Beijing Boyce

Rather than write a lengthy report about Saturday’s Food & Wine Experience at The Hilton, I thought it would be more fun to interview myself. Here we go:

Was that you on The Hilton’s marble steps standing in front of a broken bottle of wine?
It was. As I left, the paper bag provided by the organizers came unglued and a nearly full bottle of Heartland Dolcetto Lagrein fell out. The bottle exploded on the steps and attracted gawkers from far and wide. Fortunately, a half bottle of Heartland Shiraz stayed in the bag.

You mean you could buy wine there?
No. If you stay until the end of such events, sometimes the distributors give away opened bottles because they don’t want to waste them.

Why did you end up with Heartland?
I spent the last half hour at the Palette tables. I like Australian wines and Palette owner John Gai has an excellent portfolio. Palette’s Stefan Fleischer, as he did at this event two years ago, guided me through some lovely wines, particulary the Shiraz and Viognier.

What else did you like?
I liked the media session with wine writer Jeremy Oliver, supported by the Australian Wine & Brandy Corporation and ASC Fine Wines - I’ll write a separate post about it. He encouraged us to cover the top of our glasses with our palms and shake them - this gives wine a few hours’ worth of aeration. Make sure you have tissues handy if you try this at home.

Best of all was meeting winemakers, winery owners, distributors, writers and, especially, consumers. I met many people that I previously knew only by email, including Jennifer Zhang and Jessie Xiao at Summergate and Xavier Tondusson at Bacchus. Good to match faces with email addresses!

By the way, if logistically possible, I think the Champagne distributors should be in Zeta bar next year. It’s a perfect fit. I would also have the event run later into the afternoon.

Any disappointments?
I would love to see more countries better represented. As usual, pickings were meager from China (only Grace Vineyard), Austria, Portugal, Canada and some other nations. Having said that, we get more choice every year in Beijing, so overall I was happy with the selection.

However, I was disappointed at the light turnout Saturday. The event offered hundreds of wines and a buffet for 230 kuai - what more could you ask for? Compare this to Torres’ Taste of the Nations event last weekend: it offered far fewer wines but attracted a lot of attendees, even though it was only marginally cheaper.

Spreading the Food & Wine Experience over two days - the trade show was on Friday - might help explain the attendance. Some trade people could not attend Friday and gave tickets to friends or customers who might otherwise have come on Saturday. Next year, the hotel might also want to pair its traditional magazine ads with more marketing via e-mail and word-of-mouth, which is the key way many people get information about events.

I talked to four distributors about attendance and all of them were unhappy, especially as they had to pay for table space and provide staff, wine and literature for the event. On the other hand, 18 distributors participated and most didn’t seem to do much to promote this event, at least if my inbox is any indication.

Which distributors attended?
Eight companies had the vast majority of the 182 wine tables: ASC (27), Aussino, Jointek and Summergate (25 each), Jebsen (24), and H&L, Palette and Torres (12 each). Other distributors were: DT Asia (6), Metro (4), Bacchus and Pernod Ricard (2 each) and Ao Hua, Beijing GLP, East Meets West, Longfellows, Moet Hennessey Diageo and TBC - The Beverage Company (1 each). Montrose was notably absent. The other 12 tables featured food, glassware, wine accessories, magazines, and bottled water.

This breakdown suggests the Hilton might want to drop the “food” from “food & wine” in the event title.

So, was it worth it?
Definitely. As mentioned, hundreds of wines were available for tasting. A Shiraz lover could compare and contrast what each distributor offers - dozens of wines in total. If you like French wines, you could have tasted to your heart’s content. For ten years, this has been one of the wine events of the year for consumers in Beijing. You just need to ensure you have a sturdy bag if you stay until the end.

Note: Get my free e-newsletter about nightlife and wine in Beijing by sending an email to beijingboyce@yahoo.com with “sign me up” in the subject line. For more China wine info, join the Facebook group Grape Wall of China.

I would have given two thumbs up to Torres for last weekend’s Taste of the Nations, an event in Trader’s Hotel that featured some 150 of the distributor’s wines, but my hands were attached to a glass that brought unlimited refills. Instead, I’ll provide written praise.

I would guess well over 200 people attended and, at 188 kuai per person, received good value for their money. I sampled many of the Italian and Australian brands but, being more of a swallower than a spitter, decided not to try the full range. The crowd included some Torres competitors and regulars from Sequoia’s Friday night wine tasting group.

A few suggestions to those putting on major wine events:
- If a wine is done, why display the bottle? I wanted to try Grace Vineyard’s Chairman’s Reserve but it had run out when I arrived at 2:45 PM (the event ran until 6 PM). The same held for the Champagne. Why taunt me with the bottles when the bubbly is gone?
- Live bands are okay, but they tend to interrupt the conversations of wine lovers who are focused on the vino going in their mouths rather than the music going in their ears.

