A stranger contacted me six years ago about the wines he makes in Beijing’s traditional alleyways–the hutongs–near The Forbidden City. I was at first intrigued about this tiny operation and then surprised by the wines found there.
In fact, the man in question, Zhang Bingzhai, has made wine for nearly 30 years, longer than veteran producers like Grace Vineyard and Domaine Franco Chinois have existed.
On top of that, some of his recent wines, bottled under the label Wandering Falcon / Wanderfalke, have earned the 90-point scores so eagerly sought by commercial producers. And he aims to keep exploring grapes from regions throughout China.
“The diversity of terroir provides extra joy for a free-spirited winemaker like me,” he says. “Exploring different terroirs is somewhat akin to the journey of finding true love.”
In the Q&8 below, Zhang discusses how he came to make wine in 1996; where he gets grapes, barrels and other equipment; his scores from a professional critic, including for his delectable Marselan; his quirky sparkling Chardonnay with ginseng and oyster shells; and a local club with his fellow home winemakers — frankly, we need a thousand more of these guys to boost the scene from the ground up.
Q1
Grape Wall: How did you first get interested in wine and how were your first efforts?
Zhang Bingzhai: I began making wine mainly out of my love for it. From 1990 to 1995, I worked at the Food and Fermentation Research Institute, under the Ministry of Light Industry. While my work didn’t involve wine, I had the opportunity to taste some domestic wines.
One of those, a traditional sparkling wine from Huailai County in Hebei Province [just outside Beijing], deeply impressed me, and from then on, I became fond of wine.
At that time, my salary was low and wine was expensive, so I had the idea of making my own.
I later left the research institute and worked at a factory that produced specialized biological fertilizers for grapes and sold in areas like Changli and Huailai in Hebei Province as well as the Fangshan and Daxing districts in Beijing. I acquired some grapes through bartering, and thus began my winemaking journey.
The first vintage was in 1996, using grapes from Caiyu Town in Daxing District, south of Beijing. I made about 10 liters of semi-dry Semillon, fermented in a carboy, and about 250 liters of dry Cabernet Sauvignon, fermented in stainless steel. Both used Angel yeast and neither was subject to malolactic fermentation, filtering, fining or oak aging.
The wine was fruity and pure and sour, with extremely high acidity! This related to the yield per mu [1/15 hectare], which was typically one to two thousand kilograms at that time!
Q2
Your wine brand is called Wandering Falcon / Wanderfalke. What is the significance of that name？
“Wandering Falcon” literally refers to a peregrine falcon that roams the sky. Its symbolic meaning is independence, the courage to explore and fearlessness in the face of challenges.
I grew up in a remote village in Laizhou, Shandong Province, surrounded by mountains. Although it was a poor area, the ecological environment was good, and I often saw falcons soaring in the sky.
Now, I occasionally see peregrine falcons in the suburbs of Beijing. I believe that as an independent winemaker, one should embody the qualities of the peregrine falcon: being independent, daring to explore different terroirs, and striving to create unique wines.
Therefore, I chose “Wandering Falcon” as the brand for my wine and use it as a source of encouragement.
Q3
You have sourced grapes and juice from all over China. What regions and varieties are your main focus?
Over the years, I have experimented with wine grapes from various regions, including Yantai, Beijing, Huailai, Changli and Ningxia. Some are grown by wineries, while others are cultivated by individual farmers. In recent years, I have primarily used grapes from the Huailai region.
For my icewine, I have always used Vidal grape juice sourced from Huanren [in Liaoning Province] and Ji’an [in Jilin province], but I may also try grapes from Weixi in Yunnan Province in the future.
This August, my friends and I visited vineyards in the Meili Snow Mountain region of Yunnan, including the Hachong, Mingyong and Bu villages, Liutang River, Chaliting Village, Meili Mountain, Cizhong, and Cigu, among others. The Meili Snow Mountain region has a variety of unique microclimates and I plan to experiment with grapes from there.
The diversity of terroir provides extra joy for a free-spirited winemaker like me. Exploring different terroirs is somewhat akin to the journey of finding true love.
