Value vino: Some of Beijing’s best wine buys under RMB100

Posted on | November 23, 2009 | 1 Comment

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 true when it comes to making recommendations to Chinese consumers because so little research has been done on which wines they tend to like.

Given this, I teamed up with local sommelier Nicolas Carre and consultant Frankie Zhao, two fellow contributors to the Grape Wall of China blog, to hold a wine contest [called The Grape Wall Challenge] earlier this year. Our goal was simple: To ask panels of Chinese wine consumers and professionals to blind taste about forty imported wines priced at less than RMB100. (We asked local wine distributors to provide up to four wines each – two red and two white.) Our process was also simple: We asked the judges to put each wine into one of four categories – “I love it,” “I like it,” “I dislike it” or “I hate it.”

The professionals gravitated toward grape varieties that are common worldwide, picking Cedar Creek Shiraz-Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 from Australia (sold by Top Cellar for RMB92) as the top red, while Concha y Toro Frontera Sauvignon Blanc 2007 from Chile (Summergate, RMB79) and Bushman’s Gully Semillon-Chardonnay 2008 from Australia (Links, RMB92) tied as the top white wines.

This isn’t the case for consumers. They tended toward less commonly found wines and chose Zonin Terre Palladiane Soave from Italy (Torres, RMB96) as the top white and Foot of Africa Pinotage 2006 from South Africa (Torres, RMB99) as the top red, alongside Paso del Sol Merlot 2007 from Chile (DT Asia, RMB95).

What does this all suggest? That taste is subjective and that consumers do not necessarily like the same things as experts: not exactly groundbreaking findings, but important to point out. More interesting is that both the professionals and consumers scored white wines much higher than red wines, which is surprising given that more than 80 percent of the wine sold in China is red.

Other [high-scoring] reds include Callia Alta Shiraz-Malbec 2007 from Argentina (Torres, RMB72) and Concha y Toro Frontera Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 from Chile (Summergate, RMB79); while whites are represented by Farmese Primo Malvasia 2007 from Italy (ASC, RMB92), Stella Solaris Chardonnay 2006 from Chile (Top Cellar, RMB62), and Santa Rita 120 Sauvignon Blanc 2008 from Chile (ASC, RMB93).

Perhaps your best bet is to buy some of these wines and do your own tasting. After all, it is hard to go wrong at these prices. And if you wish to add a few more, you can try some of other top red and white wines from our contest, as determined by the combined scores of the professionals and consumers [see here].

Our next contest will focus on Chinese wines, specifically those made with grapes grown in China, since many domestic companies blend in bulk wine from Chile, Argentina, Australia, and elsewhere. In the meantime, if you are hankering to try some of the local product, your best bets are Grace Vineyard, from the north-central province of Shanxi, and Silver Heights, from the northwestern region of China. Both are distributed by Torres China.

The Grace entry-level Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon retail for about RMB60 and are among the few value-for-money Chinese wines in the market. Much better is the Premium Chardonnay, at just over RMB100, the Tasya’s Reserve series, including the Cabernet Franc and the Cabernet Sauvignon, which retail for just under RMB200, and the “Symphony” Muscat that a joint team from Grace and Torres in Spain produced last year. Grace wines are also available in many hotels, restaurants, and bars in Beijing.

Silver Heights is a newcomer that is showing great potential. These wines are more expensive, starting from RMB200, and are available online from Torres China.

Finally, to go even more local, Dragon Seal sources its grapes from just outside Beijing, in Hebei Province. While the resulting wines can be inconsistent, this is due less to the wine-maker and more to the quality of the grapes. There are several decent Dragon Seal wines available for about RMB75, while the Hualai Reserve [Cabernet Sauvignon] is a better but pricier bet at about RMB220.

[Note: I would also add Helan Mountain wines to the list. I tried them yet again at the recent Hilton Food & Wine Experience and would put them on a par with Dragon Seal - a bit inconsistent but worth a try.]

Rough and tumble in China: The New Yorker profiles ASC Fine Wines’ Don St. Pierre, Sr.

Posted on | November 20, 2009 | No Comments

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 – I have heard it firsthand in several confrontations with him. On the other hand, while St. Pierre can be intense, there is a steep learning curve when talking to him about the wine business and few people respond to emails as quickly – English writer Jancis Robinson is another who comes to mind – even if the topic is unpleasant.

