Iconic Bordeaux producer DBR Lafite just announced the name of its Shandong-based winery, a decade after the project began. I wrote this piece for Wine Searcher about what Lafite and that winery mean for China. Here are a few points about the name that didn’t make the cut.

Lafite’s China winery is named Long Dai. Yes, it sounds like Long Die.

The name is inspired by Taishan, a sacred peak in Shandong province, home of the winery. And represents “an idealized mountain that rose through the power of nature and was then carefully chiseled by human hands.” High-level stuff.

But the first reaction of a Chinese friend, and wine trade veteran, was of surprise.

She immediately associated Long Dai with Dynasty, the big China wine producer. We have both heard people label wines from Dynasty as “Die Nasty“.

Whether or not that is fair is besides the point. (See here for medals won by Dynasty in contests.) The point is a name can open the door for a joke, especially when the key has been turned by somebody else.

(I’m not sure what would happen if you blended Dynasty and Long Dai. They say that life is “nasty, brutish and short”. In that case, it might end up nasty, Cru-tish and with a short finish?)

Anyway, I have a PR solution. Because I assure you, my friend won’t be the last to make this association.

Long Dai / Lafite is in Qiu Shan Valley and close to the myths of Penglai Mountain—said to be home of The Eight Immortals.

“According to the ancient text [Mountains and Seas], Penglai Mountain was an isle of eternal summer in the Bohai Sea, where wine glasses refilled themselves and magic fruits granted everlasting youth,” states state media China Daily.

Self-refilling wine glasses? How appropriate. Sign me up for that club.

With this intriguing back story, “Long Die” can simply be a terse way of proclaiming “immortality”. Or at least “longevity”. Made possible simply by guzzling Lafite wine.

In short: Long Dai –> Long Die –> Live Long –> Immortal.

No need to pay for this advice, Lafite. A six-pack of Long Dai is enough. I will use it for a special Long ‘Die Hard’ movie night with my friends. We can enjoy action movie antics and live forever — or for at least for a very Long time.

And if there is any wine left, then we’ll switch to Star Trek. And ganbei each time Spock says “Live Long (Dai) and prosper.”

By Jim Boyce | Ten years after it started. Lafite finally named its project in Shandong: Long Dai. The wines are slated to go on sale in September and be delivered in November. I wrote about the name—pronounced as Long Die—here. And a much longer piece for Wine Searcher here.

That longer piece includes quite a bit about how the China market has changed during the past decade. From the early days of generous state-owned enterprise entertainment accounts, which covered top wines, to today’s scene where the austerity campaign is largely in force. From quality local wines being few and far between to there being dozens of operations making worthy wines. From Lafite being the most faked brand to, well, not much has changed except Penfolds has risen to be a challenger for that title. Etc.

In general, it’s not 2009 any more and Long Dai isn’t your uncle’s Lafite.

Anyway, you can find more on that, some of the challenges of making wine in Shandong and some early reviews of the wine here.

By Jim Boyce | Richard Li has joined the boutique wineries Domaine Franco-Chinois and Canaan in Hebei province as president after a 17-year stint with ASC Fine Wines. Li joined ASC in 2002 when it was run by co-founders Don St Pierre Sr and Don St Pierre Jr, and stayed on board after Suntory bought a majority share in 2009. As ASC vice president, his portfolio included brand marketing, supply chain management and open-market fine wines. In a staff announcement, CEO Yoshi Shibuya stated that Li will remain involved with ASC as an adviser to both it and Suntory Group.

Domaine Franco-Chinois (DFC) and Canaan are neighboring projects based just outside of Beijing. They are owned by Cher Wang, prominent in IT business circles, with Tom Hsu overseeing the founding of Canaan in 2006 and acquisition of DFC in 2010. DFC originally began as a joint Chinese-French scientific project in 1999, with China providing land and France providing vines and technology. DFC and Canaan wines are not yet commercially available but have received good reviews from critics and are set to create a splash once released.

An obvious question is who will distribute those wines. No doubt, given Li’s connection, there will be much speculation about ASC. It already works with Shanxi winery Grace Vineyard, which signed in late 2016 after over a dozen years with Torres China, and which is arguably the country’s biggest fine wine success story. Combining Grace’s rounded portfolio, including four sparkling wines and varieties like Aglianico, with the already well-received wines of DFC and Canaan would make for an impressive one-two punch.

