Globowines Newswire: Wines from China – An inside story — By Rajiv Seth

[Source] – The Indian Wine Academy
*** Please note. Only 1-2 paragraph excerpts from the different topics Seth covers in his article of China’s domestic wine industry have been posted here. To access the full article click here.

China is associated with a variety of things, from food to martial arts but few in India link it with wine. However, the world’s fifth largest vineyard area and the seventh largest in production, according to OIV, the importance of Chinese Wines is growing, writes Rajiv Seth.

China has a long history of wine production. Chinese literature recounts the introduction of grapes from modern Uzbekistan during the Han dynasty (136 to 121 BC) and their planting in Xi’an, the legendary eastern terminus of the Silk Road near China’s Yellow River.

The Modern Era

The modern wine era in China began with the communist takeover in 1949. State-owned wineries were built and expanded. The term wine traditionally has a different meaning in Chinese culture than in the west. Jiu, which literally means alcohol, was used on all labels until recently, not allowing for the distinction among, alcoholic beverages. Rice-based alcohol is also referred to as wine. Modern Chinese winemakers now make an effort to specify grape wine by labeling with the term butajiu. The term wine is still widely misunderstood in China.

In 1978, Chinese government opened the door for the modernization through international involvement and by emphasizing wine consumption to help curb the national thirst for alcoholic beverages. Indeed, the Communist Party decreed that consumption should change from grain liquor to fruit liquor in 1987. The 1990s saw a decline in state-owned wineries, but an increase in foreign investment, modernization, and western technology.

The Current Scenario

More then 100 wineries have been established since the National People’s Congress in 1966 decreed that Chinese must reduce their consumption of grain alcohol, and switch to wine. Since then, the government has encouraged state-run ‘wine manufacturing plants’ to grow western grape varieties...

The Domestic Wine Industry

China has more than 300 wineries. Most of this development has been in areas near Beijing, in the eastern maritime region of Shandong. The industry is dominated by six large producers who account for about 55% of the total production. The average capacity of Chinese wineries is approximately 2000 tons, with 70% of the producers under 1000 tons. The more predominant wineries include Changyu, Great Wall, Dynasty, and Dragon Seal, all producing over 10,000 tons. Wine production in China in 2005 was 434,000 tons, an increase of 14% from 2004.

Standards and Appellations

Some wineries still use flavor essence, ethyl alcohol, sweetening, agents, and water to produce wines. There have been attempts to establish standards like an AOC type appellation system. New standards and types are evolving, including premium wine and ice wine which is produced in the extremely cold Xinjiang region and is available in abundance in stores in most big cities. Regulations are being put into effect to control raw materials, regional identity, variety, and vintage…

Vines and Viticulture

China has 26 indigenous vine species and hundreds of grape varieties. These are used to produce mainly low-end wines. Widespread introductions from Russia, including Muscat along with Italian Riesling, make acceptable, if not noteworthy products. Among the most common are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and the mysterious Cabernet Gernischt.

Shandong Province is roughly at the same latitude as California. Cool Pacific breezes moderate the temperature, which ranges from about 3°C in winter to 26°C during the summer. Monsoons come from the South China Sea, although spring is usually dry, and summers and autumns wet…

Winemaking Process

Virtually every winemaker harvests grapes based on sugar; measures of TA, pH. Aroma evaluation are not of common concern. Fermentation is conducted in modern stainless steel, concrete, French 200-L barrels, or in some cases very old wooden (oak) fermentors, with or without temperature control. Red wine cap management is not a large concern and consists almost entirely of pumping over. Practices such as cold soak, bleeding, and delestage are not practices and none of the producers is involved in the process maceration…

Dry Wines and food pairing

Dry wines have over taken sweet and semi-sweet wine production in the past 12 years. Sales of still red wines represent about 70 percent of the total. This seemed odd, since Chinese food does not go well with red wines. However, food and wine pairing, is not part of Chinese culture.

Marketing a dream or nightmare

China can be considered both a western wine marketer’s dream and nightmare. Wine consumption is rising faster than domestic production, currently allowing imports to make up the balance. Beginning January 1, 2001, Chinese tariffs on wine have fallen from 44.5% to 14%. This dramatic reform was brought on as part of China’s accession to the WTO, and has substantially changed the domestic wine market. Given the traditionally low incomes, the majority of wines must be sold at low prices- a problem in light of the fact that taxes account for about 50% of the retail price of imported wine. Domestic wine can sell for about 20 RMB/L ($4), with the very expensive ones at about $20.

About the author — Rajiv Seth became the first Indian in the year 1987 to receive a gold medal from wine and sprint education trust, London. Presently he is making continues efforts in educating the lab assistants of a number of wineries on procedures of micro vinification through his manuals.