While the article is titillating as a personality profile, and includes fascinating statistics and anecdotes, I find it a bit thin because  it does not explain how ASC rose to prominence, nor – given its portrayal of St. Pierre, Sr as ruthless – include a single negative comment from a competitor aka enemy. It generally focuses on the late 1990s – an ASC wine-and-necktie gift pack promotion that started with a run of 200 and ended up selling hundreds of times more; an investment from Gernot Langes-Swarovski, of the Austrian crystal-making family, that gave ASC the capital to expand – and on the nearly one-month detention of Don St. Pierre Jr by Customs in 2008. There is precious little about what happened in between that resulted in ASC growing from a struggling company to the most prominent in China in the wine importing and distribution business.

In fact, there is more about a 1995 raid by U.S. officials of a stock of 74 million bullets imported there by the St. Pierres, before they ever got into the wine business. (The government dropped the case when it found the ammo had been legally brought in.) This makes for interesting material, as does the author’s experiences at a wine dinner and a wine education class, and obviously a great deal of research went into the piece. But, again, the question lingering in the air is how ASC succeeded. I’ll have more about this on Monday. For now, here are a few excerpts from the subscription-only article (I typed them in, so any typos, as well as the highlights, are mine):

Donald St. Pierre, Sr., founded A.S.C. Wines in Beijing in 1996, in partnership with his son, Donald St. Pierre, Jr., whom everyone calls Don, Jr. The St. Pierres were not winemakers or sommeliers. The elder St. Pierre, who had spent his early years in the automobile business, in Detroit and Beijing and elsewhere, was more of a “hot-dog-and-bourbon type,” as a former colleague put it. But they knew sales. In 1989, four years after St. Pierre arrived in the country, Jim Mann, a former Beijing bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times, pronounced him “probably the single best-known businessman working in China.” Over the years, the St. Pierres had sold, or considered selling, baby products, gas masks, photocopiers, golf gloves, scrap metal, lingerie, sugar, pistachios, and Chinese and Russian ammunition.

From further in the story:

When I joined St. Pierre at the [members-only Capital Club] recently, nearly everyone who passed by stopped to greet him. “Look at that assh0le!” he replied with a smile, his version of high praise. St. Pierre’s comfort with confrontation extends to his only hobby: golf. At a charity golf tournament in 1997, St. Pierre accused a rival foursome of cheating. The team composed of senior Communist Party officials, including a high-ranking military general and the chairman of a large arms manufacturer. St. Pierre’s friends urged him to back off, but not before St. Pierre had waved his finger and said, “You fuck off. You’re a cheater!” (His protests persuaded tournament officials to give his team a share of the winnings.) I asked St. Pierre if he thought he had ever been too aggressive. He frowned. “What does that mean? ‘Too aggressive.’ Do you like to kill your competitors or don’t you?”

His tactics have made A.S.C. China’s largest wine importer, with annual revenues of more than seventy million dollars. Jancis Robinson, a prominent wine critic in London, wrote that the St. Pierres have attained “a position in the Chinese wine scene similar to that of the Gallos in the U.S.“

And a final one:

On April 8, 2008, twenty-eight days after Don, Jr. was detained [by Customs], he was released. A.S.C. acknowledged a limited number of undervaluations, he says, and it agreed to pay back-duties and fees totaling 1.8 million yuan–about two hundred and sixty-four thousand dollars, a relatively small sum, given the company’s volume of imports. Don, Jr., was never charged with a crime. He says that A.S.C. made technical mistakes that grew out of the fluctuating values of fine wine and foreign currencies. “We were hedging Euros against dollars, and sometimes we did it right and sometimes we did it wrong,” he told me…

The wine investigation widened, and by the end of 2008 it had let to punishment in twenty-nine cases, on wine valued at twenty-five million dollars, according to a report in Legal Daily, a state-run paper. Companies were accused of doctoring invoices and “laundering documents” through Hong Kong, where there are no tariffs on wine imports. The St. Pierres did none of that, Don, Jr., says. But the case was “a wake-up call,” he told me one afternoon at his apartment in Shanghai. “No one sits you down and says, ‘You’ve arrived in China. These are the laws.’ Because people just don’t think they apply to them! And they do now.”

Note: While he was researching this piece, I talked to Osnos several times by phone re the St. Pierres and wine in China.

Grape Press: Fakers, robbers, and wine in China

Posted on | November 19, 2009 | 1 Comment

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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 wine in Hong Kong. A few stories this week riff on that reality.

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The Great Hong Kong Wine Heist: The Wall Street Journal reports on the theft of 228 bottles of the much sought after 1982 Chateau Lafite Rothschild, worth HKD6.8 million / USD877,000, according to police.

Apparently, several men surreptitiously entered the warehouse, tying up and gagging a guard, who later phoned police. The theft was first reported in the South China Morning Post….

