08.27.08
Posted in Jim Boyce at 5:55 pm by admin
By Jim Boyce
I have been fortunate over the past year to taste a world of wines with fellow consumers and to meet some of China’s and the world’s key wine figures. Last night offered another such occasion when I met Jean-Michel Cazes of Chateau Lynch-Bages to chat about China’s wine scene. First, a handful of things I learned from Cazes during our talk:
- He made his first visit to China 18 years ago. “My first organized tasting was in 1990, just for the local consumers, and they didn’t like wine at all,” he said.
- He thought China’s wine market would develop slowly, but a psychological shift happened: “People started to talk about red wine being good for health.”
- Despite increased interest in wine in China, he still sees it, including on his current trip, being used more as a traditional social tool (bottoms up!) than for pleasure.
- He visited several wineries around Beijing. His talks with management and observations of the equipment convince him that some producers in China are serious about making better wine.
- China is still a fairly small market for Lynch-Bages, taking about 5 percent of production, but is growing fast.
Cazes should qualify for a gold medal for Olympic event attendance: On Sunday, he caught the US-Brazil volleyball finals and then jumped into a car and made it to the US-Spain basketball finals. “The Olympic lane [on the highways] is excellent,” he said, with a laugh.
We also had an “it’s a small world” 
moment.
I brought a bottle of “Vintage” 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, an export brand manufactured in Xinjiang and that has a back label in Dutch and French. Ironically, Cazes discovered on that label the name of a friend who had been involved in his early wine tastings in China. Even more ironically, the friend’s wife and Cazes’ wife were next door having dinner. If that doesn’t call for uncorking the bottle, I don’t know what does.
Fairly light in color for a Cabernet Sauvignon, it had a simple body with some cherry flavors and a good shake of pepper, and not a great deal of tannin or acidity. “It doesn’t have the focus or the body of a general Bordeaux, but it’s decent,” said Cazes, and he upped his opinion after trying it with his steak as we polished off the bottle.
See also: This Wine Spectator video with Jean-Michel Cazes.
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Posted in Jim Boyce at 3:39 pm by admin
By Jim Boyce,
Break out the baseball bats wine glasses as China World Hotel gets set to hold The World Series of Wine. The series of six monthly wine dinners starts this month and is the brainchild of Danny Kane, manager of the hotel’s Aria restaurant. All wines will be supplied by Summergate. According to the hotel:
Each dinner is very exclusive with only 18 seats available, the collection of wines for each dinner is very special and in a lot of cases, feature wines which are very difficult to obtain in China. In a couple of cases, wines will be tasted blind.
They don’t come cheap. Those interested can either buy a ticket for an individual dinner or get all six for RMB9,888, about a 20 percent discount. Here are the dinners:
August 31
Rated 95 Plus Wine Spectator (RMB1688)
September 25
New Zealand Chardonnays and Pinots vs Burgundy Classics (RMB1788)
October
The Tour of Italy (RMB1388)
November
The Grange Challenge (RMB1588)
December
Hidden Gems (RMB1388)
January
The Ultimate Dinner: The Judgement of Aria (RMB4888)
The dinners start at 7 PM. To book space, contact Danny Kane at danny.kane@shangri-la.com / 6505-2266, extension 36.
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Posted in Jim Boyce at 2:53 am by admin
Frankie Zhao is joining the group of contributors at Grape Wall of China, a site that brings wine consumers, distributors, makers, academics and consultants together to provide information and opinions about the country’s growing wine scene.
Zhao is the founder of market research and promotion company Pro-Wine Training & Consultancy. He has been active in China’s wine scene for nearly a decade, as a writer, a researcher, an educator, a club organizer, and a wine judge.
For more details on his background, see this talk I had with him a few months ago. And expect to soon see his insights on everything from consumer trends to the best wines for newcomers.
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Posted in Jim Boyce at 1:30 am by admin
By Jim Boyce
After Torres China organized Taste of the Nations last November, Beijing consumers found other local wine distributors lining up a good portion of their portfolios for tastings (see these write-ups on events by Palette Wines, GELIPU-Winelink, and ASC). It turned out to be a cheap way to try a lot of wine, so let’s hope it works a second time because Taste of Nations II is coming up in less than a month.
