11.11.07
Posted in Ao Hua, Aussino, Bacchus, DT Asia, H&L, Jebsen, Longfellows, Metro, Moet Hennessey Diageo, Palette, Pernod Ricard, TBC, Tastings at 9:12 pm by admin
Rather than write a lengthy report about Saturday’s Food & Wine Experience at The Hilton, I thought it would be more fun to interview myself. Here we go:
Was that you on The Hilton’s marble steps standing in front of a broken bottle of wine?
It was. As I left, the paper bag provided by the organizers came unglued and a nearly full bottle of Heartland Dolcetto Lagrein fell out. The bottle exploded on the steps and attracted gawkers from far and wide. Fortunately, a half bottle of Heartland Shiraz stayed in the bag.
You mean you could buy wine there?
No. If you stay until the end of such events, sometimes the distributors give away opened bottles because they don’t want to waste them.
Why did you end up with Heartland?
I spent the last half hour at the Palette tables. I like Australian wines and Palette owner John Gai has an excellent portfolio. Palette’s Stefan Fleischer, as he did at this event two years ago, guided me through some lovely wines, particulary the Shiraz and Viognier.
What else did you like?
I liked the media session with wine writer Jeremy Oliver, supported by the Australian Wine & Brandy Corporation and ASC Fine Wines - I’ll write a separate post about it. He encouraged us to cover the top of our glasses with our palms and shake them - this gives wine a few hours’ worth of aeration. Make sure you have tissues handy if you try this at home.
Best of all was meeting winemakers, winery owners, distributors, writers and, especially, consumers. I met many people that I previously knew only by email, including Jennifer Zhang and Jessie Xiao at Summergate and Xavier Tondusson at Bacchus. Good to match faces with email addresses!
By the way, if logistically possible, I think the Champagne distributors should be in Zeta bar next year. It’s a perfect fit. I would also have the event run later into the afternoon.
Any disappointments?
I would love to see more countries better represented. As usual, pickings were meager from China (only Grace Vineyard), Austria, Portugal, Canada and some other nations. Having said that, we get more choice every year in Beijing, so overall I was happy with the selection.
However, I was disappointed at the light turnout Saturday. The event offered hundreds of wines and a buffet for 230 kuai - what more could you ask for? Compare this to Torres’ Taste of the Nations event last weekend: it offered far fewer wines but attracted a lot of attendees, even though it was only marginally cheaper.
Spreading the Food & Wine Experience over two days - the trade show was on Friday - might help explain the attendance. Some trade people could not attend Friday and gave tickets to friends or customers who might otherwise have come on Saturday. Next year, the hotel might also want to pair its traditional magazine ads with more marketing via e-mail and word-of-mouth, which is the key way many people get information about events.
I talked to four distributors about attendance and all of them were unhappy, especially as they had to pay for table space and provide staff, wine and literature for the event. On the other hand, 18 distributors participated and most didn’t seem to do much to promote this event, at least if my inbox is any indication.
Which distributors attended?
Eight companies had the vast majority of the 182 wine tables: ASC (27), Aussino, Jointek and Summergate (25 each), Jebsen (24), and H&L, Palette and Torres (12 each). Other distributors were: DT Asia (6), Metro (4), Bacchus and Pernod Ricard (2 each) and Ao Hua, Beijing GLP, East Meets West, Longfellows, Moet Hennessey Diageo and TBC - The Beverage Company (1 each). Montrose was notably absent. The other 12 tables featured food, glassware, wine accessories, magazines, and bottled water.
This breakdown suggests the Hilton might want to drop the “food” from “food & wine” in the event title.
So, was it worth it?
Definitely. As mentioned, hundreds of wines were available for tasting. A Shiraz lover could compare and contrast what each distributor offers - dozens of wines in total. If you like French wines, you could have tasted to your heart’s content. For ten years, this has been one of the wine events of the year for consumers in Beijing. You just need to ensure you have a sturdy bag if you stay until the end.
Note: Get my free e-newsletter about nightlife and wine in Beijing by sending an email to beijingboyce@yahoo.com with “sign me up” in the subject line.
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11.06.07
Posted in Tastings, Torres at 3:45 pm by admin
I would have given two thumbs up to Torres for last weekend’s Taste of the Nations, an event in Trader’s Hotel that featured some 150 of the distributor’s wines, but my hands were attached to a glass that brought unlimited refills. Instead, I’ll provide written praise.