Q4
In 2022, wine critic Shuai Zekun from jamessuckling.com visited your winery and awarded several wines 90 points and up. What was your reaction to those evaluations?
To be honest, as an amateur winemaker, I was honored to receive such high scores from the wine critic Shuai Zekun. I still vividly remember that moment in 2022. Although I have confidence in the quality of my wines, I was indeed surprised, as I never expected them to exceed 90 points.
Additionally, I have great admiration for his tasting ability. At that time, one of my blends included Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and a very small amount of Marselan. He was able to identify them all in a blind tasting!
Q5
You have acquired plenty of equipment over the years, from a small grape press to a bunch of barrels. What are your three most noteworthy acquisitions?
Over the years, I have indeed purchased a lot of equipment, some domestically made and some imported. Some equipment was brought back by friends from abroad, as certain items were unavailable in the domestic market at the time.
For example, my first small plate and frame filter was brought back by a friend from the United States. My first destemmer and crusher was made by a friend in Beijing in 2010. I bought my first corker in 1996 in Yantai; it was a replica of an Italian corker.
The first grape press I acquired was a domestic manually operated screw press, which was labor-intensive and inefficient. The first oak barrel I purchased was a traditional Bordeaux barrel from France, and later I also bought square oak barrels and HDPE [polyethylene] barrels specifically for winemaking.
Some of the equipment I manufactured myself, such as a filling machine and a device for measuring the internal pressure of sparkling wine bottles.
I have certainly taken many detours in acquiring equipment. In retrospect, the three most worthwhile purchases have been an Italian electric destemmer and crusher, a German bladder press and a Swiss manual corker. Although they were relatively expensive, they are high quality, efficient and reliable.
Q6
Along with dry red wine and icewine, you made a sparkling Chardonnay with ginseng and oyster shells. Tell us about this quirky wine.
Ginseng and oyster shells are traditional Chinese medicinal ingredients, said to be beneficial for health. Why not combine them with wine?
Also, my intuition told me that ginseng and oyster shells might add other flavors to the wine, such as earthy notes and a mineral quality. It seemed like a quirky and interesting combination.
With this idea in mind, I decided to give it a try. During the fermentation stage, I added a small amount of both. The results were quite noticeable: ginseng added a bitterness to the wine, which later mellowed into a rich finish with warm, earthy aftertastes. The oyster shells imparted a hint of minerality. This unique flavor, combined with the sparkling aspect, is something you won’t find in typical sparkling wines.
Of course, some people like it while others don’t, especially those who dislike bitterness and might find it off-putting.
Q7
You are part of a larger community of home winemakers. What is the history of this group, how many members are there and what activities are involved?
The group you mentioned is called the Beijing 815 Wine Commune, established in 2009. It is a loose organization of wine enthusiasts who make their own wine in Beijing, currently with over a dozen members.
The commune organizes one or two wine tasting events each year, where members share their winemaking experiences. In previous years, they also organized field trips to various vineyards and wineries.
Many years ago, they held two nationwide amateur winemaking competitions. Some members have extensive winemaking experience, with one even serving as the chief winemaker at a winery in Ningxia, winning multiple gold and grand gold medals at competitions including Concours Mondial and the Berliner Wine Trophy.
Q8
In 2023 and 2024, your wine was part of our World Marselan Day festivals in Beijing. How did consumers react to your Marselan?
For the 2023 World Marselan Day Festival, I brought a 2021 Marselan; for the 2024 World Marselan Day Festival, I brought both 2021 and 2022 vintages.
Both are dry red wines made using Marselan sourced from the same vineyard in the Huailai region, with vines aged over 15 years. Both have been aged in French oak barrels.
The difference is that the 2021 vintage was aged in new oak barrels for 16 months, while the 2022 vintage was aged in used oak barrels with added oak staves for 12 months.
Tasters generally responded positively to both wines, noting their deep color, full body, richness and high concentration, making them stand out. The common questions were about the origin of the grapes, why the wine is so rich, and whether there are any special winemaking techniques involved.
I understand that heavy wines are not the current trend, but I make wine for myself and a niche audience, so there’s no need to cater to the mass market. For this reason, I used some special techniques during the winemaking process.
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