This year’s event takes place at the Radisson SAS Hotel in Beijing on September 20 and includes wines from Spain, France, Italy, Portugal, the United States, Argentina, Chile, New Zealand, South Africa, Hungary, China, and Australia. Here is a snippet of the invite from Torres:
We will prepare over 150 wines from 12 countries. Ticket at RMB 228 including free-flow of wines, canapés, live performance and much more…
我们准备了来自于12个不同国家的超过150种葡萄酒。免费畅饮所有葡萄酒，美味小食，现场表演，以及更多…… 只需人民币228元。
Due to limited capacity, please make your reservations now. Contact: Tony at 51655519-284 or tonyli@torres.com.cn”.
由于席位有限，请您现在就预订：致电51655519-284, 李先生或电子邮件至 tonyli@torres.com.cn
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08.14.08
Posted in Jim Boyce at 10:38 pm by admin
By Jim Boyce
As a wine drinker, I love to hear as many voices as possible, including those of wine writers, consumers, distributors, makers and event organizers. I’ve been lucky enough to talk to many such people, whether they are based in China or abroad, and whether we did it by phone, via email, or over a glass of wine. I earlier listed those interviews and I have now update it. Here they are - in chronological order:
Nicholas Carre
GM, Maxim’s Beijing
Robert Joseph
Writer, entrepreneur
Tyler Colman
Blogger, author
Carlos de Jesus
Amorim communications director
Frankie Zhao
Wine consultant
Arcy Yin
Editor (Food & Wine China)
Natalie MacLean
Author
Peter Gago
Penfolds chief wine maker
Gaia Gaja
Gaja winery
Frederic Choux
DCT Wines owner (Dalian)
Group interview
With 20 winery representatives
Guy Wittich
Event organizer, consumer (Taipei)
Robert Parker
Writer, critic
(translation)
Jenn Hinkle
Event organizer, consumer (Beijing)
Pat Fromm
Consumer, ex-industry (Beijing)
Wolf Blass / George Samios
Wine maker / Foster’s PR
Frederic Engerer
Chateau Latour president
(translation)
Alberto Fernandez
Torres China GM (Shanghai)
Steve Clarke
China Silk owner (Xinjiang)
Tim Hanni
Educator
Jancis Robinson
Writer, critic
(translation)
John Gai
Palette Wines owner (Beijing)
Ethan Perk
Jebsen Deputy GM China (Beijing)
Zhang Ning
Yunnan Red wine maker (Yunnan)
Shan Shumin
Yunnan Red GM (Yunnan)
Wu Kegang
Yunnan Red CEO (Yunnan)
Chantal Chi
Writer (Shanghai)
Jeremy Oliver
Wine writer, critic
Mark Curtis
China Wine Tours leader
Eddie Osterland
Sommelier, educator
Frank Siegel
Event organizer (Beijing)
Judy Leissner
Grace Vineyard CEO (Shanxi)
Don St. Pierre, Jr.
ASC managing director (Shanghai)
Dan Siebers
Summergate N. China manager (Beijing)
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08.08.08
Posted in Uncategorized at 1:02 pm by admin
Cross-posted from my Beijing nightlife blog. I’ll soon post a list of Chinese wines to try for those in Beijing for the Olympics - it’s hard to believe they start in less than eight hours! JB.
Both residents of Beijing and the barbarians descending upon it for the Olympics will require watering holes in which to drink the sweet tastes of success and the bitters of failure. Over the next few days, I’ll be making “bar picks” and welcome others to throw in their two kuai. Yesterday, I looked at sports bars. Today, it’s wine bars. (Note: Part of the reason I picked some places is due to their proximity to other places.)
-
Aria
This first-floor bar in China World Hotel offers relaxed surroundings, good service, and a wine list that ranges from entry level to the Granges and Lafittes (at, of course, hotel prices). While the average five-star hotel has a wine list to satisfy most people, what I like about Aria is that it draws a crowd and has been the site of many a good wine tasting.
Bonus: Bar manager Danny Kane knows his vino.
Personal memory: When Australian Wine Maker Ben Glaetzer finally answered a lifelong question of mine - What wine goes kangaroo?
-
La Baie des Anges
Not the easiest place to find (see this map), LBDA is beside Hutong Pizza and about 100 meters from Houhai (Lotus Lane side). Not the biggest place, it offers wine by the glass and bottle at reasonable prices.
Bonus: Combine a visit here with a walk about that takes in Houhai, the drum and bell tower area, and Nanluoguxiang.