I would guess well over 200 people attended and, at 188 kuai per person, received good value for their money. I sampled many of the Italian and Australian brands but, being more of a swallower than a spitter, decided not to try the full range. The crowd included some Torres competitors and regulars from Sequoia’s Friday night wine tasting group.
A few suggestions to those putting on major wine events:
- If a wine is done, why display the bottle? I wanted to try Grace Vineyard’s Chairman’s Reserve but it had run out when I arrived at 2:45 PM (the event ran until 6 PM). The same held for the Champagne. Why taunt me with the bottles when the bubbly is gone?
- Live bands are okay, but they tend to interrupt the conversations of wine lovers who are focused on the vino going in their mouths rather than the music going in their ears.
Anyway, enough whining about the wining. A good event this was and let’s hope the Taste of Nations becomes an annual one.
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10.13.07
Posted in Catai, Face, Grace, Media - foreign, Sequoia Cafe, Tastings at 5:59 pm by admin
I spotted yet another place selling Grace wines in Beijing - upscale Face has the entry-level Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon for 220 per bottle (about four times retail) and the Tasya’s Reserve (I think it was the Cabernet Sauvignon) for 350 kuai. Face also has Catai Chardonnay at 220 per bottle.
Praise from England as the most recent Financial Times column by Jancis Robinson lists Grace under “Fine wines from unexpected sources”:
Grace, Chairman’s Reserve Merlot/Cabernet 2004.
The finest wine so far made in the country that is already the world’s sixth most important grower of grapevines even though eastern China tends to be a bit too damp and western China a bit too cold for viticulture. This one comes from the middle, south of Beijing.
Finally, a while back Sequoia Café held a tasting of five Grace wines. Here are some comments from 25 fellow imbibers, who range from those in the wine industry to those who enjoy wine as a hobby. I’ve included my own takes.
Chardonnay Premier 2003: “A good basic white with a little bit of fruit”; “I like it, it’s nice”; “That’s a decent Chardonnay”; “It’s got a bit of tartness”; “Tart and short”; “Too old - when it’s too old, you begin to feel too much oak”; “It’s drinkable”; “It’s like a cheap Californian wine, a bit fruity and light, and I like that.” My take: I heard the second bottle was better, but found this one too tart and prefer the entry-level Chardonnay from 2005 and 2006.
Cabernet Sauvignon 2005: “Rename it an exit [rather than an entry-level] wine. I found it a bit insipid”; “It’s a lot better than what else you can get from China for 60 kuai”; “This is the best one tonight.” My take: With some cherry on the nose, this is a light-bodied drinkable wine that offers good value for the price - one of my two favorites on the night.
Cabernet Merlot (I didn’t catch the year; I’ll post it later): “An interesting one - the Cabernet was there but I couldn’t find any Merlot”; “The fragrance is okay, the nose fuller than the Cabernet Sauvignon, but it’s a little bitter in the mouth”. My take: The nose was fruitier than the Cabernet Sauvignon, though the body had less fruit than I expected. This one grew on me and I’ll be giving it another try.
Merlot: (again, I will post the year soon): “Some crispness, but they could’ve done more to get the acid down”; “this one is bad”; “no”. My take: The body was rough and unstructured, making it the least pleasant wine of the night.
Deep Blue: “A bit heftier and bigger [than the others] but it seemed pretty young”; “[A shrug of the shoulders]”; “This one is interesting, there’s a lot going on there”. My take: A fruit-driven nose and body that seems like ilike it needs a few years to mature, it’s bigger on the nose than in the mouth. At RMB 288, it’s not cheap.
I’m a fan of Grace, but I think this tasting would have been better with a more recent Chardonnay and by replacing the Merlot with the Cabernet Franc, one of the winery’s better products.
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10.08.07
Posted in Bolongbao, Le Champs D'or, Tastings at 11:24 pm by admin
Last Friday’s wine tasting at Sequoia Cafe here in Beijing was a bring-your-own-bottle affair. In addition to assorted bottles from France, Australia, New Zealand and the United States, there were two from China. Here are some notes:
Le Champs D’or: Le Vin Desert de Gobi, 2003
No varietal indicated, but it smelled like a typical Cabernet Sauvignon. This is a drinkable wine, though the body is a little bitter. “They tried to extract too much,” said winemaker Alain Leroux. “It was macerated for too long.” It was fairly light with some nice cherry and red plum. “It’s definitely drinkable, there are no major problems with it,” said one imbiber.
Chateau Bolongbao 2005
This Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot blend had a somewhat woody and syrupy medicinal nose. Some nice, tight fruit in this wine though the woodiness comes through on the tongue. “It’s got a heaviness, it would go with a big piece of meat,” said Paul A, adding “Hmmm, they put this one in oak, didn’t they?”Both wines weigh in at 12.5 percent.