These days, ’82 Lafite represents the height of wine prestige in China. Collectors and counterfeiters alike have made a mint on the hefty sums this particular brand and year can command. In Hong Kong, a bottle goes for anywhere between HK$37,000 and HK$48,000.

Interesting story, but one angle not covered that seems highly relevant: Whether or not the wines were insured.

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Counterfeiters target luxury wines: AFP reports that Petrus, Romanee-Conti, Chateau d’Yquem, and other wines are being targeted by counterfeiters:

The counterfeiting “touches five to six of the very top wine estates in Bordeaux where there is a real potential to make a capital gain and where there is a world-wide demand because the products are rare,” said wine tycoon Bernard Magrez, owner of 35 estates, including several in Bordeaux.

These tend to be the same estates that draw a massive amount of attention from buyers in Hong Kong. What is especially intriguing is wines showing up in auctions and sales that were never produced by the wineries listed on the label. If this is the case, you have to wonder about the lack of due diligence by some auction houses. A few cases noted in the article (my highlights):

Jeroboams, the equivalent of four bottles, of the 1945 vintage from [Romanee-Conti] have recently been sold in auctions, according to Laurent Ponsot, a renowned Burgundy producer. Alas, Romanee-Conti did not bottle their 1945 in Jeroboams.

Ponsot, owner of Domaine Ponsot, has had his own misadventures with counterfeiters. At a sale in New York in 2008, the vintner was shocked to discover that “106 bottles out of 107″ were fakes. The catalogue listed “a sale of Clos Saint Denis 1945 and other old vintages when we didn’t even begin producing this particular appellation until 1982,” he recounted.

Perhaps those intending to buy such wines are best doing some Googling or making some phone calls themselves…

Beaujolais Nouveau in Beijing: Get your plonk at these parties…

Posted on | November 19, 2009 | No Comments

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 well as live music and food from Le Petit Gourmand; 7:30 PM to 10:30 PM; RMB130.
• Enoteca: Complimentary buffet, live music, and Beaujolais Nouveau at RMB200 per bottle, from 8 PM.

Also of note:

• Scarlett: Beaujolias Nouveau party tomorrow, the 20th, from 7 PM; wine with a cold cut and cheese buffet; RMB218.
• Le Petit Gourmand: Week-long special starting tomorrow; glass of Gamay wine plus cold cut and cheese plate for RMB99 (RMB128 with two glasses). The wine is available at RMB35 per glass or RMB150 per bottle.

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

Posted on | November 19, 2009 | 4 Comments

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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” and roast grouper while listening to current hits such as “We Are the World” and “I Just Called to Say I Love You”, before heading off for a night of baijiu shots and KTV.

Quite a shift from 1972, when Richard Nixon visited. At a state dinner with Zhou Enlai, it was Nixon who provided the wine. From the wine blog Dr. Vino:

Hugh [Davies of Schramsberg], 42, told me that in 1972, his dad, Jack, got word from the Nixon White House that they would need 13 cases of Schramsberg 1969 blanc de blanc. And those cases had to be delivered to Travis Air Force Base. Hugh said that it was all a bit mysterious but his dad loaded up the cases into his jeep, drove them over to the Base where he got paid and left the wine.

Then three weeks later, images of Nixon’s historic trip to China were broadcast back to the US. And there was good old Nixon raising a glass of Schramsberg with Premier Zhou En Lai in a “toast to peace.” Hugh said that Barbara Walters reported from Tiananmen Square that Nixon and Zhou had just toasted with the Schramsberg “blank de blank.” Thirteen cases must have kept the whole delegation happy!

Now, instead of U.S. Presidents bringing their own wine to China, they are getting a taste of the local grapes, assuming those Great Walls aren’t among the Chinese bottles that also include bulk Chilean, Australian, or other wines…

(Big hat tip to Mr Miyagi)

Hong Kong wine auction: Spectrum to sell 200 lots from Aubrey McClendon collection

Posted on | November 16, 2009 | 1 Comment

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 and London.

The items up for grabs, as listed in a press release from Spectrum, include 1945 Latour, 1959 Lafite Rothschild, and six-liter bottles of 1982 Cheval Blanc and 1989 Haut Brion, as well as Chateau Mouton Rothschild in every format from 750ml to imperial (six-liter) bottles. It also notes some unexpected items: “One interesting lot in particular is Lot #665–a single 750ml bottle of 1966 Robert Mondavi Cabernet Sauvignon; the vineyard’s very first vintage… The estimate? A mere $50 to own a piece of history.”

Each lot includes a single estimated selling price rather than a range of prices. The catalog is available here. For more information on the auction, call 888-982-1982.

