Beijing Boyce

For each of the 88 days until the 2008 Olympics, I will strip-mine my brain to unearth a thought related to Beijing and The Games. That’s one thought per brain cell. It’s called teamwork, people!

A few good men

One joy of living in Beijing is listening to foreign women spend hour after hour talking about the always cheery topic: “There are no good men in this city.” This topic is especially delightful when you, as a man, are out with one of them, a woman, on a date. And when during that date, you must avoid direct eye contact with any local woman, including members of the wait staff, to prevent your dining companion from accusing you of having a “fever” for the lasses of China. Really, it’s more fun than it sounds, almost as enjoyable as eyeball acupuncture or reading a year’s worth of “Hard Candy” columns in that’s Beijing.

Frankly, I have heard rumors that there are many good men in this city, but that they have special radar that allows them to avoid women who constantly generalize about an entire gender.

However, ladies, good news is just two months around the corner. With the Olympics, thousands of males will flow into the city, the vast majority of them completely radar-less. It’ll kind of be like that “raining men” song. And that’s good. Well, Unless these guys are too short or too fat or too old or too lazy or whatever…

Previously
Thought 1: If they build it, we may come
Thought 2: “Whether or not” in Sanlitun
Thought 3: Living the lowlife on Lotus Lane
Thought 4: The F&B scene takes a pre-Olympics breather?
Thought 5: Flaming Fuwa
Thought 6: Continental drink
Thought 7: The Parallel Bars?
Thought 8: No kangaroos, and other guidelines

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Due to the Friday night wine tastings organized by Frank Siegel in the Sanliltun outlet of Sequoia Cafe, I’ve tried wines from North America (Canada, US), South American (Chile, Argentina), Asia (China, Japan), Africa (Morocco, South Africa), Europe (plenty of countries, including Slovenia – twice!), and Australia and New Zealand. I’ve tried white, red, rose, sparkling and sweet wines, dozens of varietals and blends, and participated in blind tastings of everything from Chinese wines to Argentinian Malbec. Most of all, I’ve come to know many Friday night “regulars“, whether they are wine professionals or simply fans of the grape.

So, it is unhappy news the Sanlitun Sequoia closed last weekend.

On the other hand, it is happy news the tastings will continue at Sequoia’s Guanghua Lu outlet (near Ritan Park). In fact, it might draw more people, given the 6:30 PM start and the proximity of many embassies, media outlets, and businesses. In any case, a raised glass to Sanlitun Sequoia, which has served the wine community well for the past 18 months.

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This post first appeared on sibling blog Grape Wall of China, but since Robert Parker is the world’s most influential wine critic and he was making his first visit to our fair city, I thought it prudent to also post it here. Beware: as they say in the wine industry, it’s got a loooooong finish.

I joined forty people on the Great Wall of China on May 24 for dinner with the world’s most influential wine critic – Robert Parker. He is best known for giving wine scores out of 100 points, scores that have been praised and pilloried by critics and consumers and used selectively by marketers and salespeople. In honor of him, I will similarly grade the dinner, with up to 20 points in five categories – The Venue, The Wine, The Food, The Parker, and The Details. Unlike him, I consider price when giving my score.

Before I start, let me first mention the four questions peopled have tended to ask me about the Parker dinner.

1. Did you really pay RMB16000 (USD2300) to attend? No.

2. Did you go for free? No.

3. How much did you pay?

Here’s the deal: On May 24, I found myself at China World Hotel in central Beijing at 4 PM, resting between a full day of the inaugural International Congress on Chinese Cuisine & Wine and an eagerly anticipated vertical tasting of Penfolds Grange. Suddenly, after weeks of mulling over the Parker event, I decided: “If I don’t go tonight, I’ll always regret it.”

I called ASC, which organized the dinner, and discovered they had a spot left. I shifted into Silk Market bargaining mode. My position: ASC faced zero revenue from that empty seat, I had minimal funds in my (near) empty wallet, and by signing up late I would miss some benefits – the Champagne reception with Parker, the personalized Riedel glassware given to each guest, etc. Thus, a discount seemed fair.

