Wine Weekend II: Cabs, quizzes and sauerkraut

I owed myself a weekend of fun for ages and cashed in last Friday, Saturday and Sunday by attending five wine events. Here’s number two:

The Beijing Wine Club organized a full evening of fun – including a blind tasting, food and quiz – last Saturday night at Sequoia Cafe. Here’s what attendees received for the 220-kuai entry fee:

• A blind tasting of two whites
• A blind tasting of two reds
• Barbecued sausages, salad, beans, sauerkraut, brownies and more, accompanied by a nice Shiraz-Grenache
• Two quizzes with an excellent mix of questions ranging from easy to challenging: name three of the five biggest Chinese wine producers, name five whites and five reds, name the profession of the person who invented Champagne (conventional wisdom says it was Dom Perignon and he was a monk, though wine geeks will tell that it was the brainchild of the English).
• A chance to meet new people in a crowd that spanned what must have been nearly a dozen nationalities.

This was a well-organized, high-value event that not only was good fun but also boosted my knowledge of wine. It lived up to the invite – “From the savvy sauvignon blanc to the spicy shiraz, by the end of the evening you will know a little more wine.” Kudos go to the organizers.

Note: Get more info on the Chinese wine scene – go to Facebook, search “China Wine” and join the group.

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