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

Posted on | November 16, 2009 | No Comments

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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 intérêt pour le vin, et qu’est ce qui vous a décidé à choisir le métier de sommelier?

Je suis très enthousiasmé par le développement de l’industrie du vin. Bien que cette année soit particulière et que nous observons plutot une baisse des ventes, la tendance à la croissance est claire, particulièrement sur le marché des vins chinois qui, pour moi, a un énorme potentiel. Comme tous les professionnels dans ce secteur, nous avons la passion du vin et nos carrières sont liées a son marché.

J’ai décidé de devenir sommelière en étudiant le vin à Toronto. Je travaillais alors dans un restaurant gastronomique où les vins étaient très accessibles. Ce monde du vin m’intriguait beaucoup, en cours comme dans la vie courante, ce qui m’a naturellement décidé à poursuivre mes études dans le domaine.

Vous animez un club de vin hebdomadaire à Pekin. Quelles sont vos trois scéances préférées jusqu’ici?

L’objectif dans ce club de vin n’est pas seulement de promouvoir un produit comme dans bien d’autres dégustations. Nous y intégrons également une connaissance générale sur les vins que nous dégustons. Ma scéance préférée jusqu’ici est une dégustation de vins de Bourgogne avec un Perle de Crémant Brut NV (Louis Bouillot), Pouilly Fuissé 2007 (Bouchard Ainé et Fils), Bourgogne Chardonnay 2006 (Jean Claude Boisset), Pinot Noir 2005 et Gevrey Chambertin 2005 et la fameuse vodka «Idol».

J’ai également bien aimé la dégustation de Penfolds avec notamment un Koonunga Hill “Seventy Six” Shiraz Cabernet 2006, Shiraz 2006 Thomas Hyland, Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz 2003, Bin 128 Coonawarra Shiraz 2006 et RWT 2004. La dégustation des vins Italiens Antinori, les chardonnays de Californie et la dégustation de Cabernets étaient aussi des grands moments.

Beaucoup de chinois achètent des vins de Bordeaux pour l’image qu’ils représentent ici. Mais, quels vins pensez-vous qu’ils préfèrent vraiment en matière de gout?

La majorité des consommateurs chinois que je connais ou que j’ai eu l’occasion de rencontrer pensent que les vins du Nouveau Monde, comme ceux de l’Australie, du Chili, d’Argentine et d’Afrique du Sud, sont tendances et faciles de boire. Je pense en fait qu’au début – et les chinois débutent dans l’art de la dégustation – ils préfèrent des vins plus fruités avec du corps, des vins moins acides, moins secs et surtout pas trop compliqués.

Quelles sont vos impressions sur le vin produit en Chine? Et quels sont vos préférés?

En terme de viti-viniculture moderne, la Chine en est encore à ses premiers balbutiements, mais on peut discuter sur l’histoire de cette industrie, son évolution, sa technologie, etc…. À mon avis, ca nous laisse plus d’opportunites pour établir un bon règlement gouvernemental, améliorer la gestion des vignobles, les méthodes de production, etc… Nous nous rendons compte aussi que nous devons faire face à bien plus de défis que beaucoup d’autres pays producteurs de vins. J’ai eu l’occasion de déguster des vins monocépages comme le Cabernet Franc de chez Grace Vineyard et je les ai trouvé concentrés et intéressants, mais je n’ai pas encore de favori…

Quelle est votre plus belle expérience en matière de vins depuis votre arrivée dans la capitale chinoise?

J’ai débarqué à Pékin il y a tout juste une année, donc ma plus belle expérience ne remonte pas à si loin… mais, je pense à l’evènement DRC avec la dégustation de sept Grands Crus du millésime 2005: un Echezeaux, Grand-Echezeau, Romanée st. Vivant, Richeburg, Tache La, Romanée-Conti et Montrachet.

Quel est le programme du «Food & Wine experience» organisé par le Hilton?

Ce sera l’occasion de découvrir plus de mille vins du monde entier, de participer à des animations culinaires et à des séminaires avec, entre autre, le célèbre critique Australien Jeremy Oliver. Nous organiserons également un tasting avec des récompenses à la clef, une véritable vente aux enchères de vins fins et une autre plus «fun». Le mieux est de venir voir par vous-meme…

China, Thomas Jefferson, and fake wine? Benjamin Wallace, author of Billionaire’s Vinegar

Posted on | November 13, 2009 | No Comments

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 the initials “Th. J.” – was ordered by Thomas Jefferson. Given that Hong Kong is a hot spot for rare and fine wines, it seems appropriate China’s bookshops will soon stock Billionaire’s Vinegar by Benjamin Wallace, which looks at this and other bottles supplied by Rodenstock, and at concerns raised over their authenticity.  I asked Wallace about his book and about fake wines in general.

