03.28.08
Posted in Jim Boyce at 4:31 pm by admin
By Jim Boyce
On Tuesday night, The Wine Republic’s Campbell Thompson and I visited Jianwai Soho’s three-floor Les Millesimes, a wine club that includes a “cellar”, two restaurants, a cigar lounge, wine displays galore, and 17 themed-private rooms that range in size up to more than 200 square meters.
This place is big. If it were a wine bottle, it would be a Jeroboam, or maybe a Salamanzar.
The first floor has the entrance and “wine cellar“, which holds a Bordeaux-heavy portfolio, including Mouton Rothschild, Latour, and Petrus, along with a sprinkling of Champagnes and dessert wines. Thompson and I considered going halves on the Petrus 1982, but forgot our stacks of 100-kuai notes at home. He found the cellar a bit warm - the staff attributed this to the door being regularly opened.
Millesimes offers memberships for RMB20000, RMB50000, and RMB100000. The RMB20000 package, for example, includes a portfolio of 36 wines, which are stored on-site, a 50-percent discount on food and on additional bottles of wine, and access to the members-only third floor (the second floor is open to the public).
The more expensive packages include bigger portfolios and better wines, as well as larger discounts, with the RMB100000 deal allowing the member to assign three additional people access to the portfolio, something useful for companies using Les Millesimes for entertaining.
The second floor includes two restaurants. French restaurant La Maree is focused on seafood dishes. It’s well-lit, with a blue-tuna colored ceiling and tables for two people and up, with four seats at the bar. Prices start at RMB45 for soup and RMB120 for main courses. Beers range from RMB25 for Qingdao to RMB50 for Duvel, cocktails are RMB40 and up, and there is small selection of Whiskey, though nothing notable. The wine list leans heavily toward French.
Meli Melo, a “French fusion” restaurant, is dimmer and cozier, though the seating looks a bit tight, as Thompson pointed out. A central area can easily be cleared out for dancing.
The members-only third floor includes a sizable cigar room, replete with lots of leather chairs and a walk-in humidor.
It also holds 17 private rooms, going by names such as Petrus, Napa and Beaujolais.
The Petrus room, for example, has a tropical colonial feel, with colorful murals, wicker furniture, thatch ceiling and round dining table that seats 12. The room requires a minimum bill of RMB3000.
(Thompson noted that the white wine here is being stored in a fridge made for red wine. How does he know? By how low the fridge temperature doth go.)
The Napa room is somewhere between 200 and 250 square meters and includes massive amounts of wood paneling and rough stonework.
Thompson and I ended up in La Maree sharing a couple of tasty appetizers - smoked salmon and crab salad - and a bottle of Couly-Dutheil 2006 from the Loire Valley, a lovely wine with apricot and melon flavors (”It has some sweetness balanced with acidity,” he said. “It’s slightly viscous, with a juicy roundness.”) There is 20 percent off during March and our bill, which included complimentary bread, came to RMB432.
Finally, we talked to about 10 staff members, hailing from China, Hong Kong and France, who were friendly, patient and attentive. Their language skills cover Mandarin, Cantonese, French and English.
All in all, it was a good experience. Some of the décor might not be up my alley, but that’s not to say it won’t appeal to the clientele, which appeared to be wholly local during our visit. My biggest peeve, as it is with so many of these places, is the promotional literature. “Les Millesimes - where symbolizes trends and refined taste,” “Tracing back to human civilization evolution,” and so on - surely, someone could be found to help write and edit this stuff, particularly if they were allowed to work in that wine cellar and sample some of its riches.
I hope to have some photos of Les Millesimes up shortly.
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03.27.08
Posted in Jim Boyce at 4:34 pm by admin
By Jim Boyce
The posting has been light this week, but I’ll soon have write-ups on three visits in and around Beijing - to winery Chateau Bolongbao, to the Crown Worldwide wine cellar that will open on April 10 and to a new three-floor wine club called Les Millesimes.