Several phone calls and 20 minutes later we agreed on the somewhat blogger-friendly fee of RMB10000 (USD1430). This was still ten times more money than I’ve ever spent on a wine event (see here for my rules on paying for events).

I asked China World Hotel’s Danny Kane to lend me a bow tie as I recently lost mine. Then I raced through the eight vintages of Penfolds Grange, raced home to dress, and raced 75 minutes by taxi to the Badaling section of The Wall. I was the last to arrive to dinner, but I will likely write the most about it.

That leads me to the last question:

4. How was it? Here is the answer.

The Venue

Let me repeat – but this time seriously – from an earlier post:

Watchtowers lit in gold, walkways lit in silver – the Great Wall shone like an ornate necklace draped over a mountain of wrinkled black velvet. Long-silenced iron cannons pointed at the ghosts of invading hordes, white flags cracked in the cool stiff breeze. The moon hung low, orange as a ripe gourd.

Rare are opportunities to dine on one of the great wonders of the world, especially one as gorgeously decorated as was this. Even rarer is to drink in this view and drink in excellent wines with the most important critic, on his first visit to Beijing.

The timing also held significance, at least for me. This section of The Great Wall sits on the edge of Beijing, a city about to have its “coming out party” by hosting the The Olympics, in China, a country that is increasingly powerful on the global scene, including in the wine trade.

Considering this, and that we enjoyed a crisp and relatively starry night, it would be harder to find a better or more timely venue.

Nitpickers might say Badaling is a rebuilt part of the wall, that it is near a highway (though this is unseen from the tables and, for me, has a certain charm in contrasting the past and present), and so on. But nitpicking is all it is. Simply put, the venue was inspiring.

(As a bonus, the outdoor setting meant ASC founder Don St. Pierre Sr could smoke his Marlboros wherever the hell he wanted to.)

I say, is that the Great Wall? (All photos: ASC)

Score: 20/20

The Wine

As I practiced Mandarin with the taxi driver on my 75-minute ride (cost: RMB205), other patrons enjoyed Champagne at the reception. Such is life. I did, however, try the other seven wines, and had second pours of most. Here they are, with Parker’s scores in brackets:

Louis-Jadot Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru 2002 (94)
E. Guigal Cote-Rotie La Turque 1999 (100)
Chateau Haut-Brion 1989, 1st Grand Cru Classe (100)
Torbreck Runrig 2003 (99)
Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 (100)
Kracher Chardonnay No. 7 1999 (96)
Taylor’s Port 2003 (98)

This lineup gets marks for range (three continents), diversity (red, white, and dessert) and Parker palate loyalty (from the tarry Cote-Rotie to the heavy fruit Shafer to the syrupy Kracher, they are “big”). I had imagined drinking something older than me, imagined a dusty bottle – perhaps from 1949 – being produced at the last moment (in place of, say, the 2003 Port). Alack and alas, I now imagine monies for such wine were spent on renting The Wall.

My favorite wine: the Louis Jadot (lovely fruit), though all of the reds were excellent.

My least favorite wine: the Kracher (too viscous).

My favorite wine critic: The heavy industry manager who, upon hearing Parker describe the Haut-Brion as arguably the past century’s best wine, said the 1989 vintage less perfectly expresses the terroir than does the 1997. She also questioned whether Parker had properly evaluated the “violet” nature of one wine. Someone give this woman a blog!

No shortage of wine or of glassware.

Score: 17.5/20

The Food

Headed by Chef Brian McKenna, the staff of the Blu Lobster (Shangri-la Hotel) restaurant worked in a makeshift kitchen to provide a seven-course dinner.

I found the “crispy roasted suckling pig” a bit fatty (second course) and the “rabbit saddle, legs and kidneys” a bit dry (third course), though the “end-of-season lamb prepared two ways” was nice (main course) – all of them worked OK with the wine from what I recall in my notes and memory.

