggie.
If you’ve been to Hutong Pizza, you’ll find Le Baie des Anges a few meters away. You can also walk from Starbuck’s, down Lotus Lane and to the street with Buddha Bar. Look up the sidestreets until you find the one - it has a hotpot restaurant on the corner - with the bar’s neon-blue sign. Or just get the map here.
All in all, a good place, a good time, and it won’t take me a year to return…
Note: Actually, it took me less than a week, as I visited this place with Sir Campbell T last night for a Moon Festival drink. A nice, relaxed environment…
Note: Get more info on the Chinese wine scene - go to Facebook, search “China Wine” and join the group.
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09.25.07
Posted in Beijing Wine Club, Sequoia Cafe, Tastings at 5:26 pm by admin
I owed myself a weekend of fun for ages and cashed in last Friday, Saturday and Sunday by attending five wine events. Here’s number two:
The Beijing Wine Club organized a full evening of fun - including a blind tasting, food and quiz - last Saturday night at Sequoia Cafe. Here’s what attendees received for the 220-kuai entry fee:
- A blind tasting of two whites
- A blind tasting of two reds
- Barbecued sausages, salad, beans, sauerkraut, brownies and more, accompanied by a nice Shiraz-Grenache
- Two quizzes with an excellent mix of questions ranging from easy to challenging: name three of the five biggest Chinese wine producers, name five whites and five reds, name the profession of the person who invented Champagne (conventional wisdom says it was Dom Perignon and he was a monk, though wine geeks will tell that it was the brainchild of the English).
- A chance to meet new people in a crowd that spanned what must have been nearly a dozen nationalities.
This was a well-organized, high-value event that not only was good fun but also boosted my knowledge of wine. It lived up to the invite - “From the savvy sauvignon blanc to the spicy shiraz, by the end of the evening you will know a little more wine.” Kudos go to the organizers.
Note: Get more info on the Chinese wine scene - go to Facebook, search “China Wine” and join the group.
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Posted in Uncategorized at 12:10 pm by admin
I owed myself a weekend of fun for ages and cashed in Friday, Saturday and Sunday by attending five wine events. Here’s number one:
The task: to blind taste nine Chinese wines. The goal: to pick a favorite red and white. The rules: each taster received two poker chips and voted by placing them in the boxes fronting the wines they liked. Simple enough: here are the results of a tasting, held last Friday night at Sequoia Cafe, and my notes and grades (and as mentioned ad infinitum, I am not a wine expert, merely a humble consumer):
The whites
19 votes: Grace Chardonnay 2006
Granny Smith apple tartness on the nose with more apples and green plums in the light pleasant body. Someone described it as “like Chinese Semillon”. This is arguably the best value Chinese wine out there. (B+)
1 vote: Huadong Chardonnay 2002
Mild with some baked apples and honey on the nose; a creamy body. It tasted a bit too weak, too mild, too old. (B-)
1 vote: Catai Chardonnay 2004
Chemically syrupy fruitiness, almost like a cheap homemade wine smell, while the body had hints of sugar water and a slight bitterness. (D)
1 vote: Taillan 2007 (winemaker Alain Leroux brought a sample of a wine he’s only partially fermented)
The nose was medicinal with a woody varnish smell. This wine was so tart I could feel a stomachache coming on. (D)
The reds
11 votes:Catai Cabernet Sauvignon (note: one person voted six times on behalf of his table)
This had a warm nose - fresh cherries - though it smelled a bit syrupy. The body has less fruit than I expected. (C)
4 votes: Taillan Malbec 2003
This had a bit of old cut grass / straw barn smell on the nose along with some cherry (a later bottle had more fruit); easy drinking. (B-/B)
3 votes: Huadong Cabernet Sauvignon 2000
Pungent, dark red fruit on the nose and a decent mouth feel. (B-/B)
3 votes: Chateau Bolongbao Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
Dusty on the nose, with a light fruity red cherry taste, and slightly rough tannins. (C)
2 votes: Grace Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
Some slightly rank strawberries and other fruit and some dustiness on the nose; the body was nice enough and seemed to have a faint nuttiness. (B-/B)
While I graded the Taillan, Huadong and Grace equally, I voted for the first. Proof these wines were at least drinkable - every bottle was empty by the time the last group of a half-dozen tasters left Sequoia and that included opening two more bottles of the Malbec.
Note: Get more info on the Chinese wine scene - go to Facebook, search “China Wine” and join the group.
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09.18.07
Posted in Uncategorized at 11:48 pm by admin
Getting provincial: Shandong’s Catai…
or Shanxi’s Grace?
For those who complain that Chinese wine is rotgut, here’s a chance to shelve big wineries such as Great Wall, Changyu, et al and give the work of smaller China wineries a shot. This Friday, Sequoia Cafe features a blind tasting of a red and a white from four of the more interesting outfits, including:
Huadong (Shandong), which a few years back received praise from the likes of Jancis Robinson for its Riesling.
Taillan (Hebei), a French joint venture outside Beijing run by winemaker / Sequoia Cafe regular Alain Leroux.
Grace (Shanxi), considered by many to make China’s best quality and value wines - this is served at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel and has performed well in my own blind tastings.
Catai (Shandong), an Italian joint venture, which has wine ranging in taste (IMHO) from tasty to terrible.
The wines will tend to be the wineries’ entry-level offerings, thus buying a few bottles - if you like them - won’t bust your bank account.
The event is 100 kuai per person and includes the wines, the usual appetizers, and good company. If interested in attending, contact Frank Siegel at frank.siegel@gmail.com / 13701-178-073. Tell him you read about it on Beijing Boyce.
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Posted in Uncategorized at 10:32 pm by admin
Saturday marks the first-year anniversary of Houhai area bar la Baie des Anges. Get into the birthday spirit with some cake, a quiz and quality music, plus specials on wine all night. Check out the bar’s website or call 6657-1605. Thinking it’s too hard to find? Well, there’s a handy map below
While you’re in the area you might drop into Buffalo, a bar best known for its billboards that proclaim wisdomatic tidbits such as “Shangri-La is in your mind, but your buffalo is not” (see this China Daily review).
The map to la Baie des Anges…
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09.02.07
Posted in Uncategorized at 4:58 pm by admin
Get to know your Sauvignon Blanc from your Chenin Blanc and your Cabernet Sauvignon from your Cabernet Franc as wine educators Fongyee Walker and Edward Ragg lead a tutorial titled “A Variety of Varietals: I” on September 6 at the Park Plaza Hotel in conjunction with the Oxford Cambridge Club Beijing.
“In this sit-down, tutored tasting you will enjoy a selection of eight wines, refine your tasting techniques and increase your vinous knowledge followed by a buffet dinner,” states the invite. In other words, you’re going to feel a whole lot smarter by the time you’re downing those plates of pasta and sashimi.
The 250-kuai tutorial fee covers the wine, tasting sheets (in English and Chinese) and a buffet in Park Plaza’s Bloo Dining. There are only 27 seats, thus reservations are mandatory, and those cancelling less than 48 hours before the event will still be asked to pay - don’t mess with these guys! For more details or to RSVP, contact Fongyee Walker at fongyee@cantab.net.
Walker and Ragg are both former captains of the Cambridge University Varsity Wine Tasting Team, have judged wine competitions, including London’s ‘International Wine Challenge’ and the ‘Shanghai International Wine Challenge’, co-author that’s Beijing magazine’s wine column and are able to draw air into their mouths while tasting wine, thus making that very weird gurgling/sucking sound (and can teach you that, too!).
By the way, I started a Facebook group called “China Wine”- anyone interested in the topic is free to join.
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