Until we return to our regularly scheduled programming, here is a short wine-themed movie clip on that scholarly dispute - Saskatoon berries vs. gooseberries.
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03.23.08
Posted in Jim Boyce at 8:32 pm by admin
By Jim Boyce
Here are a few tastes of recent online items about the China wine scene.
‘Millions of Chinese will be disappointed’
In her Financial Times column, Jancis Robinson writes about her recent trip to China. Since her last visit in 2003, Chinese wines have not made the progress she had hoped:
On my first forays in 2002 and 2003 I had been struck by the relatively low quality of Chinese wine and by what an extraordinarily high proportion of it tasted like very, very thin, not quite clean, red bordeaux. Wine made from grapes was still a pretty marginal phenomenon in China five years ago but, in the meantime, China has become the world’s sixth most important grower of grapevines. The number of Chinese with aspirations to a western lifestyle has, to use a hackneyed but in this case thoroughly justified phrase, grown exponentially. And wine is now seen as an increasingly familiar accoutrement to that lifestyle.
The dominant company, Great Wall, is said to fill about 150m bottles of wine a year now. As an admirer of Chinese determination and organisation, I was expecting to see real progress in wine quality. But, overall, I was disappointed that the norm did not seem to have changed much in five years.
See the full column. See also the Grape Wall of China interview with Robinson during her recent trip.
Hong Kong woos the wine industry
UPI correspondent Shailesh Palekar takes a look at the impact of Hong Kong abolishing its wine taxes. Among the more intriguing sections:
For Gregory Deeb of Crown Wine Cellars, a premier wine cellaring facility headquartered in Hong Kong, the zero tax announcement is the most significant development in the region’s fine wine industry in the last 100 years. “Conservatively estimated, Hong Kong already owns around 1 million cases of fine wines stored in other countries,” Deeb said. “Within a few days of the tax announcement, our company alone had 10 container loads full of fine wines on back orders. This goes to show how significant the tax cuts have been and the orders have not peaked nor stopped. They continue to come on a daily basis.”
‘Taste of Australia’ held in Chengdu
Wines-info.com reports the Austrade Representative Office in China organized an event with more than 20 Australian wineries and Chinese agents in Chengdu on March 20. The site also reports on a tasting of wines from Southern France in Chengdu, March 16-17. Chengdu held a Sugar & Liquor Fair on March 18.
Vinexpo slams “opportunistic” rivals
Maggie Rosen at Decanter.com writes that Vinexpo Asia-Pacific organizers are unhappy that the Hong Kong Trade Development Council is holding a Wine Expo just three months after Vinexpo in May.
According to Wine Expo organizers, they are not attempt to compete with Vinexpo:
‘We are targeting different exhibitors and a different audience,’ said Raymond Yip, assistant executive director of the TDC.
‘In addition to new world and European producers, for example, we plan to attract a lot of wine producers from Asian countries - the Chinese mainland, Japan, Korea and the Philippines. And one of the days will be open to the public, allowing closer interaction between sellers and consumers.
A Vinexpo Asia-Pacific spokesperson described the Wine Expo move as ‘opportunistic’:
‘We have held our wine fair somewhere in Asia every other year since 1998,’ said the spokesperson. ‘This will be our third in Hong Kong. We feel we really have helped develop the market in the first place.’
See the full article.
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03.20.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 3:11 pm by admin
A reader recently contacted Grape Wall about working in China. Here are the details:
An Australia-based wine maker is planning to move to China and is looking to work in the local wine industry. He is open to opportunities that range from consulting on the late-harvest period to working in distribution, and has interest in creating a label specific to the China market.
He is based in Yarra Valley. He has worked in France (Burgundy), Italy (Piedmonte), and Australia (McLaren Vale / Clare Valley) and has a degree in oenology from Adelaide University.