Personal memory: The time I dragged several friends across town and on a wild goose chase around Houhai only to finally LBDA and discover it is closed on Mondays. Ugh.
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Palette Vino
Those willing to visit suburban Beijing should head to Pinnacle Plaza in Shunyi, where Palette Vino offers an excellent (especially Australian) selection of wines. Steak, lamb, and other items from the kitchen are available for those wishing to pair some food with their purchase.
Bonus: The South German Bakery outlet next door has excellent bread. Extra bonus: Get a further idea of the wine available in Beijing by browsing the selection at the Jenny Lou’s shop in the same plaza.
Personal memory: Drinking Riesling and eating BBQ salmon after a long trip to a local winery.
-
Café Europa
A family-owned restaurant in the Jianwai Soho complex (Building 16, 1F), Café Europa combines good eats with an ofttimes eclectic and regularly rotated wine list. Grab a seat outside and have a bottle or two.
Bonus: Try the Gruner Veltiner that the owners import from Austria.
Personal memory: When Cafe Europa celebrated its first anniversary by barbecuing a pig - you don’t see that too often in a business and residential complex.
-
Enoteca / CJW
Enoteca is a Shanghai-based wine bar chain recently opened its first branch in The Place (it offers about 100 wines, starting at RMB98 per bottle, and a tapas menu). CJW stands for Cigar, Jazz, Wine and is a bit pricier but more upscale spot in The Place. Either one is worth a stop, after dusk, for a glass of wine and a good view of that massive sky screen outside. [Note: I have received a few complaints about service at Enoteca and I had my own problems during a recent visit.]
Bonus: Beforehand, head across the street (east side) to Central Park and scope out the wine selections at Pekotan (deli and wine shop), Amigo / Top Cellar (restaurant and wine shop), Madam He, and Lohao (an organic shop - it sells two brands of Chinese wines).
Personal memory: The sky screen.
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This barely scratches the surface of what is available: for high rollers, Blu Lobster has creative cuisine and an extensive wine list with lots of vintage Bordeaux; Aperitivo is a popular wine spot in the heart of Sanlitun; friends rave about The Vineyard Café wine list; Sequoia Café on Guanghua Road has 26 French wines (including a nice Viognier for RMB65) handpicked by locally based winemaker Alain Leroux; Café de la Poste has not only wine but also great steak to go with it; cheap drinks joints like Nanjie and Tun offer the decent local wine Grace Vineyard (RMB25-30 per glass); so do high-end places like Centro and the Ritz-Carlton Financial Street (along with much else), and on and on. If anyone out there has other recommendations, please include them in the comments section.
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08.04.08
Posted in Jim Boyce at 2:56 pm by admin
Wine shops continue to pop up about the city. Here are a few recent additions - and more are on the way.
The Cellar Lounge opened in Shunyi (Piazza Cafe Courtyard) on Saturday. One of the suppliers posted about the place: “Wine lovers now have a spiritual home in Shunyi. The Cellar Lounge stocks a great range of hard to find (forget Jenny lous or Carrefor) international wines at affordable prices.” Hours of operation: 11 AM to 10 PM. The focus is on wines from smaller importers, with around 300 on offer from RMB80 per bottle. As for the “spiritual home in Shunyi” part, uh, let’s not forget Palette Vino.
Some other recent openings:
- AOZ in China View, which I covered in this post and is practically across the street from fellow wine bar Big 9.
- Enoteca in The Place - after a bumpy first few weeks it looks like things have stabilized there.
- Sam’s on Workers Stadium West. I hope to visit here soon to grab some cheese in the retail section on the first floor and then head upstairs and try a bottle or two of wine.
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08.01.08
Posted in Jim Boyce at 5:17 pm by admin
Apologies all around for the light posting of late - with the Olympics around the corner, I’ve been tied up with my Beijing nightlife blog, but there is plenty of material in the pipeline, including posts on:
- The wine bars and Chinese wines to try for those in Beijing for the Olympics
- The “Berlin tasting” led by Stephen Spurrier in Beijing last month
- About a dozen tastings
- A half-dozen talks with wine personalities in and out of China
- A long-overdue post about the International Congress on Chinese Cuisine & Wine held in Beijing
- The dissonance between English and Chinese wine terminolog
- The introduction of several new contributors to the blog
Time will be tight over the next few weeks, but I’ll do my best to get up as much information as possible.
- JB
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