During the Golden Week holidays, I organized a tasting focused on Chinese wines priced below RMB100 / US$14, a key price point in China. The 15 wines hailed from the producers Grace Vineyard, Mulando, Petit Mont and Xiao Man.

I’ve been doing such tastings for nearly 20 years–see here and here–and it was a good chance to check out what’s available at lower price points given many people complain that local wines are too expensive.

I tasted with Shuai Zekun, senior editor for James Suckling, and Zhang Bingzhai, who has made wine in his Beijing home for almost 30 years.

I’m going to do a longer post soon but want to share a few observations:

— Our top red was a simple but good unoaked entry-level red from Grace Vineyard—the same result as some of my first wine tastings almost two decades ago. Such consistency is rare in China.

— Also impressive: a sweet sparkling Muscat rose by Xiao Man. This one was fragrant, easy-drinking and a safe distance from being cloying, with a trade price of just under US$5.

— It is notable that many of the wines had a level of noticeable sweetness in contrast to the dry wine that tends to dominate “best of” lists and contest medal award winners.

Price is a pressing topic for Chinese wines. Some believe that low-production high-quality prices, such as top-end Chardonnays from Yunnan, are well worth US$150 or more. Others look at the surplus of wines / wineries today, especially in Ningxia, and believe lower prices are necessary. I have an article on this topic coming out very soon and will update when it comes out.

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