To contact him, e-mail: dfletcher@sticks.com.au
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Posted in Jim Boyce at 12:41 am by admin
By Jim Boyce
Upcoming Beijing wine events
March 20, 7 PM, Jasmine, RMB518
Chateau Gigognan wine dinner, with sales director Frederic Bayle, by East Meets West; RSVP with Wendy at East Meets West (6445-5797) or Jasmine (6553-8608)
March 20, 7 PM, Grill Restaurant (Radisson SAS), RMB588
Kendall-Jackson wine dinner, with Asia-Pacific Regional Director Jack Cook, by ASC; RSVP with Helen Lu (ASC) at 6418-1598, x226, or Daisy Wang (Radisson) at 5922-3152
March 21, 6:30 PM, Sequoia Café (Sanlitun), RMB100
French wine tasting, selections by Taillan winemaker Alain Leroux; RSVP with Frank at frank.siegel@gmail.com
March 21, 7 PM, Il et Elle, RMB400
Wine and Chinese food matching dinner, by Long Feng; RSVP with Fongyee at fongyee@longfengwines.com / 13522-147-340
March 22, 6 PM, La Baie des Anges, RMB150
Cheese, wine, and fruit pairing, includes three glasses of wine (2 red, 1 white); for more info, call 6657-1605
March 23, 9:30 AM-5:30 PM, RMB1900
WSET introductory course, by Long Feng; contact Fongyee at fongyee@longfengwines.com / 13522-147-340
March 26, 6:30 PM, Aria (China World), RMB1200
Riedel wine tasting dinner, with company CEO Maximilian Riedel, by ASC; 4 wines; participants take home 4 Riedel glasses; RSVP with Helen Lu at 6418-1598, x226
March 27, 7 PM, Palette Vino at Pekotan (Central Park, building 12), RMB100
Michel Torino wine tasting, with Palette Wines, RSVP with Nancy Qi at 13811-182-462 / nancy@palettewines.cn
March 29, 4:30-6:30 PM, RMB200
Blind tasting workshop, by Long Feng; RSVP with Fongyee at fongyee@longfengwines.com / 13522-147-340
March 29, 7 PM, Palette Vino (Shunyi), RMB100
Michel Torino wine tasting, with Palette Wines; RSVP with Leo Liu at 8046-4461 / leo@palettewines.cn
April 7, 6-9:30 PM, Mare, RMB150
Spanish wine tasting, by Summergate, 20+ wines with tapas. RSVP with Jessie at Summergate at jessie.xiao@summergate.com / 6562-5800, or with Mare at marebeijing@hotmail.com / marebeijing@sohu.com / 6595-4178
Note: To get a wine event listed, send the event information, preferably in text format, to beijingboyce@yahoo.com.
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03.19.08
Posted in Jim Boyce at 6:45 pm by admin
By Jim Boyce
Last Friday night’s wine tasting at Sequoia Café focused on Pinot Noir, with four choices from Torres China. Sequoia’s Frank Siegel plans to organize Pinot tastings with other distributors, thus giving customers an idea of what’s available in the market.
As with other blind tastings at Sequoia, customers received a poker chip and, after going through the wines, stuck it in the box corresponding to the one they liked most.
The wines:
1. Rochford Reserve 2004 (Yarra Valley, Australia)
2. Miramar Estate (Torres) 2002 (Sonoma, California, US)
3. Domaine Drouhin 2002 (Oregon, US)
4. Joseph Drouhin 2005 (Burgundy, France)
Frankly, none of these wines stood out for me, but perhaps Pinot is too subtle for my palate. They don’t come cheap: these four are RMB444, RMB441, RMB690 and RMB288 respectively.
In the end, Domaine Drouhin won with 14 votes. Miramar received 4 votes, Rochford Reserve 2 votes, and Joseph Drouhin drew a goose egg. For me, it came down to the Miramar and Domaine Droubhin, and I went for the former.
The event cost RMB150, and included snacks, although those spicy chicken kebabs were a bit of a palate killer.
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Posted in Jim Boyce at 4:15 pm by admin
By Jim Boyce
A March 18 decanter.com story reports that ASC Fine Wines has denied it faces a major fine and deportation of company directors due to under-declaration of duties.
