Grape Wall Challenge: Torres, Top Cellar take top honors

March 18, 2009 - Uncategorized - 2 comments

Judges check out the whites after the tasting.

Judges check out the whites after the tasting.

On March 13, a dozen expert and consumer judges met in Beijing for the Grape Wall Challenge and tasted 23 red wines that retail for less than RMB100 in China (see gallery). Here are the first-place wines of the consumer, expert, and overall panels (click the links at the bottom for lists of the “top ten” whites and reds).

-

Red: Overall

Cedar Creek (Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon) 2008, Australia / Top Cellar, RMB92

Red: Experts

Cedar Creek (Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon) 2008, Australia / Top Cellar, RMB92

Red: Consumers (tie)

Foot of Africa (Pinotage) 2006, South Africa / Torres, RMB99

Paso del Sol (Merlot) 2007, Chile / DT Asia, RMB95

-

White: overall

Zonin Terre Palladiane Soave DOC (Garganega, Trebbiano) 2007, Italy / Torres, RMB96

White: Experts (tie)

Concha y Toro Frontera (Sauvignon Blanc) 2007, Chile / Summergate, RMB79
Bushman’s Gully (Semillon, Chardonnay) 2008, Australia / Links, RMB92

White: consumers

Zonin Terre Palladiane Soave DOC (Garganega, Trebbiano) 2007, Italy / Torres, RMB96

The wines hailed from Chile (8), France (4), Italy (4), Australia (3), Argentina (1) and Spain (1), as submitted by 14 China-based importers.

-

See also:

About the author

Get my Beijing bars and restaurants newsletter by using the sign up form on the blog. I also write about the China wine scene at grapewallofchina.com.