Your book casts doubt not only on the “Thomas Jefferson” bottles, but also on many others, from 19th-century Bordeaux to large-format Petrus from the first half of the 20th century. Given the importance of Hong Kong for auctions and private sales of rare and fine wines, how much risk do buyers there face in getting suspect bottles?

As always, the operative phrase is caveat emptor. I think it’s safe to say that the older and rarer the bottle, the more risky it is. I would be extremely suspicious of anything from the 18th century. I would be extremely suspicious of any Petrus in large formats from before World War II. And I would be extremely suspicious of such extraordinary cult rarities as the 1947 Cheval Blanc or the 1900 Margaux or the 1865 Lafite or the 1811 Yquem.

What three pieces of evidence most convince you that the 1787 bottles are fake? What is the status of lawsuits involving buyers and sellers of these wines?

The question I like to ask is: What evidence is there that they are authentic? But, since you’re the one asking the questions:

• The combination of chateaux and vintages supposedly found in the original cache — Mouton, Lafite, Margaux, and Yquem, from the 1784 and 1787 vintages — simply do not tally with Jefferson’s meticulous and thorough records.
• In the early 1990s, a government laboratory in Germany radiocarbon-tested the wine in one of the Jefferson bottles and found that it dated from 1963; in late 1992, a Munich court found that Rodenstock had “adulterated the wine or knowingly offered adulterated wine“.
• Tool-mark experts hired by the collector Bill Koch, who owns four of the Jefferson bottles, determined that the engravings on his bottles, as well as two others they had an opportunity to examine, were made using a modern power tool such as a dental drill.

The main lawsuit, which Koch filed against Hardy Rodenstock, is pending in New York. Koch has also filed suits against various auction houses (Acker Merrall & Condit, Zachys, Chicago Wine Company) and collectors (Rudy Kurniawan, Eric Greenberg). Most of those suits concern the sale of alleged fakes other than the Jefferson bottles, and they are all pending also.

As a consumer who has had an opportunity to attend many high-end wine tastings in China, I have observed that there is a strong desire among some wine people to be among the few invited. I wonder if that same desire influenced how critical some wine experts felt they could be about wines provided by Hardy Rodenstock?

No doubt some experts were more influenced than others, but I think it’s safe to say that for direct beneficiaries of Rodenstock’s largesse, it wouldn’t have been very gracious (or likely result in future invitations) to accuse him of fraud. So, the generous critical treatment of some of his odder-tasting bottles was probably an instance of not wanting to bite the hand that pours your wine. And I also think it was a case of wanting to believe. For the guests, these events — and the wines served at them — were once-in-a-lifetime experiences. It was hard not to get caught up in the excitement.

I found it interesting how little is known about Rodenstock, from his personal history to the source of the 1787 and other wines discussed in your book. Given the rarity of the wines he provided, and that some of the ensuing tasting notes have made it into books of some of the world’s most famous writers, how do you account for this?

The wine world has tended not to subject itself to much scrutiny, and the early-to-mid-eighties, in particular, was a relatively innocent time. Counterfeit wine just wasn’t on people’s radar as an issue. None of the publications best positioned to investigate the matter – Decanter, Wine Spectator, and the German magazine Alles uber Wein — had a tradition of investigative journalism: Decanter’s most esteemed columnist, Michael Broadbent, sold three of the Jefferson bottles and has described himself as one of Rodenstock’s “close friends”; Wine Spectator writers attended Rodenstock events, and the WS’s historically spotty coverage of the Jefferson bottles scandal almost invariably fails to disclose that none other than Marvin Shanken, the magazine’s owner, editor, and publisher, himself owns one of the Jefferson bottles; and Heinz-Gert Woschek, the longtime editor of Alles uber Wein, told me explicitly: “Hardy Rodenstock is a friend of mine. It was very delicate for me to write objectively.”

I know one collector in Hong Kong who has four bottles of the “Thomas Jefferson” wines as well as a plaque saying the source of them is Harry Rodenstock. How many of these bottles do you estimate are now in China?

I have no idea how many Jefferson bottles have made it over there, but Rodenstock was already selling to the Asian market, and inviting prominent Asian collectors to his tastings, by the early 1990s. He is well connected, in particular, in Hong Kong, where his godson is a wine merchant.

What advice do you have for people in the China market who are buying rare wines?