Decanter cites a post on jancisrobinson.com, in which Simon Tam, the International Wine Centre director in Shanghai and Hong Kong, stated ASC is “is looking at a fine rumoured to be in the neighbourhood of €5m, and the potential deportation of some of its top executives…” Tam’s post is in a members-only section of the site.
According to Decanter:
ASC spokesman Matthew Gong told decanter.com the report is ‘based on rumour and lacks any evidence to support the allegation’.
The mention of a €5m fine and possible deportation is ‘absolutely false’, he said.
Gong is also quoted as saying the Customs inquiry is routine.
Decanter reports that wine importer Summergate Fine Wines “said it could not comment on the situation.” I have sent email and SMS messages to Summergate Managing Partner Ian Ford, who declined to comment on the Customs issue. I was unable to reach Ford by phone.
The decanter.com article also mentions Grape Wall of China blog, which first broke the Customs inquiry story.
Previously:
- Chinese customs investigating wine importers
- Customs investigating wine importers II - ASC releases statement
- Chinese customs investigating wine importers
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03.18.08
Posted in Jim Boyce at 1:53 pm by admin
- By Jim Boyce
Tim Hanni, one of the first two Americans to become a Master of Wine, has gone from someone who once “‘completely looked down on people who drank wine he considered inferior” to what the Wall Street Journal called the “antisnob.” He is the man behind the Budometer, a questionnaire that looks at how an individual likes his or her tea, coffee, beer and snacks in order to determine what kind of wine they will likely enjoy. He is also a wine consultant and founder of Napa Seasoning.
What is the Budometer and how applicable is it to China?
The BUDOMETER assesses an individual’s preferences for common and popular beverages and salt, and then determines their relative taste sensitivity.
The second part of what the BUDOMETER does is assess specific “aspirational” elements to see how much the individual has graduated to new or different acquired tastes over time. The quiz would likely have to be changed to reflect relevant beverages in China, but fundamentally, yes, it would be applicable.
Many flavors associated with wine, and listed on the backs of bottles - blackcurrants, for example - are not ones that most Chinese know. What’s your take on this?
These flavors are mostly illusionary to begin with and are not known by even many people who use such descriptors. This is one of the areas we are addressing - the creation of a simpler means of communication that does not include so much imaginary language. We start by focusing on a primary level - sweet versus dry, mild versus strong, red wine versus white wine versus rose wine. When it comes to wine, if you want to live vicariously through an expert and try their favorites, tell them that. If you want something that better fits your own preferences, then make that clear.
What is your view on the difficulty of pairing wine with China’s diverse range of dishes?
This is a mostly imaginary issue as well. All countries have a diverse range of dishes and a touch of salt or soy sauce and a squeeze of lemon or lime go a long way if anyone cares to moderate the interaction between food and wine. Chinese and most people in France, and in the world for that matter, mostly like sweeter milder wines that react less with food anyway.
The simplest experiment is to try a stronger tasting red wine, such as a Bordeaux or Cabernet Sauvignon, take a small taste of lemon and salt - as you would with tequila, though not quite so much lemon and salt - and then try the wine again. It will become soft and smooth. If you are having spicy food, the same holds true, and doing this will relieve some of the hot, burning sensation.
People here are most likely to know only Champagne and Bordeaux in terms of the world ’s wine regions and there is a good chance that their first (and weird) wine experience will be with a dry tannic red. What is your view on this?
This is a gross misrepresentation of wine as a luxury and status commodity and is important only if someone wants to emulate Western affluence. It is a mistake to think that these wines will intrinsically be liked by anyone. You can start with any wine and then see if you want to move to more or less sweet wine, stronger or more mild wine, and so on. Consumers should learn the simpler elements of style and how to communicate these basic flavor attributes to retailers or sommeliers. The more sensitive tasters prefer milder, often sweet wines. More tolerant tasters like stronger, drier wines. Find out what suits you best and explore!
