Grape Wall of China

A China Wine Blog: The Scene in the World’s Largest Market

T time: Chateau Lafite vs Chateau Lafitte in China

- By Jim Boyce Chateau Lafite is insanely popular in China and consumers here should be careful to avoid not only fake bottles, but also mistakenly buying Chateau Lafitte, a separate operation that includes a double-t in its name. Let me be clear: I am not saying there is anything wrong with Chateau Laffite as [...]

Contrefacons et vols de vins en Chine

A translation by Nicolas Carre of the post “Fakers, robbers, and wine in China” by Jim Boyce that originally appeared here in English. – “Des bruits de couloir disent qu’il y a plus de Chateau Lafite 1982 en Chine qu’il n’en a été produit cette année la en France.” – “Wall Street Journal” – J’ai [...]

Grape Press: Morocco-China wine links, 7-ELEVEN wine, ICCCW in Singapore

By Jim Boyce Some China-related wine stuff from the Web… – Morocco-China wine connection The BBC reports on Moroccan wine industry ambitions, which includes some mentions of China: Mehdi Bouchaara, a member of ASPRAM [the Moroccan wine-growers association]… says that Morocco is currently producing 300,000 hectolitres of wine each year, making it one of the [...]

Barossa wines, Beijing, and bare ass: Torbreck wine dinner with Dave Powell

By Jim Boyce Rare are those times when a wine maker drops his pants at a tasting  – I would guess it is on par with the frequency of an eclipse, which is an apt comparison given you would not want to stare directly if the sun were being blocked by the  “moon” displayed by [...]

Value vino: Some of Beijing’s best wine buys under RMB100

Note: The following post recently appeared in Agenda magazine in Beijing (see online version here). By Jim Boyce Beijing stores shelves are lined with hundreds of imported wines that retail for less than RMB100 [USD16 / 10 Euros]. Choice is certainly not a problem, although deciding which wines are best is not always easy. This [...]

Rough and tumble in China: The New Yorker profiles ASC Fine Wines’ Don St. Pierre, Sr.

By Jim Boyce The New Yorker just published a lengthy article by Evan Osnos about ASC Fine Wines founder Don St. Pierre, Sr and his son Don St. Pierre, Jr. In it, St. Pierre, Sr comes off as a profanity-uttering, rough-and-tumble, take-no-prisoners businessman. Based on my experience, much of the language is vintage St. Pierre [...]

Grape Press: Fakers, robbers, and wine in China

- People in the wine business here say there is more ’82 Lafite in China than was ever produced that year in France. – Wall Street Journal – By Jim Boyce One reason I recently posted an exchange with Benjamin Wallace, author of Billionaire’s Vinegar, is because of the massive – and growing – amount [...]

Beaujolais Nouveau in Beijing: Get your plonk at these parties…

By Jim Boyce The third Thursday of November is upon us and that means Beaujolais Nouveau parties (see here for more on this phenomenon). Get your plonk at one of these parties: Le Baie des Anges: Beaujolais Nouveau at RMB40 per glass or RMB200 per bottle. French Cultural Center: Beaujolais Nouveau, alongside other French wines, [...]

BYOB? Obama, Nixon, wine, and Chinese state dinners

- By Jim Boyce This post at Obama Foodorama reports that China President Hu Jintao hosted U.S. President Barack Obama at a state dinner earlier this week and served him both red and white Great Wall 2002 wines. Does that count as an assassination attempt? (Kidding, just kidding). In any case, the leaders ate “Chinese-style [...]

Hong Kong wine auction: Spectrum to sell 200 lots from Aubrey McClendon collection

By Jim Boyce California-based Spectrum Wine Auctions will hold its first event in Hong Kong – with more than 200 lots from the collection of Aubrey McClendon – at Crown Wine Cellars at 9 AM on November 22. This is the latest event that affirms Hong Kong as a top-three auction site along with New [...]

Le monde du vin: Julia Zhu, sommelière au Hilton à Pékin

- Translation by Nicolas Carre Julia Zhu, sommelière au Hilton Chaoyang à Beijing, a fait ses armes au Canada, où elle a exercé durant trois années au Hilton Toronto. Cette jeune fille originaire du Helongjiang est diplomé de l’Association Canadienne de Sommelerie. Jim Boyce lui a posé quelques questions sur le vin en Chine… Comment [...]

China, Thomas Jefferson, and fake wine? Benjamin Wallace, author of Billionaire’s Vinegar

By Jim Boyce USD156,000 is a lot for a bottle of wine. But such is the amount a 1787 Chateau Lafitte – then spelled with two t’s – fetched at auction in 1985. The source: a collector named Hardy Rodenstock who said he found the bottle in a Paris basement and that it – engraved [...]

China Wine Word: Julia Zhu, sommelier at Hilton Beijing

By Jim Boyce Julia Zhu, sommelier at Beijing Hilton, honed her wine skills in Canada, where she received her certification from the Canadian Association of Professional Sommeliers and spent three years working at the Hilton Toronto. I asked her about the wine scene in China, her favorite tastings in Beijing, the upcoming Hilton Food & [...]

Tasting time in Beijing: Hilton Wine Fair, Zind Humbrecht, Galician dinner, and more

By Jim Boyce Lots of wine events coming up, including this Saturday’s Hilton Food & Wine Experience (see here for last chance to win tickets and an overnight stay) and plenty of Beaujolais Nouveau parties (full list coming next week). Of note is tomorrow’s Domaine Zind Humbrecht wine dinner with owner and winemaker Oliver Humbrecht, [...]

Money flows like water: Acker Merrall & Conditt tops ~165 million with Hong Kong wine auction

By Jim Boyce Money continues to flow like water at Hong Kong wine auctions, with Acker Merrall & Condit reporting HKD39.15 million (USD5.05 million) in sales last Saturday and HKD165.81 million (USD21.4 million) for the year. The company’s press release states that 98 percent of the 1100 lots were purchased via sales room, email, phone, [...]

Beijing Hilton Food & Wine Experience: Win tickets, overnight stay

- By Jim Boyce The only thing better than spending seven hours sampling from among hundreds of wines – as well as chocolate, coffee, beer, and more – at the Beijing Hilton Food & Wine Experience would be to then stumble, stagger, crawl – what have you – up to a room afterward. Alack and [...]

Sommelier stuff: Tutorials, wine challenge to be held at Food & Hotel China

Asia Wine Institute head Tommy Lam will lead three tutorials during the Food and Hotel China 2009 trade show slated for November 18 to 20 in Shanghai: November 19 (3–4.30): PM: How to become certified by the Court of Master Sommeliers November 20 (10–11.30 AM): An introduction to basic sommelier skills November 20 (1–2:30 PM): [...]

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