The same advice I would give anyone in any market: Enter at your own risk. For a long time, it was customary to advise people that they’d be safe if they relied on a trusted merchant, but one of the revelations of the Jefferson bottles affair has been how even the biggest, most venerable auction houses and merchants are fallible. I’ve spoken to very experienced collectors who simply won’t buy at auction anymore, and who limit their purchases now to either buying on release, or buying wines too obscure, or reasonably priced, to attract the interest of counterfeiters. With old and rare wine, buyers should demand to know the histories of the bottles. But for older vintages, in particular, there’s really no such thing as a sure thing; some of the leading chateaux, including Yquem, actually traded bottles with Rodenstock in the 1980s, so even if an old bottle comes from the cellar of the chateau itself (which most people would consider to be the gold standard of provenance), it doesn’t guarantee authenticity. In the end, people who go for ultra-premium, ultra-rare wine are playing a risky game, one best played by people who know they could be buying fakes, and are willing to take their chances.

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See here for an excerpt of Billionaire’s Vinegar.

China Wine Word: Julia Zhu, sommelier at Hilton Beijing

Posted on | November 10, 2009 | No Comments

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 Experience, and more.

How did your interest in wine arise and at what point did you decide to become a sommelier?

I am very much excited about the booming wine industry. Even though this year is a bit tough, and we see a drop in wine sales worldwide, the overall trend of growth is clear, especially in Chinese wine market, which I see as having great potential. As wine professionals, we have passion about wine and our careers rely on the wine market.

I decided to become a sommelier while studying wine in Toronto. At that time, I worked in a fine dining restaurant where wines were very accessible. The wine world really intrigued me, both inside and outside of the classroom, and this carried me through the tough learning and training sessions.

You lead a weekly wine club at the Hilton Beijing. What are your three favorite classes so far?

Our wine club is not just about product promotion as are some other tastings. We aim to integrate wine knowledge, wine appreciation, and the background of wines we taste. My favorite class so far is a Burgundian wine tasting during which we had Louis Bouillot Perle de Crémant Brut NV, Bouchard Aine & Fils Pouilly Fuisse 2007, Jean Claude Boisset Bourgogne Chardonnay 2006, Pinot Noir 2005, and Gevrey Chambertin 2005, and Idol vodka from Burgundy.

I also liked the Penfolds tasting, when we had Rawson’s Retreat Riesling 2007, Koonunga Hill “Seventy Six” Shiraz Cabernet 2006, Thomas Hyland Shiraz 2006, Bin 28 Kalimna Shiraz 2003, Bin 128 Coonawarra Shiraz 2006, and RWT 2004. The Italian Antinori wine tasting and California Chardonnay and Cabernet tastings were also great.

Many Chinese consumers buy Bordeaux because it is fashionable. What wines do you find they prefer when it comes to taste?

The majority of Chinese consumers, especially the new wine drinkers I have met or know, actually think that the wines from the New World, such as from Australia, Chile, Argentina, and South Africa, are trendy and easy to drink. I think especially at the early stage they prefer wines that are more fruit driven, fuller bodied, less acidic, less dry to off dry, and not too complicated.

What are your general impressions of wines produced in China? Do you have any favorites?

China is still young and immature in terms of modern wine making, however, you can argue about the industry’s history, improvement over the years, technology, and a lot of other factors. In my opinion, it just leaves us more room to improve in terms of governmental regulation, vineyard management, wine production methods, and so on. And we are slowly realizing that we are facing more challenges than many other wine making countries. I tasted some single varietal wines, such as the Cabernet Franc from Grace Vineyard, and found them more concentrated and interesting, but I haven’t got my favorite yet.

What is the best wine experience you have had since returning to Beijing?

Being in Beijing for just over a year, my best wine experience was actually not that long ago, at the DRC tasting, when I had the pleasure of trying seven 2005 Grand Crus – Echezeaux, Grand-Echezeau, Romanee St. Vivant, Richeburg, La Tache, Romanee-Conti, and Montrachet.

What can people expect at the upcoming Hilton Food and Wine Experience?

Around one thousand different wines from all over the wine making world, food events such as meat and seafood tastings, and activities such as wine seminars hosted by famous Australian writer Jeremy Oliver. We will also have a tasting competition, a fine wine auction, and a fun wine auction. In short, you just have to come and see it for yourself.

More details about the Hilton Food & Wine Experience are here.

Tasting time in Beijing: Hilton Wine Fair, Zind Humbrecht, Galician dinner, and more

Posted on | November 9, 2009 | No Comments

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 Master of Wine in France and a leader in bio-dynamics, at Maison Boulud. The fee is RMB600, fair dinkum for a quality dinner with wines at this restaurant. RSVP with Oliver Baenninger at Globus Wine – 010-5206-3020 or oliverbaenninger@globus-wine.com.