Anyway, enough whining about the wining. A good event this was and let’s hope the Taste of Nations becomes an annual one.

Shangri-La’s Blu Lobster will celebrate its opening by pairing Haut-Brion wine with a six-course dinner by the restaurant’s chef, Brian McKenna. Expect to leave heavier in the mid-section but lighter in the wallet as this dinner will pinch (bad lobster reference) you for RMB3998 — net (another one, ouch!). The event starts at 7 PM on April 18. To RSVP, call 6841-2211, extension 6702. Apparently, a 20-percent discount can be had by calling Myra Mu at 8882-6501. ASC distributes Haut-Brion.

Wine Word: Expect to see Edward Ragg and Fongyee Walker, former Cambridge University Blind Wine Tasting Society captains, about town as they have relocated to Beijing. / Ex-ASC Fine Wines Marketing Director Campbell Thompson has headed to Australia to begin work on a Master’s in Wine Marketing, but will return to Beijing in a few months. Adam Steinberg will join ASC as communications director and step down from his volunteer position as co-organizer of Beijing Wine Club (BWC). Jenn Hinkle, who has been active in the wine scene, will become more involved in BWC. / Capone’s is offering two-for-one on two white and six red wines by the glass, as well as all alcoholic drinks, from 5 to 8 PM nightly. / Cafe Europa offers seven wines by the glass (40-45 kuai per) in its regularly rotating lineup. It has started a “lazy Sunday” breakfast menu (10 AM-3 PM): fruit juice, toast, grilled tomatoes, baked beans, two eggs with bacon or sausage, and free flow coffee or tea, for 50 kuai. Other options include pancakes with maple syrup and yoghurt with fruits, walnuts and honey. / By the way, Opener, two flights up from Cafe Europa, is a sedate nighttime getaway. The drinks are pricey, but this spacious artsy place offers a dozen bottled beers and a small Whiskey collection, mellow music and comfortable seating. / As for wine tasting events, Sequoia Cafe is continuing its excellent Friday night gatherings, with this week’s featuring Slovenian wines (6:30 PM, 50 kuai, RSVP required: call Frank at 13701-178-073). The Beijing Wine Club will hold a tasting of Australian boutique wines on March 3 at Hao Feng Cellars in the Henderson Center (7 PM; 150 kuai). ASC will have a Riedel wine dinner at the American Club on March 13 with company CEO with Maximillian von Riedel (6:30, 888 kuai, price includes four wine glasses). Summergate will hold a Chateau Lafite wine dinner at Aria on March 20 with winery CEO Christophe Salin (7 PM, 1888 kuai).

Opening Shots comes from the Beijing Boyce biweekly e-newsletter. To subscribe, send an email to beijingboyce@yahoo.com with “Eat, Drink & Be Merry” in the subject line.

Pictures, pictures, pictures - that’s my friend Kraft-D’s advice for this blog. Last night, I dug up a few dozen from a November 2005 trip to Taillan, a winery just outside Beijing. Sequoia Cafe owner Frank Siegel and the American Community Club co-organized the trip (for full details, see Tying One on at Taillan).

General Manager Alain Leroux (above, right) led our tour of Taillan, a ten-year-old Sino-French venture. He said that the vines are grafted to North American rootstalk to protect them from phylloxera, a kind of plant lice.

He also gave us some insights into producing wine in China. “At the beginning, French people thought it would be an easy market, but no.”

With that cleared up, we headed inside and learned that the vats can store up to 100,000 bottles worth of wine. Taillan has enough equipment to process thousands of bottles per hour, often doing bottling for other companies.

Our little group could never handle even an hour of Taillan’s output, but we were ready to try. After Frank unpacked a picnic lunch of cold cuts, cheese, breads and potato salad, we worked our way through what Alain called “drinkable” wines, including a 2000 Chardonnay, 2003 Rose, 2003 Malbec (my favorite), Merlot, 2001 Pinot Noir and 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon.

Drinkable, indeed!

A dozen of us gathered on January 5 in Sanlitun Sequoia Cafe to try four wines and cheeses from Canada. As I had just returned from two weeks in The Great White North, it was a nice way to ease back into Beijing life.

All four wines came from the West Coast and first up was Blasted Church Chardonnay, which had some citrus and sour apple on the nose, though it was a bit acidic for my liking. (How did the winery get its name? Sequoia owner Frank Siegel says that workers dynamited the church in the 1920s to loosen its nails and more easily dismantle and move it.) Sticking with the religious theme, we had a Church & State Merlot that featured raspberry, blackberry and other dark fruit aromas, followed by an Inniskillin Merlot, with a stronger bouquet, very fruity flavors and a hint of candy apple. Last up was the Sumac Ridge Cabernet, which seemed a bit bland to me, though to be fair I think the cheeses were overwhelming the wine by this point. Frank said it would go with wild game, such as moose or lamb, and conceded that street kebabs count as the latter. (By the way, attendee S. Heath said the best way to cook moose, in case you were wondering, is to get a no-bone cut, pierce it with a knife, stuff the hole with garlic, sear the meat shut, and layer it with bacon before cooking. This is the “The Jack Buck Way,” apparently after a big game hunter in Canada.) While all the wines received praise, the Chardonnay seemed to be the overall favorite, while I gave top marks to the Inniskillin.