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03.17.08
Posted in Jim Boyce at 5:43 pm by admin
By Jim Boyce
As reported last week, Chinese Customs continues to inquire into the import declarations of wine importers. Investigators, in what appears to be an industry-wide initiative, are looking for companies that under-declare the value of their imports.
ASC Fine Wines today stated that its managing partner Don St. Pierre, Jr. and vice president Carrie Xuan are with Customs personnel, and that wine declarations worth 1.5 days of company revenue are under review.
ASC Chairman Don St. Pierre, Sr. told Grape Wall of China, “This is a ‘peanuts’ case blown out of all proportions.”
According to industry insiders, other wine importers also continue to be under investigation.
I talked to Alberto Fernandez of Torres last week, who said Customs normally checks wine companies every year or two. He noted the quick growth of the industry - wine imports are up 400 percent over two years, major players are growing upwards of 50 percent per year, and many new importers have jumped into the market, he said. An increasing amount of money is at stake in the industry.
Fernandez said that Customs has checked and cleared Torres. Palette Wines also stated that its books have been found to be in order.
Such widespread investigations in China are sometimes routine and sometimes prompted by other issues. In terms of the latter, speculation is that the investigation is possibly due to one or more of the following:
- Part of China’s shift in numerous sectors toward an increasingly rules-oriented environment, a situation that would be bound to impact other sectors.
- A response to the sustained external pressure on China over product quality issues, from food safety to lead in toys.
- A result of the National People’s Congress being in session, which is a common time for campaigns against corruption.
- A warning shot, in the wake of Hong Kong abolishing its wine taxes, to mainland-based importers to abide by the law - many expect expensive wines to be smuggled from Hong Kong to the mainland, where importers pay up to 50 percent in duties.
- An acknowledgment of the growing value of the wine industry as a source of revenue for the government.
Look for more clarification and details on this story.
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Posted in Jim Boyce at 1:44 pm by admin
By Jim Boyce
ASC Fine Wines has released a statement about inquiries into the company by Chinese customs. The obvious question: what is meant by ASC being with Customs staff “now”. I have talked to numerous wine importers about this investigation and will have details later this afternoon. Here is a copy of the statement, sent to me a few minutes ago:
To the Valued Customers and Suppliers of ASC Fine Wines:
As our valued business partners, we feel it is important to inform you about industry wide inquiries recently initiated by the Chinese Customs Bureau into the import declarations that has involved ASC Fine Wines. We firmly believe that this situation is either a misunderstanding or merely a routine industry by industry review of import practices.
ASC is cooperating fully and Managing Partner, Don St. Pierre Jr. and VP, Ms. Carrie Xuan are with Customs’’ inquiries personnel now. It is important to note that the value of ASC’s imported wine declarations under review is approximately 1.5 days business for ASC.
We expect a swift and mutually satisfactory resolution to this issue and note that ASC’s country wide business of importing and selling wine continues without interruption now.
Thank you for your continued support.
Sincerely,
Don St. Pierre, Sr.
Chairman, ASC Fine Wines
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Posted in Uncategorized at 12:40 pm by admin
By Jim Boyce
Wine importer and distributor The Wine Republic held its soft launch at Café Europa in Beijing last Wednesday. The company is a partnership between Rathbone Wine Group (Australia) and Campbell Thompson, a former marketing director at ASC Fine Wines and a contributor to Grape Wall of China. Its initial goal is to import cool-climate Australian and French wines, with a focus on temperature-controlled shipping and storage.
Guests tried four wines from Mount Langi Ghiran winery in the southern hills of Australia’s Great Dividing Range:
Riesling 2004
Billi Billi Shiraz 2003
Cliff Edge Shiraz 2001
Langi Cabernet-Merlot 2000
If you have trouble picking out varietals, then the Riesling is for you, with its full-on petrol aromas. Drinkers will likely find this to be a love-it-or-hate-it wine. Both the Billi Billi Shiraz and Cliff Edge Shiraz had black plum and a hint of pepper on the nose, the latter having a better mouth feel and more fruit. The Cabernet Merlot offers black cherry on a nose that suggests a heavier body than is found in the glass. The Wine Republic plans to soon officially launch with its full range of wines.
