Comments on: Books: Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book 2008

By: admin

admin — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 15:21:19 +0000

Hi Keith,

Several people have recommended Suntime Manas and I’ve picked up two bottles of the cheap stuff here in Beijing. I’ll hopefully get to them both this weekend!

And yes, cheap is the word.

Cheers, Boyce

By: keith

keith — Wed, 03 Oct 2007 17:03:53 +0000

I’ve recently purchased some Suntime Manas here in China and find this Xinjiang wine some of the best in China, ie, drinkable. It doesn’t taste like cough syrup or grape juice with rice spirits added, as most Chinese wines do.
We drank some Suntime red wine in a port-like bottle, along with Suntime Manas Dry Red Wine (only cost 12 yuan – less than US$2) and Suntime 2002 – around 18 yuan or US$3 a bottle) purchased from the German-owned chain Metro. The first one was a little too sweet, but the others were nicely balanced reds – in a class of their own compared to Grape Wall, Die-Nasty and that other stuff best given away rather than recieved. Damn cheap too, eh?

By: admin

admin — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 11:39:39 +0000

Hi Victor,

Hopefully, I can get a few people to share the cost on another bottle of Bodega Langes, all in the name of research, of course.

Right now, my wish list includes some Huadong Riesling (I haven’t seen it in Bejiing) and some Suntime Manas. Onward ho!

Cheers, Boyce

By: victor

victor — Tue, 28 Aug 2007 03:22:35 +0000

Hi Boyce,

I salute you for wanting to try another bottle of bodega langes. For me chinese wine which are priced more than Rmb300 are not for genuine wine drinker like you and I. They simply have not reached the level to produce a USD85 wine. These wine are meant as a gift to government officers and corporate customers. No point to waste our time.

I still remember two years ago my fren brought an expensive bottle of great wall 92(yes, the forever 92) back to Malaysia and was rated last in a blind tasting with other cheap australian wine like rosemount diamond label, brown brother, yellow tail…etc.