Beijing Boyce

“Green is go, red is stop,” explains Frank Siegel as he hands each participant two poker chips at his most recent blind wine tasting - this one focused on bubbly - on Friday night at Sequoia Cafe in Beijing. The idea: taste all six wines, then use the green chip to vote for the one that puts a sparkle in your eye and the red chip to vote for the one that leaves you flat. After a lengthy session of sipping and savoring and considering, the tasters voted and Frank revealed the totals:

The “go” wine
Redbank (Australia) - 15 green, 1 red

The “stop” wine
Norton (Argentina) - 7 red, 0 green

In the middle
Fleischer (Germany) - 3 green, 7 red
Charles de Fere (France) - 1 green, 2 red
Mionetto (Italy) - 1 green, 2 red
Bouvet Ladubay (France) - 1 green, 2 red

(These wines are all available in Beijing.)

My green chip went to Bouvet Ladubay: it had a toasty and slightly nutty nose, with a nice tingle, though I found it a tad bitter at the end. In second, I had a tie between Redbank (toasty nose and fizzy, peachy and slightly rough mouth) and Charles de Fere (nice mouth feel). My red chip went to Norton, which came off as too sour and unripe. Close behind: the Mionetto, with a piney, almost freezer burn, smell. The Fleischer, much sweeter than the others, landed in the middle with its hint of baked apples. Note: I am not a professional wine taster, just a consumer, and these are my somewhat humble opinions.