More to come on this project soon.

If you spend time in some more mature markets, you realize there is a big trend of people looking for lighter reds, for chilled reds, for something easier to drink. Clairet is a really traditional wine, but when I show it in Australia or the UK, it’s also a hipster wine. – Helene Ponty

By Jim Boyce | Six weeks ago, I talked to a pair of China-based owners of Bordeaux wineries about the state of the market here. Mostly concerns about France’s and Bordeaux’s positions, given their declining share in a market that is hitting road bumps.

Much of Bordeaux’s share remains highly linked to status buying, that is, to gift-giving and entertaining. And the region faces fierce competition for that growing niche of enthusiasts who are curious about and enjoy wine, and are happy to explore. It’s no surprise those with a stake in Bordeaux wonder about how to reinvigorate their region and story.

Enter rose.

“There’s been a huge push by CIVB and other government bodies for all the [Bordeaux] winemakers to make rose because they see how it’s booming and people are talking about it,” says Helene Ponty of family-owned Canon-Fronsac winery Ponty, about which I have written several times.

But Ponty sees the approach as misguided, mostly because Bordeaux isn’t associated with the type of rose that has become so popular. She does, however, see a tempting alternative.

Enter Clairet.

“We have this darker rose, Clairet, and it’s really traditional,” says Ponty, who recently imported her family’s version to China.

By traditional, she means it harks back to when Bordeaux in the Middle Ages was under English control and the wines were much lighter than the inkier reds we find today. (Read more about Clairet and its history here, here and here.)

Now that’s a good story. Even better, it fits a niche.

“Younger crowds are seeking something fresh and easier to drink. They are the kind of people who don’t drink Bordeaux,” she says. In fact, she says they are surprised to learn of the wine’s origins.

“It’s a way for us to reintroduce people to Bordeaux.”

The vivid color of Clairet comes from a longer maceration of the skin with the juice of the grapes, Merlot in Ponty’s case. I recently tried some at Tiens Tiens in Beijing. Plenty of floral and berry aromas, notably strawberry, and a body that is heavier, richer and drier than most roses I’ve tried, but pleasantly fresh and fruity.”

“It’s a good mix of tradition and innovation,” says Ponty. Will it work here in China? She says that is still to be seen.

“In China, it’s a little trickier, and we’re still wondering how to market it here.”

At the very least, she will no doubt have more people talking about Bordeaux.

If you are in China and want to get some, there is a buy two, get one free deal until June 24. Check it out here. There is also a launch party on June 21 with free-flow cocktails, sangria and snacks, plus Ponty’s brother making a Beijing visit to DJ. Buy tickets here.

By Jim Boyce | Italy ranks with France and Spain as the world’s biggest wine exporters but it’s performance in China has been così così (so so) at best. It trails front-runners France and Australia, and has struggled to generate momentum, despite spending plenty of money.

A roadshow that taps into smaller cities hopes to change that story and boost the country’s share of bottled imported wine from 6 percent.

“It’s an important moment for consumers of Italian wine in China,” said Simone Incontro, the Greater China GM for Veronafiere, over lunch this month.

The four-city roadshow isn’t just hitting tried-and-true destinations like Beijing and Guangzhou — Xian and Zhengzhou are both on the map.

“Nationally, Italy has a 6 percent share (of imported wine), but in non-first tier cities it is less,” says Incontro.

He cites evidence of the enthusiasm in smaller cities by noting that 360 people in Xian had already registered to attend as of May 28.

Those guests will be able to try more than 500 wines from 50 exhibitors, including brands from Piedmont, Puglia, Sicily, Tuscany and Veneto.

If this sounds like projects done by Wines of Australia and Wines of Chile, among others, that’s no mistake. Incontro gives them credit for providing a road map.

He also says data helped determine the first stops. One example is the VinItaly website.

“We can see where traffic from China originates, and the top three are Beijing, Zhengzhou and Shanghai.”

As far as trends in China, Incontro says he hopes Lambrusco will be “the next big thing” and that more white wines from Italy gain prominence.