[Source] – The Indian Wine Academy

High on wine: Forget a wine cellar,

China’s Yunnan province has a wine tower

by Maggie Rauch

The city of Kunming, capital of Yunnan (South of the Clouds) province, sits at 1,900 meters (about 6,200 feet). One day that might mean interesting things for wine making, but right now it just means that the city is home to China’s national high-altitude training center for Olympic athletes. That base, bizarrely enough, is also home to one of the coolest hidden places to buy and consume wine in China.

The Haigeng National Training Base is about a 20-minute drive from the city center, a stone’s throw from Dianchi Lake, China’s sixth largest inland body of water, on the side opposite Kunming’s Western Hills.

Until a few months ago, the first sign you could see of Haigeng from the road was a drab cement water tower that looked like the kind of place where one might brew performance-enhancing cocktails for weightlifters and swimmers.

Since being taken over by an American businessman who built a miniature golf course on the site, the water tower has been painted a much more playful bright yellow and transformed into one of the coolest places in China to uncork a bottle of wine. The tower is the centerpiece of the new Hello! Haigeng Mini Golf Park, which has a big restaurant on the first floor and a tiki bar on the second floor patio.

You enter the wine cellar–which I guess is technically a wine tower–with the permission of the proprietor, from a door next to the tiki bar’s VIP cabanas. Inside, brick walls, hardwood flooring and soft lighting give the place a cool and surprisingly rustic vibe.

Sit on one of the cushioned benches and order a Syrah, and you might forget that you’re above one of China’s first mini golf parks, in the place where its top divers and soccer players train, inside a bright yellow water tower. Now sip your Syrah, remember where you are, and think about how surreal it is.

Click here to read Maggie’s entire article at the Grape Wall of China

[Source] — Grape Wall of China

Uncorked: Here’s to the tango and Argentine wine
By Pat Kettles, Wine Columnist at The Anniston Star

The first vestige of winemaking was brought to Argentina by Spanish conquistadors and missionaries who made their way from Mexico to the area in the latter part of the 16th and early 17th centuries. They brought native grape cuttings from their Spanish homeland including varieties not well known today like criolla, still grown in Argentina today, and the common mission grape currently grown in limited quantities in California.

New waves of European settlers came to Argentina in the early 1800s, bringing vine cuttings from Spain, Italy, and France. Among these cuttings was some malbec that now forms the backbone of the Argentine wine industry. Remarkably, these cuttings originated before the dreaded root loose, phylloxera, afflicted European vines. Most Argentine malbec is planted on original rootstock rather than grafted to disease resistant stock like most vines in other wine producing countries.

Malbec is one of five varietals allowed in the department of Bordeaux in France. It was virtually wiped out in this area by a killer frost in 1956, and it was not widely replanted. Some malbec is grown in California, but American varietal bottlings are rare. It is in Argentina this variety thrives.

Argentina produces and drinks a lot of wine. No wonder tango is the national dance. Argentina is the fifth largest wine producer in the world behind France, Italy, Spain and the United States.

Mendoza, Argentina

Only fairly recently have Argentine wines been significantly exported because the native populace drank most of the domestic wine produced. Tango apparently requires a lot of wine. As long as the populace was willing to drink copious amounts of poor quality wine, there was no need to contemplate exportation.

When years of political instability ended, the Argentine wine industry had been left behind. The industry set out to modernize like Chile, the neighbor to the west, who was exporting significantly improved quality wines primarily to the United States. Like Chile, Argentina’s producers adapted winemaking methods modernizing and producing wines in the New World style with the aid of advisors and investors from America and France.

The modernized industry started to focus on malbec. Malbec seems especially suited to the terroir. Although prone to disease in other areas, it’s not as susceptible to mildew and rot in Argentina perhaps because it is grown on some of the highest altitude vineyards in the world.

These high altitude vineyards exist in dessert-like conditions with long uninterrupted, dry sunny days. Irrigation is a necessity. In the past winegrowers allowed vineyards to flood. Today better producers use the Andes snowmelt ancient irrigation system more judiciously. They know to produce grapes of great flavor and intensity, yields must be kept low and vines must struggle.

New winemaking practices produce an entirely different malbec than that produced in Bordeaux and in Cahors in southwest of France. Some say malbec is like a weaker version of merlot. The ones I have tasted lately are not tame. They are generally big, easy drinking wines of firm structure.

Aside from drinking wine and dancing the tango, Argentineans eat copious amounts of meat, especially beef. They are known for their open-air spit barbeques called asados where steak, beef ribs, pork sausage and even chitterlings are grilled. Malbec is the perfect wine for the asado and for our traditional charcoal grilled steaks and summer barbeques. It is attractive in today’s economy because good malbec can be had at a reasonable price.

…

Click here to access Pat Kettle’s full article from The Anniston Star

Luxury Travel Magazine — Beijing Newswire

Aman at Summer Palace, Beijing hosts an unprecedented weekend of food, wine and culture at the inaugural 2009 Beijing Wine Classic.