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09.25.07
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.
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07.18.07
Posted in Interviews, Tastings at 10:51 pm by admin
Some know him for opening one of Beijing’s first non-hotel bars - the creatively named Frank’s Place (1990). Some know him for his later establishment - John Bull Pub. And yet others know him as the Tuesday night quizmaster.
What fewer know is that during the past year, Frank Siegel has built a Beijing wine community via Friday night tastings at the Sanlitun branch of Sequoia Cafe. BB sat down with “The Frank” recently for his take on the tastings, the funnest events he’s been to over the past 20 years, what it takes to make it in the business, and whether it’s true that he’s a big fan of Algerian wines.
Go here for the full interview.
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07.16.07
Posted in Big 9, Tastings at 6:19 pm by admin
The first two times I went to Big 9, it was emptier than a bottle of Veuve Cliquot at my friend E-Salt’s house after New Year’s. Imagine my surprise as the place bubbled over with 40-plus people one recent Friday night. Yes, the wine was free, but it was nice to see such a good mix of foreigners and locals trying more than a dozen wines.
Before I go on, please read the following out loud:
“Wei? Wei? Wei? [Pause] Wei? Wei? [Longer pause] Wei? Wei? Wei!? Weiiiii!? [Pause] Weiiiii!? [Etc].”
That’s how the night started, with a woman at the bar giving a demonstration on bad phone manners. To further stress the point, her friend was simultaneously doing the same, giving us a kind of stereo effect.
Anyway, from there things only got better…
My notes are a bit scant. I tried some Alsace Gewurtztrameiner, which had some peach, grapefruit and honey on the nose. I expected it to be sweet, but it was a bit tart, a sort of sour apple thing that left me a bit disappoitned. The best wine tried was the Indis Shiraz - the first bottle was “out of balance” but the second had cherry and other fruit flavors. My favorite at this place so far is the Indis Shiraz Rose, at 145 per bottle…
You can find Big 9 just around the corner from the City Hotel, near The Den.
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07.12.07
Posted in Tastings at 7:02 pm by admin
Oliver Sedlinger, Stefan Fleischer, his friend Vera and I tried some Austrian wines a few weeks ago. (Disclosure: Oliver’s friend makes the Schandl wines tried and Palette Vino, where Stefan works, distributes them.)
First was a Schandl Cabernet Sauvignon 2003, the first Austrian red I’ve tasted. It had tobacco, spice and black cherry on the nose, though the fruit explosion on the tongue was a bit much. We let the wine breath and the fruit flavors evened out, giving us a palatable wine with a strong cherry and slightly berry finish.
“This wine has restrained tannins and is exceptionally fruity, which is not typical of a Cabernet. Californian and Australian are heavy on tannins,” said Stefan. He added, “That’s a wine that really needs to breath,” to which Oliver added, “It appreciates breathing,” to which I added, “So do I.”
Next was the Kracher Cuvee Beerenanslese 2003 (ASC Fine Wines) and Schandl Cuvee Beerenanslese 2003, two sweet wines. The flavor and aroma of the Kracher was full-on honey, with a few floral scents on the nose. It was sweet and filling - nice. In contrast, the Schandl had a light and fruity nose with hints of sour apples. Stefan noted the acidity was noticeable in the Shandl, but not the Kracher.
Both sweet wines were appealing. From a marketing standpoint, the consistent and rich Kracher seems a better sell - it’s dependable and safe. The Schandl on the other hand is a bit more complex, something you might sit down, taste and talk about. Why not try both, I say, and stick in a Canadian ice wine and a Hungarian Tokai to boot?
(Note: We tasted these wines at Cafe Pause, in Dashanzi, where Stefan is co-owner. We also tried some new menu items, including bacon, mushroom and pistachio dumplings with lemon butter and deep-fried wonton shrimp with soy / wasabi sauce.)
(This story first appeared in issue 32 of the Beijing Boyce e-newsletter, mailed on March 1, 2007. It was published on March 22, 2007, on www.beijingboyce.com)
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07.08.07
Posted in Palette Vino, Tastings at 7:11 pm by admin
Poor Perri Kane - an unlucky day for the Australian brand manager at Palette as she found herself sitting across from me at her company’s media tasting for winemaker Ben Glaetzer at China World’s Aria. Of the dozen-plus people there, I knew the least about wine. Unfortunately, I lack the software that causes most people in this situation to meekly sip vino, laugh at wine-related jokes they don’t get and, when asked to opine, repeat what someone else said. Instead, I just say what I think… unfiltered… sort of the “two-buck chuck” of observers…
Anyway, you’re apparently clueless in the wine world if you don’t who Ben Glaetzer is. Heard of him I had not, though I’ve tried his Stickleback wines - good value for the money. He seems a nice (and patient) bloke and answered a long-standing question of mine: What wine goes with kangaroo? (See details below.)
