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

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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 a wine. [...]

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.
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“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”
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J’ai récemment posté un interview [...]

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

By Jim Boyce
Some China-related wine stuff from the Web…
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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 most significant in the Arab [...]

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 Dave [...]

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 is especially [...]

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

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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
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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 of fine and rare [...]

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, including Champagne, as [...]

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

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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 beef steak” [...]

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 York [...]

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

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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 est né votre [...]

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 with [...]

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 & Wine [...]

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, the first [...]

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, and [...]

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

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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 alas, that [...]

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): How to increase [...]

  • About Grape Wall of China


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    A nonprofit blog by wine professionals and consumers.


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    Email: beijingboyce at yahoo.com

  • 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