The Spanish Chamber of Commerce in China are co-hosting a wine dinner that features Galician cuisine by Jordi Villegas, including lobster, tomato, and basil salad, suckling pig terrine with truffle dressing, and pan-fried scallops. The evening includes five Galician wines and five Galician liqueurs. Details: November 13, 7 PM to 10 PM, Blu Lobster, RMB888 (pay in advance to the Spanish Chamber of Commerce), RSVP deadline November 11. To RSVP or for more information, contact info@spanishchamber-ch.com.

Summergate has announced that The Courtyard, which overlooks the Forbidden City, now has an Enomove wine cart that will allow diners to choose a glass – or a sample – of fine wine at their tables. The promotion is called “Taste Wine Food Moat”. I’m not sure what that means, but I do like the idea of tasting a few additional wines with my meal.

Money flows like water: Acker Merrall & Conditt tops ~165 million with Hong Kong wine auction

Posted on | November 9, 2009 | 1 Comment

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 absentee bids.

Sales included a reported world auction record for 1982 Chateau Petrus – a case of 12 went for HKD726,000 (USD94500). Other noted highlights: a case of 1982 Château Lafite Rothschild for HKD435500 (US$56000), a box of 1999 Henri Jayer Vosne Romanée Cros Parentoux for HKD387000 (US$50000), and 12 bottles of 1995 Krug Vintage Champagne Clos d’Ambonnay for HKD242,000 (USD31,266).

States John Kapon, the company’s president and auction director, “we plan to hold five to six major sales in Hong Kong next year.”

This year’s auctions have the international media giddy, though I have heard my share of scepticism from private observers about the nature of the situation. Look for several posts to soon appear on this issue.

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

Posted on | November 5, 2009 | No Comments

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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 is beyond the budget at Chez Boyce, but one reader will get such a treat.

Once again, I am holding a contest and the winner gets two tickets to this November 14 event (1 PM to 8 PM), an overnight stay at The Beijing Hilton (valid only for that night), and breakfast the next morning at Elements.

Last year, I asked people to choose one person with whom they would like to share a bottle of wine. This year, I am asking people to write about a good wine experience they have had in Beijing. To enter, you need to leave the comment on this post at sibling site, beijingboyce.com. You also, obviously, need to be in Beijing.

The contest closes on Tuesday at 5 PM; I’ll announce the winner the next day. Even if you don’t win, try to make the Food & Wine Experience, celebrating its twelfth year – it is hard to beat a full day of gluttony, which includes a buffet, for RMB200.

For more details on the event, see here. I’ll also soon have an interview with the Hilton’s head sommelier, Julia Zhu.

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See also:

2006: The year I tried 52 wines and lost my cell phone

• Wining about the Bejiing Hilton wine fest

2007: The year I attended a seminar with Jeremy Oliver and later accidentally broke a bottle of Shiraz on the Hilton’s marble staircase

• Are you experienced? Hilton’s tenth annual wine event (2007)
• Wrap up: The Hilton food and wine experience (2007)

2008: The year Yiftach Bar described a Louis Latour Chardonnay as a “white wine with balls.”

• Eat, drink, and stay contest: Win Food & Wine Experience tickets, a deluxe room, and breakfast at the Hilton (2008)
• Hilton Food & Wine Experience: And the winners are… (2008)
• The Hilton food and wine experience: ten thoughts (2008)

Sommelier stuff: Tutorials, wine challenge to be held at Food & Hotel China

Posted on | November 3, 2009 | No Comments

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 wine sales

Tutorials are RMB100 each or RMB200 for all three. To register or for more info, contact Francesca Xu at francesca.xu@asia-businessgroup.com or o10- 5828-7728.

Lam is also organizing the China Sommeliers Wine Challenge during the trade show. The judging panel has both international and local sommeliers, including three participants in this year’s China National Sommelier Competition (see here and here) – Hans Qu of Shenzhen Intercontinental Hotel (winner), Vivian Tian of Kee Club in Shanghai (first runner-up), and Jason Shi of China World Hotel in Beijing (second runner-up) – as well as Lu Yang of the Peninsula Hotel in Shanghai, winner of last year’s Penfold Sommelier Competition (see here). Kelvin Tay of the Pudong Shangri-la will head the panel. Other judges include Jacky Goergler from Jean Georges and Franck from Kathleens 5 in Shanghai, as well as Elyse Lambert from Canada, Andres Rosberg from Argentina, and Michael Jordan from the United States. See more details here.