My favorite match: the “lightly spiced lobster risotto ‘sausage’ with avocado, tempura and lemongrass” (the starter). This dish had a lot going on – cold and hot items, spicy and mild ones, etc – but paired well with the fruit and acidity of the Louis Jadot. My second favorite: the ‘veal sirloin ‘treated like roast beef’” (third course), which came with a creamy sauce and Shitake mushrooms, that I enjoyed with the fruity Torbreck.

My least favorites: the dessert and cheese dishes. The “slow-roasted pineapple and ginger lasagna“, with what I take was coconut foam bubbling from a shot glass, overpowered the Kracher like – obligatory historical reference – hordes breaching The Great Wall. I found the same with the “Fourme d’Ambert blue cheese” and the Port – more hordes, more attacked wine.

One could give kudos to the kitchen for pushing the envelope. Then again, the envelope had already taken a mighty shove – Robert Parker, The Wall – and given the presence of the world’s leading critic the food should have been at most an equal, but definitely not major, partner with the wine. (As evidence, the wine received more prominence on the menu). Frankly, if you are going to take risks on the food side, this would have been the ultimate opportunity to pair Chinese cuisine with foreign grape wines.

Credit goes to the staff for operating under challenging conditions – the kitchen sat some distance from the diners, the dinner was lengthy, the night was cool – and for providing polite and professional service.

Score: 16/20

The Parker

I spent RMB1000 (USD143) about a month ago to attend an ASC dinner organized for five winery owners from Bordeaux. One owner sat at each of the five tables of guests and, as a new course arrived, they rotated to a new table so that by night’s end we had met them all. Good times all around.

I didn’t feel the same love at the Parker dinner (though I admittedly might have missed group hugs at the reception). Parker pretty much parked at the head table for four hours, which was good… if you were sitting there. Like 80 percent of the attendees, I was at one of the other four tables. I can’t help but think that had Parker spent a course at each table, we would have been happier and he would have learned a great deal about the China wine market.

In any case, Parker spoke several times during dinner. He acknowledged the tragedy of the Sichuan earthquake and stressed the importance of living life to the fullest.

He said the dinner would “be the most historical food and wine event ever done” and “most of the wines for me are the very finest wine could be.” He rose several times during dinner to give his impressions of the wines.

He also endured meeting me twice. First, Adam Steinberg, director of communications for ASC, introduced me when I arrived. I exchanged a handshake and at most 30 seconds of small talk with Parker.

Two hours later, as I chatted with St. Pierre on a smoke break, he determined, despite my reservations, to introduce me again. Parker said something like, “Yes, we met,” and we shared another 30 seconds of small talk.

Finally, an hour later, Steinberg offered to facilitate a third exchange. I declined. At best, I imagined Parker saying, “I know, I know, the blogger guy.” At worst, he might have gone for me with an empty wine bottle for annoying him thrice.

I’m not sure how the others guests felt, but I’m fairly certain the head of a major magazine, one seat over from me, would have preferred more time with Peking Parker and less time with Beijing Boyce. Then again, maybe she always looks unhappy.

Parker and I shake hands; Steinberg prepares to tackle me should I hold on too long.

Score: 15/20

The Details

I’ll start with the bad.

This was Parker’s first trip to China, we were on the Great Wall of China, and it is arguably the greatest symbol of China. The key word here: China. Thus, you might expect the music to evoke said country, say in the form of one of those all-female qipao-wearing quartets that play the pipa, erhu, and other traditional instruments.

We had a harp player. She plucked Que Sera, Sera. She strummed Edelweiss. She did songs that someone who owns The Greatest Hits of Lawrence Welk and the soundtrack to The Sound of Music would love.

I don’t doubt her talent. It’s a context thing.

The same goes for the CD played while the harpist rested her fingers. I heard the “You know how to turn me on / Oh, you got it going on” song three times (which is almost as bad as my repeating a CD five times at a 1500-person July 4th party three years ago, except that music was good).