He says that while e-commerce and education are on everyone’s tongue, the situation is a bit more complicated, at least for Italy.

E-commerce is largely tied to big groups like Alibaba, Taobao and jd.com but Incontro says small- and medium-sized importers are crucial players.

“These importers believe in Italian wine, we learn from them, they are the ones bringing in the containers.”

As for wine education, he notes it is widespread, with many countries and regions offering certificates. Italy alone has a slew of programs, from the ONAV (National Organization of Wine Tasters) and AIS (Italian Sommelier Association) to Taste of Italy and VinItaly International.

But he cautions against focusing too much on this.

“Education is important, but Italian wine is complicated. If we give them [consumers] too much, they’re just going to drink more Riesling instead,” he says.

Instead, he says its important to also focus on the experience, to simply give people access to Italian wines in a fun setting.

“People want to meet the winemakers, they want to want to try the wines and touch the bottles, they want to get them signed.”

The roadshow is headed by VinItaly and VeronaFiere, with support from Pacco Communications, Italian Trade Agency and I Love Italian Wines.

See more about the roadshow, including the schedule, RSVP info and a list of exhibitors here.

By Jim Boyce | Wine and technology were paired last Friday at ZPark in Beijing’s Haidian District, home of the city’s high-tech Zhongguancun hub.

Mia Zhang, host of the two-hour session. opened by telling us Haidian is not only a leading technology center but also has the highest income per capita in the city.

Zhang, a consultant for Beijing International Wine & Spirit Exchange, then wondered about the prospects for wine culture to grow among this educated and well-off population, as happened with Silicon Valley, especially given the rising quality of wineries in Beijing and neighboring Hebei province.

The afternoon’s first panel focused on how technology is transforming the wine industry.

Pierre-Marie David of Berryfield noted the use of satellite data for soil analysis, digital sorting tables to maximize grape quality, and tech that helps monitor fruit ripeness.

Laura Mihaela Teodorescu of Shanghai Lanlin Funds picked up on this theme and said such soil analysis helped the wine industry in her home country of Romania decide where to plant incoming grape varieties.

Jelte Ansgar Wingender of Startup Grind said blockchain technology can help guarantee wine authenticity and also discussed some issues surrounding machine learning.

A second panel looked at wine consumers in China.

CHEERS wine shop chain founder Claudia Masueger said three themes of the wine scene were fast growth, a rise in consumer curiosity and the widespread use of technology.

“The end consumer has more choices and more precise ways to buy now,” she said, comparing the scene to a decade past when we saw more fake wine, fewer brand choices, and widespread problems with wine storage.

Mina Yan, founder of Hype Asia Communications said that a decade ago, people were always talking about “educating the locals.”

“We see much less of that now because the middle class knows wine and food,” said Yan. “It’s more about quality now.”

She also said that whether restaurants love it or hate it, people are going to take food photos and post them on social media, so it is best to embrace that reality and think about how to best present products.

Evgeniya Melnichikhina of Cordiniu said one key factor, in a highly competitive market, is simply to get your product into people’s mouths.

“People like products they’ve tried or that are recommended by friends,” she said. “If we can get them to taste it, then there is a chance of building loyalty.”

The session wrapped up with a look at the prospects for Marselan to be “China’s grape”, and help raise the country’s profile, as Malbec did for Argentina and Sauvignon Blanc for New Zealand.

I talked, with translation by Fiona Ruan, about how Marselan got its start in France, made its way to China, spread across the nation, and has been racking up medals and good reviews. Also, unlike with Chinese Cabernet, which brings comparisons to Bordeaux, Marselan is a relatively new and unknown grape, and thus gives Chinese winemakers lots of flexibility to do their own thing.

We then tried four Marselans. The first three had received gold medals from the annual wine contest Concours Mondial:

• Amethyst Classic Marselan 2017 (Hebei)
• Lanxuan Marselan2017 (Ningxia)
• Martin Marselan 2016 (Hebei)

The last one, Domaine Franco Chinois Marselan 2014, came from the first operation to use this grape in China. Before becoming a private entity, it was known as Sino-French Demonstration Vineyard, a joint China-France project in the Huailai area of Hebei province , and is generally known as Zhong Fa.