See here for more details on the challenge and others events being held during the Wine & Spirits portion of Food and Hotel China 2009.

Wine tasting in China: Carrefour fall wine fair in Beijing

Posted on | October 30, 2009 | 1 Comment

By Jim Boyce

A last-minute reminder that the Shuangjing Carrefour store holds its fall wine fair from 6 PM to midnight with hundreds of bottles to sample. Most of them are entry-level and this offers a chance to find and stock up on “house” wine, especially as most products have a 20 percent discount.

Tip: BYOG. At the spring wine fair, I brought my own wine glasses – 22-ounce Bordeaux beauties – which meant I didn’t have to use the store’s puny goblets or, even worse, plastic cups. See these posts on previous Carrefour wine fairs:

• Spring 2009: Carrefour spring wine fair: Glasses, deals, and labels with animals galore
• Fall 2008: Carrefour wine fair picks: Southern exposure
• Spring 2008: By / buy the case: Carrefour 2008 April Wine Fair

Also, as noted here, Sequoia Cafe will hold a tasting of Grace Vineyard and Silver Heights at 6:30 PM tonight.

China’s best wines? Grace Vineyard, Silver Heights tasting this Friday in Beijing

Posted on | October 27, 2009 | No Comments

By Jim Boyce

China is a major wine producer and a growing wine consumer, but the average wine sold under domestic labels is disappointing. As noted here, this is due to everything from the pursuit of high-yield harvests to the use of unripe grapes to the blending of local and bulk imported wine to an emphasis on marketing rather than product quality. And decent local wines tend to offer poor value given the range of quality imported wines available at similar or lower prices.

Given this, a tasting at Sequoia Cafe in Beijing this Friday offers a good opportunity: it will feature five Chinese wines, all made from locally grown grapes, for only RMB100 (~USD15) — good value considering each bottle costs from ~RMB200 (~USD30) to ~RMB350 (~USD55).

The lineup includes three wines from Grace Vineyard, in the north-central province of Shanxi, by Australian wine maker Ken Murchison. (Note: Grace CEO Judy Leissner is a contributor to this blog.)

- Grace Vineyard Tasya’s Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
- Grace Vineyard Tasya’s Reserve Chardonnay
- Grace Vineyard Symphony Series Muscat, a wine made jointly by Grace and Torres

There will also be two wines from newcomer Silver Heights, in the northwestern region of Ningxia, by wine maker Emma Gao. Both include a grape commonly found in China, Cabernet Gernischt.

- Silver Heights Family Reserve (60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Cabernet Gernischt, 10% Cabernet Franc)
- Silver Heights The Summit (60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Gernischt, 20% Cabernet Franc)

The tasting is at 6:30 PM. RSVP with “Cabernet” Frank Siegel at 13701-178-073. All of the wines are distributed by Torres China.

Open job interviews in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore: Dinex Group seeks managers, chefs, sommeliers

Posted on | October 27, 2009 | No Comments

By Jim Boyce

The Dinex Group, which represents the restaurants of Daniel Boulud in New York, Vancouver, and Beijing (Maison Boulud), among other places, is seeking managers, sommeliers, and head, sous, and pastry chefs. Dinex will hold “open call” interviews over the next week in Asia. The interviews kick off on October 27 and 28 in Singapore, before moving to Hong Kong, Beijing, and, finally, Shanghai. If you are interested in an interview, send your resume to cbilleaud@danielnyc.com.

(Hat tip to Louie)

Californian wine in China: Beijing Wine Classic at Aman in the Summer Palace

Posted on | October 23, 2009 | No Comments

By Jim Boyce

Bo Barrett of Chateau Montelena, Hugh Davies of Schramsberg, and Heidi Peterson Barrett of La Sirena are among the dozen wine makers and winery leaders from California slated to participate in the Beijing Wine Classic 2009 from November 13 to 15 at Aman in the Summer Palace. The weekend will include food and wine pairings, seminars on topics such as California Chardonnay and “quirky reds“, and a “cult Cabernet dinner“.

A two-day pass, covering two lunches and six seminars, is USD500, while a one-day pass is USD300. Room rates at Aman range from USD2800 to USD9688. All prices are subject to a 15 percent service charge.

For full details, see here. To reserve a space, email amanatsummerpalace@amanresorts.com.

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About Grape Wall of China

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


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Writer


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Sommelier, consultant


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Grace Vineyard CEO


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Wine maker


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The Wine Republic co-owner


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Consumer


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Pro-Wine Training & Consultancy owner


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Consumer, blog administrator