One positive about the music: I will always be able to say I sat on the Great Wall and heard a harpist play “My Way.”

Now, the good things:

Attendees received personalized Riedel glassware, an autographed copy of Parker’s 700-page tome The World’s Greatest Wine Estates and, in some cases, empties of the bottles from the night.

The menus were embossed on a series of thin bamboo slats and could be rolled up as a souvenir, the wine in each glass was identified by a coaster beneath it, the candles sat deep within a centerpiece thus preventing the wind from blowing them out – good attention to details all around.

St. Pierre gave a self-described shortest speech ever: “Who the hell wants to listen to me when we have Robert Parker here?” He later described going to the toilet as “one hell of a trip”, an accurate assessment given how far away the facilities stood. On the other hand, these were high-end porta-potties, with wood-panel floors, solid bowls, toilet paper, and sinks. ASC had people on hand to help patrons up and down the somewhat hazardous steps leading to them.

Finally, as noted, my decision to attend the dinner was less an eleventh hour than eleventh hour and fifty-ninth minute. ASC handled this well. Steinberg met me in the parking lot and handed me a bow tie (thanks to him and Danny Kane for their efforts), navigated me to to meet Parker, and then took me to my table, after which… well, you’ve read the review.

Spot the harp player.

Score: 18.5/20

Note: In two years of writing about wine, the Parker dinner represents the most money I have spent on, the farthest I have traveled to, and the longest post I have written about any event. Credit goes to ASC for organizing it – I doubt any other wine distributor at this time would dedicate the time, money, staff and willpower to pull this off and, from what I understand, this dinner was two years in the making. As someone who has organized or helped organize events, I know that when things go right, it is usually because of people behind the scenes taking care of the details. Credit also goes to them for an event that I will long remember.

Total score: 87/100

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Eighty-eight is a lucky number in China, so for each of the 88 days until the 2008 Olympics, I will strip-mine my brain to unearth a thought related to Beijing and The Games. That’s one thought per brain cell. It’s called teamwork, people!

The Beijing Olympics organizing committee issued a detailed handbook of ground rules for foreign visitors to this summer’s Games. The 57 points address behavior from public drunkenness to political statements, a message that China won’t be letting down its guard during the Games.

- The Wall Street Journal

What is shocking is not that China issued guidelines for Olympic visitors, that it issued them only in Chinese, or that entertainment venues must close between 2 AM and 8 AM. No, what is shocking is the number of guidelines – 57. Any red-blooded comrade will tell you the proper number – 88. The Olympics workload must be taking its toll, so to help close that 31-guideline deficit, I’m pitching in with a few additional rules for foreign visitors.

58. Visitors who leave huge tips – thus creating an environment in which such gratuities will be sought long after the Games are over and said visitors are gone – shall be immediately deported.

59: Visitors are not allowed to wear the following: knee-high socks (white or otherwise), backward baseball hats, or T-shirts that show the Fuwa and/or Edison Chen in compromising positions.

60. Visitor are not allowed to take more than five photos of scorpions on a stick, including three of a spouse, friend, or other person making faces while pretending to eat one.

61. American visitors are not allowed to use “like” and “no wayyyyyyy” a total of more than 88 times daily.

62. European tourists who are losing an argument to an American tourist on a topic such as who has the best beer, music, or literature are not allowed to desperately utter, “but what about Iraq?“

63. Canadian visitors are not allowed to get offended if someone mistakes them for an American visitor unless said Canadian can name all ten of his or her country’s provinces and their capitals.

64. Visitors are not allowed to hurt the feelings of the host country.

65. Visitors who scream “ni hao!” more than three times into their cell phone in an attempt to amuse friends in another country will be immediately executed and their bodies, in the spirit of the “green Olympics”, will be used for dumpling meat.

66. Overweight visitors who use squat toilets are responsible for having health insurance that covers re-constructive knee surgery.