Some notes on the four wines, which included a few grape combinations I’d never tried:
Viognier Pinot Gris 2006: The nose was balanced and fresh, like towels newly out of a lemon-scented wash. The mouth had peach and some citrus zing.
Heartland Dolcetto Lagrein 2005: The nose was slightly medicinal, with spice and dark fruit lurking. Hard to describe, the best I could do was, “smooth yet mysterious –and velvety in the mouth.”
(At this point, Palette’s Stefan Fleisher noted two things re Glaetzer’s wines: 1. The temperature is important since too much alcohol comes off them if warm, and 2. “The reds all benefit very much from decanting.”)
Heartland Shiraz 2005 : Deep, consistent fruit (plum and blackberry) on the nose, and more so after it opened up. It had a lovely mouth feel and went superbly with the beef, courtesy of guest chef Joe Vargetto, who usually cooks up a storm, so to speak, in Melbourne.
(At this point, I posed my kangaroo food/wine pairing question. “What’s unique about kangaroo is that unless it’s medium rare, it gets a bit tough,” said Glaetzer. “It needs a wine that is big and acidic, as it can get oily.” The Shiraz would work nicely. I saved my second query - about what Ben does with kangaroos that wander onto the winery’s premises - for later.)
We finished up with a Glaetzer Wallace, a Shiraz Grenache blend. Wow! This had a vibrant nose that smelled earthy, gassy and vegetal - in other words, a bit rank (or, as company literature put it, a mix of “sweet cherry, toffee and earthy characters”). Food and Wine’s Arcy Yin found it interesting and said it had some mineral tastes. I liked it, and it’s also a favorite of P. Wong and of Beijing Wine Club guy / Timeout wine writer Gabriel Suk, who called it, “the perfect blend of Shiraz and Grenache”, just before he headed to Aria’s bar for Coopers (no beer could have a better name for a wine lover).
Notes: Aria GM Danny Kane will head to Shanghai to be a judge in the International Wine Challenge there. Perri Kane says Glaetzer’s Amon-ra and Godolphin wines are available in Beijing only in Aria. Vargetto hails from Oyster Little Bourke in Melbourne. Meat and Livestock Australia supported this event. Aria uses long and narrow plates - think bowling alley dimensions - that define “form over function”. Despite there being at least a half-dozen Aussies involved in this event, nary one said “mate”.)
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07.03.07
Posted in Tastings at 1:01 pm by admin
There’s summer school and then there’s school to prepare for summer, and the latter is being offered this Wednesday and Thursday as Fongyee Walker and Edward Ragg present on Wines for Summer Drinking. These sessions run from 7 PM sharp to 8.30 PM at the Park Plaza Hotel and include a tutored tasting of eight wines that cover several different countries, regions and styles. Walker and Ragg have judged numerous wine tastings, led wine courses, written about wine and are self-professed “wine geeks”.
The RMB 250 price includes the wines, tasting sheets, advice on buying wine in Beijing, and a buffet dinner in the Park Plaza’s Bloo. To book a spot in either the Wednesday or Thursday spot, contact Fongyee Walker at fongyee@cantab.net.
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07.02.07
Posted in Summergate, Tastings at 10:22 pm by admin
Liebe das guten Leben on July 3 as Summergate hosts both a wine tasting and dinner with Ernst Loosen. The fun starts with a tasting at the the Hilton’s Zeta Bar (7-10 PM; 150 kuai) and includes the following wines:
Villa Wolf Pinot Noir 2004
Dr Lo Riesling 2005
Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett
Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Spatlese 2003
The wine dinner kicks off an hour later in the Hilton’s One East on Third (8 PM~; 590 kuai, plus 15 percent service charge). The wines:
1998 Erdener Treppchen Riesling Kabinett
2003 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Kabinett
2003 Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Spatlese
1990 Uerziger Wuerzgarten Riesling Auslese
2004 Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Beerenauslese
2003 Bernkasteler Lay Riesling Eiswein
For background on Loosen, check this page. For info on the tasting or dinner, contact Jessie Xiao at 6562-5800 / Jessie.xiao@summergate.com.
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