Grape Wall of China

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

Miguel Torres: Selling wine in China, the new Torres-Grace wine, and more

By Jim Boyce
I recently tagged along to Chengdu with a group of writers as Torres president Miguel A Torres donated RMB500,000 to build a school to replace one severely damaged during last year’s earthquake in Sichuan. We also tried a new Muscat wine called Symphony made via cooperation between Torres and Shanxi-based winery Grace as [...]

Wrap-up: The Hilton Food & Wine Experience

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 [...]

Wine world: Taste of Nations event

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 [...]

Grace (again): Face, FT, and feedback on five wines

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 [...]

Taste test: Bolongbao and Le Champs D’or

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. [...]

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 [...]

Interview: “The Frank”

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 [...]

Big draw at Big 9

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 [...]

Salzburg Showdown: Kracher Vs. Schandl

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, [...]

Barossa Ben, Melbourne’d Meat and Kangaroo Cuts

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 [...]

Hit the books now, hit the bottles this summer

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 [...]

Loosen up with some Riesling

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 [...]

  • About Grape Wall of China


    beijing-boyce-grape-wall-of-china-logo

    A nonprofit blog by wine professionals and consumers.


    Follow: On Twitter and Facebook.
    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