Charl Coetzee of Babylonstoren with one of winery’s cookbooks and a bottle produced to mark South Africa-China diplomatic relations.

By Jim Boyce

Dating to the seventeenth century as a farm, Babylonstoren — translation: Tower of Babylon — has recently emerged as a wine producer. This 400-hectare operation also grows a wide range of fruits and vegetables, including citrus and olives, and includes two restaurants, a bakery, a greenhouse and a produce store. I talked to wine maker Charl Coetzee ahead of a recent tasting at Pinotage restaurant and bar in Beijing.

On interest in the China market:

Babylonstoren has a long history but has just recently focused on wines. We started to produce a small quantity and to sell locally but the wines did quite will so we decided to export some of them. Our owner has good business ties in China and so we decided to do it here. Also, if you look at the wine market globally, China is attractive. That’s part of the reason for the decision, along with our owner’s love for China.

On market strategy:

In the beginning, there will be a big focus on Beijing. We also don’t want to go the traditional distributor route. We are busy setting up our own business, applying for our importer license. We will send wine from our own warehouses to customers, create our own distribution channels. We will sell in some restaurants but a major focus will be on-line retail and group buying.

On the use of Chinese by the winery:

If you come to Babylonstoren, you will see all of the signs on the farm written in English, Afrikaans and Chinese. This matches with our name, which refers to the Tower of Babel in The Bible. We are one of the few wineries in South Africa to do our signs in Chinese.

Our [Chinese-language] website was launched two years ago because we knew we were going to focus on the Chinese market. Everything big we do is in Mandarin. Our Babel restaurant cookbook will also be translated.

On facilities for visitors:

We definitely have an interest in tourists. We have a five-star farm hotel and spa. It’s a very popular property and was on Conde Nast Traveler’s Hot List 2011. We have had some Chinese delegates visit [usually connected to the owner’s business links].

On overall promotion of South African wine in China:

It is a matter of being persistent. WoSA [Wines of South Africa] is doing a lot all over the world. We were at the Yantai wine show [before Beijing] and tonight we have this dinner in Beijing.

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By Jim Boyce

Andrew Caillard, best known as one of Australia’s first Masters of Wine and publisher of Langton’s Classification of Australian Wine, is also associate producer of the China wine documentary Red Obsession. As the documentary made its red carpet premier in Caillard’s home base of Australia this week, he was fulfilling a commitment to explore vineyards in China’s northwest region of Xinjiang and took time for a short Q&A.

How would you describe ‘Red Obsession’ in a few sentences?

‘Red Obsession’ is almost like a thriller about China and the passion for wine. It’s a tale of the rise of the middle class in China and its voracious appetite for luxury goods as seen through the prism of Grand Cru Class Bordeaux.

What’s the plot?

It’s a film in three acts. The first follows the 2010 en primeur campaign and the escalation in price of First Growth Bordeaux, especially Chateau Lafite. It also tells the story of the aspirations of the Chinese wine industry and of the new regions opening up in Ningxia, Xinjiang and Shandong. The final act is the extraordinary change in market sentiment [for Grand Cru] and the aftermath of the massive hangover from the damped down enthusiasm of the China market.

Who’s the most intriguing character?

Peter Tseng, a maker of sex toys in Shenzhen. I actually know him. He’s a big wine collector. He’s also the biggest manufacturer of sex toys in the world.

On the French side, Christian Moueix, because he speaks about wine in such a philosophical and beautiful way. He gives you a sense of what fine wine is all about without sounding like a wanker.

Also, Fongyee Walker, who is half-Chinese and half-English, and serves as a bridge between Chinese and Western ideas. She uses examples from her family to explain the difference between China and the west.

Where has it been and where will it be shown?

It premiered at Berlin in February. Then it had a screening at Tribeca, where Robert Di Niro called it one of his two favorite films. It’s been at several other film festivals around the world , including Seattle, Sydney, Melbourne, Helsinki, Moscow, Athens, Pusan and Warsaw.

Australia gets its theatrical release on August 15, it will be released in the United States in September and Scandinavia in October, and further releases will depend on success in Australia and the U.S. It’s very unusual for a documentary in Australia to get a theatrical release and the signs are already good.

Note: Red Obsession is directed by David Roach, produced by Warwick Ross, who is an owner of winery Portsea Estate, and narrated by Russell Crowe. You can see the official website and trailer here.

Andrew Caillard in Xinjiang, perhaps creating a storyboard for a new movie?