Grape Wall of China

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Yet another 100 wines for 100 kuai event: Southern-hemisphere style

Posted on | February 26, 2008 | 2 Comments

- By Jim Boyce

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Three men, one hundred wines (Photos: GELIPU)

Beijing enjoyed yet another “100 wines for 100RMB” (USD14) event as GELIPU and Winelink teamed up to present Australian and South African wines last Saturday at Tim’s Texas Roadhouse.

Save for occasional rinsing water shortages and a few shaky pours that ended up on hands instead of in glasses, the staff did a decent job. Kudos to the organizers for placing A4-sized printouts in front of many bottles to indicate the producer, vintage, varietal and price, thus saving much squinting. Based on the lively chatter throughout the night, most attendees had an excellent time.

For the South African wines, the very drinkable Stonecross Merlot Pinotage at RMB 65 per bottle stands up to other competitors in that price range, such as Signos and Fortrant. The Stonecross Shiraz is also worth a try. Among the higher priced labels, the 2005 Klien Zalse Shiraz packed a wallop at 15 percent alcohol and offered nice dark fruits – this one isn’t cheap at RMB350.

With the Australian wines, I noticed people enjoying the The Little Wine Co Gewurztraminner 2006, with its ample grapefruit flavors (RMB235), and one patron said her favorite wine of the night was 2003 Bremerton Old Adam Shiraz (RMB1288).

The tasting included over a dozen liqueurs and ports from Castle Glen Vineyards. The Ginger White Port – according to the label, it is aged in American oak – is hot and intense but tasty (RMB239). The Dragon’s Breath liqueurs, all at 30 percent alcohol, were very in-your-face. Numerous people raved about the the chocolate and chili version – suffice to say, save this taste bud-vaporizing liquid until after finishing your wine.

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Spicy liqueur is no match for chili-eating champ Gabriel Monroe.

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Sampling southern hemisphere wines at Tim’s

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GELIPU GM Danny Wu enjoys the evening.

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Wait a minute – what’s that guy doing with beer!?

Category: Jim Boyce

Comments

2 Responses to “Yet another 100 wines for 100 kuai event: Southern-hemisphere style”

  1. Grape Wall of China » Vive le value: Some French wine picks in Beijing
    May 13th, 2008 @ 5:55 pm

    [...] from the Gruner Veltliner at Cafe Europa to some of the offerings at this year’s Palette and GELIPU-Winelink portfolio [...]

  2. Beijing Boyce » Global Wine Extravaganza: 100 wines, 150 kuai
    June 5th, 2008 @ 10:34 pm

    [...] Beijing consumers tasted their way through more than 100 wines from 22 producers as ASC held its Global Wine Extravaganza yesterday at 1949: The Hidden City. Representatives from the wineries, many of whom were in town after attending VinExpo in Hong Kong, did the pouring and chatted with consumers. ASC estimates that more than 300 people attended the event, which was moved indoors at 1949 due to the threat of rain. Despite it being a bit crowded and dim, the event had a nice vibe and the pours were substantial. This was the latest event to feature a good portion of a wine distributor’s portfolio at low cost (see these posts about tastings by Torres, Palette, Palette again, and GELIPU-Winelink). [...]

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    A nonprofit blog by wine professionals and consumers.


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  • Grape Wall Contributors


    In alphabetical order (see full list)


    Nicolas Carre
    Sommelier


    Chantal Chi
    Writer


    Yvonne Chiong
    Sommelier, consultant


    Judy Leissner
    Grace Vineyard CEO


    Alain Leroux
    Wine maker, consultant


    Li Demei
    Wine maker


    Huiqin Ma
    Professor


    Campbell Thompson
    The Wine Republic co-owner


    Brian Yao
    Consumer


    Frankie Zhao
    Pro-Wine Training & Consultancy owner


    Jim Boyce
    Consumer, blog administrator