The Classic is an annual event which will focus on different wine regions around the globe. This year’s showcase features California’s most notable producers in a three-day festival marked by extensive panel discussions hosted by winemakers, tastings, dinners and a silent auction.

Guests can choose from a menu of ticket offerings ranging from a three-night stay at the resort and full festival participation to day passes for attendance at specific events. This is an extraordinary opportunity to meet and mingle with renowned winemakers while enjoying the luxurious setting of Aman’s resort located on the fringes of Beijing’s iconic Summer Palace.

The Classic begins on Friday, 13 November with a welcome reception followed by a Gala Opening Ceremony and Dinner featuring many of California’s finest sparkling and still wines. The evening is capped by a whisky tasting and cigars in the Bar.

The following day, guests may participate in an early morning tai chi class followed by a breakfast buffet. The first lecture covers “Anything but Chardonnay” and will explore the other white grape varietals grown in California. A dim sum lunch with distinctive wine pairings will be followed by an afternoon of lectures including “California Chardonnay – Napa vs. Sonoma,” “Pinot Extravaganza – Napa vs. Sonoma” and “Imperial Culture Workshop (served with “afternoon wines”).”

Late afternoon leaves ample room for a relaxing spa treatment in the resort’s extensive spa and recreational facilities. Dinner this evening will highlight Kobe beef and cult Cabernets. Day Three features an early tai chi class, followed by breakfast and two lectures on “Quirky Reds & Whites” and “Charbay Vodka & Whisky Cocktails.” An early afternoon brunch precedes a live auction and closing ceremony.

Tastings during each of the seminars include single vineyard and regional offerings as well as varietal comparisons and are hosted by the winemakers themselves in casual, interactive panel-style discussions.

Participating wineries include Harlan Estate, Bond Estates, Chateau Montelena, Staglin Family Vineyard, Flowers Vineyard & Winery, Honig Vineyard & Winery, Calera Wine Company, Fisher Vineyards, Howell Mountain Vineyards, Gargiulo Vineyards, Claudia Springs Winery, Schramsberg, Peay Vineyards, Lail Vineyards, Patz & Hall and Rudd Winery and Vineyards along with Charbay spirits.

Reservations may be made by phone at (86) 10-5987-9999 extension 7601/7606 or by email to Cecilia Leong, Reservation Manager at cleong@amanresorts.com. For specific event inquires please contact wine@amanresorts.com. Several participation opportunities exist to suit the interest of wine connoisseurs and explorers alike.

The Imperial tier begins at $2,800 for single occupancy and $3,600 for double occupancy and includes two nights accommodation, attendance at six seminars, all breakfasts, lunches and dinners, a spa voucher and salon treatment, Pilates consultation, transfers to and from the resort to the airport, and access to all Aman at Summer Palace facilities. The Royal tier is $1,200 and includes attendance to six seminars, the dim sum and wine pairing lunch, brunch and silent auction, cult Cabernet dinner, one salon service and spa treatment, a Pilates consultation and access to all Aman facilities.

The Palace pass is a two-day pass for $500 which includes six seminars, lunches on both festival days, and access to all Aman facilities. The Aman pass at $300 includes access to two seminars, one lunch and all Aman facilities. Tickets to the Gala Dinner may also be purchased separately for $500 each.

The 2009 Beijing Wine Classic is the first event of its kind under the umbrella of Amanresorts’ new wine and spirits programme launched just last year. The programme sees Aman partnering with handpicked family and boutique producers from every corner of the globe to make available some of the world’s most coveted wines and spirits at select Amanresorts properties worldwide. Exclusively for Amanresorts, a select group of producers have developed reserves and single-vineyard bottlings of their finest vintages. Others producers in the programme have made their previously ‘off-limits’ caves, private reserves and personal library selections available to Amanresorts.

Aman at Summer Palace, Beijing is housed in a series of pavilions, some of which are over one hundred years old. This tranquil retreat adjacent to the East Gate of the Summer Palace is an ideal base from which to discover the multi-faceted city of Beijing.

The resort offers a variety of accommodation which pays homage to traditional Chinese architecture and celebrates the courtyard style of Imperial China. Guests can enjoy an expansive Spa and recreational facility which include a state-of-the-art gym, a dedicated Pilates and yoga studio, an on-site juice bar serving freshly-squeezed juices and smoothies, two squash courts and a 25-metre indoor lap pool graced by a wide deck with reclining daybeds. The Aman Spa features nine self-contained double treatment rooms offering a variety of wellness and beauty treatments and a hair studio by celebrated stylist Kim Robinson. Other facilities include three restaurants serving Chinese, French kaiseki and Western cuisine, a lounge for relaxation and wine tastings, a bar, library, 37-seat cinema and boutique.

Source: [http://www.luxurytravelmagazine.com/news-articles/beijing-wine-classic-to-be-hosted-at-aman-summer-palace-13604.php]