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03.14.08
Posted in Jim Boyce at 4:15 pm by admin
By Jim Boyce
I’d rather not return to this topic, given my post in December, but I wish the Beijing Wine Club would get its act together. I planned to skip last Saturday’s event, but after running into the club’s co-founder at The Rickshaw a day before and getting an SMS from someone who signed up, I decided to drop into Nearby the Tree.
The event was billed as a “tasting” of wines from “women winemakers” of the world.
To me, such an event should involve education about the wines and the people making them. Instead, what I learned came from asking the servers to produce the bottles from behind the counter so that I might check the labels and from talking to a Summergate rep.
As for the “women winemakers” theme, the angle was more like “women involved in wine.” It didn’t help that the selection was limited by the club patronizing one distributor, in this case Summergate, doubly disappointing given the recent Time Out China Wine Guide mess.
In the end, I arrived, I paid RMB150, I drank five samples, I checked the wine labels, I talked to a few people, and I left. In a city where there seems to be a monthly “100 wines for RMB100″ tasting, a good weekly Friday night tasting for ~RMB100, and plenty of spots to meet friends and try wine by the glass for RMB35 and up, this event didn’t exactly ooze - or trickle, for that matter - value.
There is nothing wrong with people gathering to socialize, but here the emphasis is on “club” and “wine” is peripheral. It took me back to the wine events held by the former networking group YPHH [Young Professionals Happy Hour], though even those did more to provide a wine-centric experience.
As a consumer I hope to see more BWC events like the one held at Sequoia Café in November, which included two blind tastings, two quizzes and a barbecue for RMB220. In addition to drawing a good turnout, the event was well organized, informative, and fun.
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03.13.08
Posted in Jim Boyce at 1:09 pm by admin
By Grape Wall of China
Four contributors to Grape Wall of China have talked to sources in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Beijing who report that China Customs is investigating wine importers. The inquiry seems to be targeted at firms that under-declare the value of their imports. Two well placed industry sources say that staff members are being questioned, with one source calling the inquiry “routine.” Rumors abound about the detention of high-profile people from wine companies, but none of them are confirmed. Expect to hear more about this story.
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03.12.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 2:06 am by admin
A reader recently contacted Grape Wall about working in China. Here are the details:
Portugal-based wine professional seeks position with a wine importer and/or distributor in Macao or Hong Kong. Has five-year degree from ISA (Portugal) in viticulture and wine-making. Since June has been working as an assistant wine maker in a major Portuguese wine company. Has harvest experience in Chile, USA, New Zealand and Portugal, and is involved in wine tasting courses, wine promotions and wine tours at current place of employment.
Interested parties should send an email to joaodovale@gmail.com.
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03.11.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 4:06 pm by admin
By Jim Boyce
Upcoming Beijing tastings
March 12, 7 PM, Cafe Europa, RMB150
Mount Langi Ghiran tasting, by The Wine Republic; four wines with “tasting plates”; RSVP with Joseph Kiang at Cafe Europa (5869-5663).
March 13, 7 PM, L’isola, RMB898
Pio Cesare wine dinner, by Torres, with fourth-generation proprietor Pio Boffa; RSVP with Sophie at 5165-5519, x208 / sophie@torres.com.cn.
March 14, 6:30 PM, Sequoia Café (Sanlitun), RMB150
Pinot Noir blind tasting, with appetizers; RSVP with Frank at frank.siegel@gmail.com.
March 15, Blu Lobster, RMB1788
Chateau Cos d’Estournel dinner, by ASC, with Cos d’Estournel CEO Jean Guillaume Prats; RSVP by calling Blu Lobster at 6841-2211, x6728.
March 20, 7 PM, Grill Restaurant (Radisson SAS), RMB588
Kendall-Jackson wine dinner, by ASC, with Jackson Asia-Pacific Regional Director Jack Cook; RSVP by contacting Helen Lu (ASC) at 6418-1598, x226, or Daisy Wang (Radisson) at 5922-3152.