67. Visitors are not allowed to bring into the country any of the following: politically sensitive publications, flags of “renegade” provinces, non-harmonious thoughts, or kangaroos (live or otherwise).

68. Visitors staying with friends must register with the local police within 24 hours. If the process of registering takes more than 24 hours, they shall be issued a cell with free daily seasonal fruit platter and semi-private bath, and be required to register said cell as their China address with the local police within 24 hours.

69. Visitors who partake in cheap “all you can drink” specials at local bars and the next day complain they have a hangover will be identified as unable to realize the obvious and immediately be sent for re-education.

That’s a start…

Previously
Thought 1: If they build it, we may come
Thought 2: “Whether or not” in Sanlitun
Thought 3: Living the lowlife on Lotus Lane
Thought 4: The F&B scene takes a pre-Olympics breather?
Thought 5: Flaming Fuwa
Thought 6: Continental drink
Thought 7: The Parallel Bars?

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Upcoming Beijing wine-related events

Friday, June 6, Le Pre Lenotre (Sofitel Wanda Hotel), RMB998
Mas La Plana vertical tasting and dinner, with 1989, 2000, 2003, 2004 Black Label and 2006 Milmanda White Label; by Torres China; RSVP with Sophie at 5165-5519, x208 / sophie@torres.com.cn

Friday, June 6, 6:30 PM, Sequoia Cafe (Sanlitun), RMB100
Tasting of American micro-brews, including North Coast Red Seal Ale, North Coast Old #38 Stout, Rogue American Amber Ale, Rogue Dead Guy Ale and Rogue Brutal Bitter Ale; RSVP with Frank at 13701-178-073.

Sunday, June 8, 7 PM, SALT, RMB398
Michel Torino wine dinner, 4 wines, 4-course degustation menu, with Torino’s Juliana Radavero; by Palette Wines; RSVP at 13671-382-187.

Saturday, June 14, 6:30 PM, Aria (China World Hotel), RMB118
Cakebread wine dinner, with wine maker / president Bruce Cakebread; by ASC Fine Wines; RSVP with Danny Kane at 6505-2266, x36 /danny.kane@shangri-la.com or Helen Lu at 6587-3863 / homedelivery@asc-wines.com.

Saturday, June 14, 3-6 PM, Ritz-Carlton Financial Street, RMB120
The Culinary Coin Festival, with free-flow Champagne / wine, coffee, chocolate, and more.

Saturday, June 14, 7-10 PM, Greenfish (Ritz-Carlton Financial Street), RMB2008
Dinner with Volker Drkosch, 1-star Michelin chef; RSVP at 6601-6666.

Saturday, June 14, 7-10 PM, Cepe (Ritz-Carlton Financial Street), RMB2008
Dinner with Claudio Sadlerm, Michelin star chef; RSVP at 6601-6666.

Saturday, June 14, 7-10 PM, Qi (Ritz-Carlton Financial Street), RMB2008
Dinner with Eric M. Johnson, from Shanghai’s Jean George; RSVP at 6601-6666.

Note: To get a wine event listed, send event info, preferably in text format, to beijingboyce@yahoo.com. If you intend to attend any of the above events, it is best to confirm with the venue ahead of time.

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Tasting wine in The Hidden City (photo: ASC)

Beijing consumers tasted their way through more than 100 wines from 22 producers as ASC held its Global Wine Extravaganza yesterday at 1949: The Hidden City. Representatives from the wineries, many of whom were in town after attending VinExpo in Hong Kong, did the pouring and chatted with consumers. ASC estimates that more than 300 people attended the event, which was moved indoors at 1949 due to the threat of rain. Despite it being a bit crowded and dim, the event had a nice vibe and the pours were substantial. This was the latest event to feature a good portion of a wine distributor’s portfolio at low cost (see these posts about tastings by Torres, Palette, Palette again, and GELIPU-Winelink).

Here are some of my notes on the wines, though I qualify them by stating that I didn’t make it to every winery’s table.

