Lots of Napa Valley wine action in Beijing next week, with a slew of tastings and dinners.
There are still seats available at some of the five Chifan for Charity dinners being held on Tuesday, including at Vasco’s, Brasserie Flo and Grange, says organizer Michael Crain. More details in my previous post here or on the Chifan for Charity site here.
For those who can’t make dinner, the after-party at the Fairmont Hotel will see a free tasting of wine from several dozen Napa operations, says Nicolas Stipp. Starts at 9:30 PM, is open to all, will see winery reps on hand to talk about the wines, and will have chocolate from Vandergeeten. Call 8507-3619 or emailfestive.beijing@fairmont.com for more details.
Finally, ASC Fine Wines has a pair of excellent Napa wine dinners on the slate.
First, and also on Tuesday, the trio of Stag’s Leap, Phelps and Shafer will come together on the 79F of China World’s Summit Wing for a wine dinner. One of the first, and best, dinners I attended in Beijing was a Phelps-Shafer do in 2006 at Aria in China World Hotel, and at virtually the same price, rmb980 — see Clash of the Cabs. (It was also the first time I met — and was subsequently yelled at by — former ASC head Don St. Pierre, Sr, who then spent more than an hour explaining some of the ins and outs of the wine business to me over another bottle — well, maybe two bottles — of wine. Beijing was a much different city then.) Anyway, Doug Shafer, Phelps export director Robert Baxter and Stag’s Leap area director John Kimmey, will attend his one.
Second, there will be an Opus One wine dinner on April 20 at Reignwood City Club. The dinner will include the 2001, 2007 and 2008 vintages, and a Chateau Ste. Michelle Eroica Riesling, and is much pricier at rmb2180. Then again, Opus One doesn’t come cheap and this dinner will feature the wit of Yvonne Chiong-Moungin, the company’s regional rep and a contributor to sibling blog, Grape Wall of China.
There are several other good tastings coming up. More on these early next week…
Boyce, Beijing was indeed a very different city in 2006…and I miss those times.