As for the cheeses, the Moonstruck Beddis Blue was the best I’ve tasted since a Shropshire Blue at a Beijing Cheese Society event way back in November 2005. It was creamy, not too pungent, slightly nutty, and melted in the mouth. Jenn Hinkle, who is writing about wine in Beijing (more on this next issue) put it this way: “It tastes like a barn of cows smells.” (She meant that in a good way.) The other cheeses included a Comox Triple Cream Camembert (a mild, naturally pasteurized cheese with near-cheesecake texture), a Quebec five-year-old cheddar (good mouth-drying stuff and not too crumbly) and the rosemary-topped Salt Spring Island Chevre (a stinky, gooey goat cheese with a texture approaching yoghurt). Interestingly, attendee D. Heath said Salt Spring Island, off the coast of British Columbia, has been home to hippies and thus into organic food for 30 or 40 years, but is now becoming popular with the moneyed class and this is causing conflicts.

This tasting cost 160 kuai per person and was one of the regular Friday wine events organized in the Sanlitun branch of Sequoia Café (email frank.siegel@gmail.com to get on the mailing list). Kudos to Holden Jang, who not only designed Sequoia Cafe and Tim’s Texas BBQ, but also brought the wine and cheese from Canada.

I popped over to The Wine Cellar (Henderson Center, 3F) and met Garry Anderson, who is with both Auswine Alliance and Beijing GLP, which are representing Australian family-owned vineyards. Garry plans to open a few bottles of wine each Thursday afternoon from 4 to 7 for those who want to give them a try. Upcoming tastings will cover Little Wine Company on January 18 and Frog Rock on January 25. During my visit, we tried a Celestial Bay Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2006 from the Margaret River region in southwestern Australia. It had a tangy citrus nose and was fresh and zesty. We also had a Frog Rock Chardonnay 2004, which didn’t do much for me. For more information, contact Garry at 13552-274-667.

My spirits were high when Agent Red Wolf, O-Zone, Flash and I attended the November 24 Summergate wine tasting at China Lounge (150 kuai). Not only would we sample seven wines produced by the owner of Petrus, but also O-Zone and Flash import vino and would, one might think, have something useful to say. On top of this, Summergate provides tasting notes in a handy booklet that is perfect for geeks like me who arrive pen in hand.

We started with Jean Pierre Moueix (JPM) Bordeaux AOC 2003 (167 kuai), which seemed a bit sour and had a weak finish, and Christian Moueix Merlot 2003 (191 kuai), which was tastier, with strong cherry and slightly spicy aromas. The JPM Saint-Emilion AOC 2003 (299 kuai) and Pomerol AOC 2002 (395 kuai) were fine, although I didn’t find the bodies as full as indicated by the tasting notes, but the Chateau Grand Village 2001 (227 kuai) was musty and disappointing.

I enjoyed the last two wines. The JPM Chateau Plince 2001 (743 kuai) had plenty of acid, lots of ripe cherry flavors and good aftertaste. O-Zone described it as “round,” Agent Red Wolf loved it, and I thought it got better by the minute. The Chateau La Grave 2001 (827 kuai) had a consistent nose, with candy apple and fruit scents. I wrote “mouth joy” in my notes for some reason.

I was in agreement with O-Zone, who described the first four wines as “all nicely drinkable so far, but none of them have left an impression.” It may be that my amateur palate is not up to French wines, but I can’t see myself paying these prices for these wines. The same goes for the last two: while they were delicious, at about 100 dollars a bottle I’ll next be trying them when someone else foots the bill. Luckily, in this case, we tried all seven wines for 150 kuai, which was decent value, as evidenced by the crowded room.

What could be more appropriate after sampling French wine than loading up on Mexican food on Sanlitun North? First, Flash had to make a drop off at the nearby “diplomatic apartments.” We drove there and waited in the car while he went to the trunk, hauled out a box and gave it to a man who emerged from the apartments. Then he got back in the car.

Me: “What was in the box?”
Flash: [Smiles]
Me: “Come on, what’s in it?”
Flash: [Short pause] “Wine”
Me: “So why was that guy wearing a bathrobe?”

There followed a long pause. I find in moments such as these, whistling a TV theme song, such as that for Gilligan’s Island or The Smurfs, can do wonders. Given the nationalities of those in the car, Hogan’s Heroes seemed appropriate.

