Quotable Bettane | Blends and civilization, MWs as bad tasters & under-wined oak
Veteran French critic Michel Bettane visited Beijing two weeks ago and I joined his Chinese wine tasting. I’m interested in voices such as Bettane’s because …
China’s first million-point wine | Power tasting at DFC & Canaan
Fate has delivered me unto the land of Canaan thrice in two months. This winery, founded in 2006, and its sibling Domaine Franco-Chinois, founded in …
China wine stats | ‘If Penfolds were a country, where would it rank?’
China wine veteran The Cellar Rat posed an intriguing query recently as I wrote up some China wine import stats. “If Penfolds were a country, …
Revive la France! New vigor in fight for China market share
It’s been a Franco-centric month as I looked at French initiatives that provide new vigor in a country where it has lost share. I went …
Ganbei! Trade goes wild for Xi, Macron drinking wine in Shanghai
Trade people are going wild on WeChat over pics of Chinese president Xi Jinping and French president Emmanul Macron enjoying wine at the China International …
Michel Bettane in Beijing | “This is really bad oak. Bad bad oak.”
It’s about to happen! We blind-tasted 10 Chinese wines and French critic Michel Bettane is commenting on each one. Bettane reaches wine seven–it got my …
The first Fete le Vin | Can this festival save Bordeaux in China?
It’s no secret that times are tough for wine in China, with imports falling and local producers struggling. Many in the trade wonder how to …
Vinexpo’s big China move | Does Shanghai need another wine fair?
(It’s been a busy few weeks, with visits to continental China’s first Bordeaux Fete le Vin in Miyun County, plus Vinexpo in Shanghai, the Hilton …
Tight market | Wine imports continue slide in China
This summer brought no breaks for bottled wine imports in China. Stats for January to August from the Alcohol Import & Export Association show year-on-year …
China wine deals | Kerry Wines, Helan Qingxue team up
Distributor Kerry Wines and Ningxia winery Helan Qingxue have inked a deal for continental China for sales to on-trade clients like restaurants and hotels. Helan …