The session was part of a weekend of events, that includes a food festival, a tasting of CHEERS wines, some high-tech displays, and more. Here are a few photos.

By Jim Boyce | I often hear how it’s hard to connect the amazing wines of [country name] to consumers in China. How do we reach all those young adventurous people out there who might give our wines a try, is a common sentiment .

This holds true for U.S. wines. Yes, the current trade dispute with China has put a damper on sales. But the numbers were far from spectacular the preceding seven years.

Anyway, I attended today’s press conference for The Beijinger magazine’s annual Burger Festival. This two-day festival attracts 14,000-plus paying attendees, who enjoy music and games and feast at 50 booths featuring burgers, craft beer, and more. The GM of The Beijinger said over 90% of attendees are aged 21 to 39, 75% are Chinese citizens and 25% expats, and they spent ~2.6 million rmb at last year’s event.

These survey stats from the last festival stuck out: “55% [said] I changed my opinion of my favorite burger” and “78% of visitors purchased a vendor’s product / service as a result of hearing of them via the festival.”

That sounds like a good chance to reach young adventurous consumers interested in foreign drink and food, and with a reasonable amount of disposable income, all in a fun environment.

There’s more. This year’s event, June 22-23, has a U.S. theme: Route 66.

Also, along with bands, DJs and activities, the main stage will feature a singing contest–this was very popular last time.

When I mentioned U.S. wine to the organizers today, one proposed idea was to find a California wine sponsor and focus that song contest on entries with the state’s name in their titles: California Gurls (Katy Perry & Snoop Dogg), Hotel California (Eagles), California Dreamin’ (The Mamas & The Papas), etc.

Will we see U.S. wines at this event? Who knows. Last year, sibling event The Pizza Festival had an Italian theme. It also had a dearth of wine from that country, despite the woeful numbers for Italian wine in China amid those common queries of how to reach consumers.

If anyone is interested, let me know via beijingboyce (at) yahoo.com). I’ll connect you to the The Beijinger and you can take it from there.

Finally, here are some photos from the most recent Beijinger festival, the Hot & Spicy one, to give an idea of what’s involved: the fun starts around noon each day and continues until after sunset. You can also click here for coverage and photos of the 2017 Burger Festival, which I attended and which was fun.

Pudao Wines is closing its Beijing branch nearly ten years to the day the company launched its first shop in Shanghai.

The store will close June 2 (see details below), which justifies extra drinking for members with credit on their enomatic machine cards. Those with credit after June 2 can redeem it for event fees or wine deliveries.

Beijing’s branch of Pudao opened in 2011 in The Office Park. A mix of wine shop and bar, it has lounge areas, a patio, about 500 different wines, and those enomatic machines with 20 options rotated monthly, giving members the chance to try a sip before splurging on a glass or bottle.

Craig Aldous, CEO of importer and distributor Summergate Fine Wines & Spirits, which owns Pudao, states the store is closing due to the expiration on the lease.

“While for a period we will not have a physical store location in Beijing, we are still fully committed to delivering great wines and service to our members and customers,” he writes, and adds that Jim Yang and Alex Caillard will continue to serve Pudao customers.

“Beyond delivering great sales service, we are also committed to continuing to deliver best-in-class events on a regular basis at various venues around Beijing”, writes Aldous.

Those include a Parker Coonawarra master class by Dale Wyman on June 1, from 3 PM to 5 PM, and a store farewell party on June 2, from noon to 9 PM. Also planned: an All in New Zealand event on June 15, a cigar and drinks event by Jennifer Docherty on June 29 and a Clarendon Hills master class by Alex Bratasiuk on July 5, with times and venues to be announced.

Also: “We will be honouring the Enomatic tasting machine credit registered at the Beijing store, which we will allow to be used for the purchase of wine for delivery, or for tickets to our upcoming tasting and dinner events.” The credits should be used by September 30.

It’s sad news about the closing but it’s good that Pudao fans have ample time to get over for some final glasses. I was there this afternoon and they have some nice Rieslings, among other wines, in the machines and on sale. Here’s hoping we see a new Pudao shop soon!