09.25.07

Wine Weekend II: Cabs, quizzes and sauerkraut

Posted in Beijing Wine Club, Sequoia Cafe, Tastings at 5:26 pm by admin

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.

07.03.07

Cape wines and cowboy hats!

Posted in Beijing Wine Club at 1:01 pm by admin

You don’t see many events linking Texas and South Africa, but add one more to that short list when Beijing Wine Club holds a holding a fundraiser on July 14 at Tim’s Texas Roadhouse to benefit the HIV/AIDS programs run by Prevention through Education, a charity with which the wine club’s Gabriel Suk is involved. (Note: This event is at the new Tim’s, on Super Bar Street, across from 5:19 and Pili Pili.)

Look for five South African Western Cape Wines - three reds, two whites - and Tex-Mex food. There will be a raffle for cowboy boots, diamonds, wine and vouchers for Beijing restaurants, along with, states the invite, “Western-themed games where you can test your marksmanship skills or try your hand at lassoing a cow.”

The event is 150 kuai per person and proceeds go to a new PTE online peer counseling center. The sponsors include the South African Embassy, ASC Fine Wines, Tim’s Texas Roadhouse, SAB Miller and S.A. Michael Diamonds.

For information, contact Gabe at gabriel.suk@gmail.com / 13717871229.