• Joseph Phelps. It is always a treat to drink Insignia – especially as this Napa Valley wine costs ~RMB2400 per bottle – and the powerful black fruit-driven 2001 didn’t disappoint. I also liked the finishes on the other Phelps wines, including Innisfree Cabernet Sauvignon 2005.

• Seghesio: The Sonoma Zinfandel 2006 and Old Vine Zinfandel 2005 offered lots of fruit and jamminess, with a hint of spice. These are good options for people seeking wine that offers a combination of smoothness and high alcohol (~15 percent).

• Meerlust: I liked the constantly changing aroma of the Chardonnay 2006 (honey, citrus, and more). This is a wine I will try again.

• Brown Brothers: The Chenin Blanc 2007 (citrus and melon aromas, sweetness in the body), Everton White 2006 (lots of juicy fruit), and heavily perfumed Moscato 2007 (nice grapefruit, almost soda-like, zip) are all good white wines for beginners. I noticed that many people liked the Orange Muscat & Flora 2007, thought I found it a bit sweet (think hints of Creamsicle).

I also liked the Gavi di Gavi DOCG 2007 and Barbera D’Asti ‘La Court” 2004 from Michele Chiarlo, the Reserva 2003 from Marques de Riscal, and the wines from Trimbach.

By the way, I was among several attendees NBC interviewed about halfway through the tasting. I hope my answers were coherent!

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Two clubs in the Gongti-Sanlitun zone plan mid-month launches. The new China Doll, taking the top floor of the 3.3 Building on Sanlitun North, is set to open on June 19, while Klubb Rouge, atop the China View Building on Gongti East, is slated to do the same (open) on the same (June 19).

Others in the pipeline include Club P (in Tango) and Bling by ALL-STAR (in Solana), the latter getting my vote for worst ad of the year (I’ll have more on this soon).

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Eight is a lucky number in China, so for each of the 88 days until the 2008 Olympics, I will strip-mine my brain to unearth a thought related to Beijing and The Games. That’s one thought per brain cell. It’s called teamwork, people!

With the Olympics just around the curve, is it not time that a bar arises that sports a name that evokes the spirit of the Games – or at least makes reference to them? A few suggestions:

• The Pommel Horse
• The Oar and Kayak
• Zappas (after the Greek who helped get the modern games going)
• Do-Ping
• The Springboard
• Rings of Fire (would work well for a place with Sichuan food)
• The Starter’s Pistol
• Drinkathalon
• The Discus and The Hammer
• The “I went to the Olympics and spent all of my time in this bloody pub” Pub

Best of all would be to find a pair of establishments, side by side, and call them The Parallel Bars.

Previously
Thought 1: If they build it, we may come
Thought 2: “Whether or not” in Sanlitun
Thought 3: Living the lowlife on Lotus Lane
Thought 4: The F&B scene takes a pre-Olympics breather?
Thought 5: Flaming Fuwa
Thought 6: Continental drink

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Barring last-minute problems, Enoteca should open in The Place sometime this week, says Youngju Lee, a partner in the wine bar. The Beijing outlet is the third in the Enoteca chain and follows the two opened in Shanghai during the past year, says Lee, who heads Radonda Fine Wines.

Lee says 99 percent of the wine at Enoteca is imported directly from wineries by him or his partner. “We’re not buying from other distributors, we’re cutting out the middleman,” he says. Their portfolio includes wines from France, Chile and South Africa, among other places, with Australia being the notable omissions.

Expect a lineup of eight wines by the glass. The menu will be regularly rotated, so patrons might find four reds and four whites, or three reds, three whites, and two roses, or some other mix, says Lee. Prices are expected to range from RMB35 to RMB80-90 per glass. There will also be upwards of 100 wines available by bottle. The Enoteca food menu will include tapas, pasta, and a few other items.

Planned operating hours are 10 AM to 2 AM

More on Enoteca:

• More bottle for your buck: value vino in Shanghai
• Wine bar offers grape simplicity

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