March 26, 6:30 PM, Aria (China World), RMB1200
Riedel wine tasting dinner, by ASC, with company CEO Maximilian Riedel; 4 wines; participants take home 4 Riedel glasses; RSVP by contacting Helen Lu (ASC) at 6418-1598, x226.
Note: To get an wine event listed, send the event information, preferably in text format, to beijingboyce@yahoo.com.
Upcoming China trade shows
Shanghai China International Wine Exposition, 10 AM-5 PM, March 14-16, Shanghai Mart*
Wine Culture China, March 16 -18, China World Trade Center* (does anyone know anything about last year’s show? I hear this event is focused more on olive oil than on wine)
Vinexpo Asia-Pacific 2008, 9:30 AM-6:30 PM, May 27-29, Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Center
* A hat tip to Ricardo D for sending me these links.
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Posted in Jim Boyce at 3:06 pm by admin
By Jim Boyce
Yellow Valley’s de Ruiter and Beijing Cheese Society’s Ruwart (Photo:BCS)
There is no shortage of wine and cheese events in Beijing, but rare are those featuring Chinese wine and Chinese cheese that are both good.
Last night, Beijing Cheese Society gathered at New Veranda in Shunyi to taste Yellow Valley cheeses and Grace Vineyard wines from nearby Shanxi province.
I first tried Yellow Valley cheeses at a Palette Vino wine tasting last December and, like many other people, was surprised to learn they were domestically made. The cheese is tasty and fresh, and flavors include plain, herb, and garlic and onion.
Yellow Valley founder Marc de Ruiter started experimenting in 2004 - “I was making cheese five kilograms at a time,” he says - and set up the company in 2006. The company’s three goals: to make the best artisan Gouda in China, to help the local farmers, and to be “socially responsible.” de Ruiter deals directly with the farmers, thus enabling them to make more money, he says.
We tried the cheeses with Euro-bakery bread, Veranda appetizers (including delicious sausage rolls), and Chardonnay and Cabernet-Merlot from Grace Vineyard, which is only a 90-minute drive from Yellow Valley.
(Hmm, a winery and a cheese-making operation close together. Do I sniff a road trip?)
The event and the quiz were organized by Beijing Cheese Club co-founder Sharon Ruwart, who has been giving feedback to deRuiter on his cheeses for three years.
By the way, New Veranda (next to Western Academy Beijing) offers a large airy space, with rough plank floors, cranberry colored walls, and white thick-trimmed ceiling-to-floor windows. And has free wireless, a lengthy veranda out back and a 48-kuai breakfast that yours truly intends to soon check out. Yellow Valley cheeses are available at Euro-bakery, Palette Vino and South German Bakery, among other venues.
For more information:
New Veranda
Yellow Valley
Grace Vineyard
Checking out Chinese cheese at The Veranda (Photo: BCS)
Permalink
03.07.08
Posted in Jim Boyce at 12:25 pm by admin
By Jim Boyce
Cafe Europa’s Austrian wine lineup (Photo: C. Thompson)
Forty people gathered at Café Europe on January 24 for the launch of four Austrian wines the restaurant is not only selling, but also importing. Good times all around (see this China Daily article).
Expect to see more restaurateurs import their own wine and make their own beer (with The Saddle and 1949: The Hidden City planning to do the latter).
For Austrian wine lovers, or for those interested in giving them a try, here are the options:
Schloss Maissau Gruner Veltliner DAC 2006 (retail: RMB150; in restaurant: RMB180 bottle / RMB38 glass)
Johann Topf Riesling, Wechselberg 2006 (retail: RMB210; in restaurant: RMB250 bottle)
Umathum, Zweigelt 2006 (retail: RMB180; in restaurant: RMB200 bottle / RMB40 glass)
Prieler, Schuetzner Stein, 2004 (retail: RMB320; in restaurant: RMB350 bottle)
The two wines by the glass are good value - they are not only tasty, but also unavailable anywhere else in town.
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