We headed for Saddle, which is across from Tongli Studio and enables us to order food from the new, nearby and affiliated Cox, and soon faced a table loaded with burritos, salads, cheese sticks, wings and the like. After the Summergate tasting, our palates were finely tuned, and we matched this feast with ice-cold Qingdao. As for the food, I found that the wings were a rocky marriage of sauce and meat, while the burritos were outstanding, with a hearty nose and hints of Tabasco.

We then waddled down to Shooters, where I treated Flash and O-Zone to Pink Panties (Vodka, Peach Schnapps and something I can’t recall). The experience was so compelling that we had not left and gone 100 meters from the place when both of them had second thoughts and we returned for a few more shots, including one bearing an unprintable name.

We finished the evening by visiting Opener? (see review in issue XXVII), which is in the less than inspiring Jianwai Soho complex and run by the former owner of First Cafe, where I first met O-Zone, Flash and Agent Red Wolf. The music, lighting and ambiance were subdued. With Budweiser in hand, it was a relaxing finish to an evening that spanned Petrus, Pink Panties and Bordeaux, and showed just how cosmopolitan is our fair city.

(From Beijing Boyce XXVIII, first emailed on December 23, 2006)

My body has filtered its fair share of wine during the past decade, but it was only a few weeks ago at The Bookworm that I finally attended a Riedel tasting. Riedel is an Austrian company that makes expensive machine- and hand-made crystal wine glasses in dozens of shapes, each one designed for a particular grape variety. The glass for Merlot is different than the glass for Bordeaux, and so on. The idea is that the shape and volume of the glass determines how wine is aerated and where it falls on the tongue, and thus significantly influences how we smell and taste it.

A dozen of us began with a Chardonnay served, as you might guess, in a Riedel Chardonnay glass. A few sniffs and sips later, we poured the wine into one of those small glasses commonly used by restaurants and bars. The effect was striking. The bouquet seemed much weaker and the taste sour, as the smaller glass’ shape directed the wine away from the tip of our tongues, where our sense of sweetness lies. But what if rather than that obviously sub-par small glass we had used a different Riedel one? After trying the Sauvignon Blanc in its special vessel, we did just that, pouring the wine into the now-empty Chardonnay glass. The effect on the bouquet and taste was still evident, though less pronounced. We rounded out our testing with a Pinot Noir and a Cabernet Sauvignon.

I asked if budget-minded souls could get these results by using a cheap glass with a shape similar to that of the Riedel. The answer was that crystal: 1) makes it easier to check wine clarity and; 2) allows for more aeration, as under a microscope it is rougher than glass. What can I say? No one had a microscope handy. In the end, the tasting was both an education of the senses and sheer marketing genius, for we had plunked down RMB250 each for what was partly a sales pitch. While Riedel is nice, I’m sticking for now with the RMB20 wine glasses I bought at the former Riverside Cafe — they are cheap and big, and since my friends tend to break stuff after a few bottles of wine, I’d hate to have that rough crystal scratching my linoleum floor. For those who do wish to indulge, Riedel is distributed exclusively in China by ASC.

Torres will hold a “European Lifestyle Party” at the Sunstyle Show Room on June 10 (7-10 PM), with Torres (Spain), Baron Philippe De Rothschild (France) and Zonin (Italy) wines, and family representatives from the three wineries (150 kuai). / Palette offers a “Refreshing Wines for Summer Party” on June 10 (7 PM), with six wines, at its Shunyi Store (100 kuai). / Summergate presents “California Sun, Fun & Wine” at Le Quai on June 13 (7-10 PM), with 11 wines from Delicato, and inery president Chris Delicato in town (100 kuai). / ASC Fine Wines is having a Chateau Clarke Wine Dinner, with winery GM Bertrand Otto attending, at the newly opened NHU on June 17 (688 kuai). / On June 24, Montrose will hold a Barossa Valley Estate (Australia) wine dinner at Alameda, which last month won that’s Beijing’s restaurant of the year award (7:30 PM; 598 kuai).

(From Beijing Boyce XVIII, first emailed on June 8, 2006)

John Bull Pub has been holding taco parties on Fridays. This is not Tex-Mex assembled in the kitchen using store-bought shells and refried beans, but a whole cart out front with an “el trompo” (a giant elevated stack of pork and onions) and a couple of guys grilling corn tortillas. Tacos are 10 to 15 kuai, quesadillas 10 kuai (more Spartan than the Tex-Mex variety) and frozen margaritas 20 kuai. Avocado and chili dipping sauces are provided. My suggestion: an employee could circulate with trays of 20-kuai tequila shooters. Also of note: manager Frank Siegel says that 1) the pub’s Friday wine tasting events are on hold, and 2) he will soon open his second Sequoia Cafe and might use its terrace for wine tasting events.

(From Beijing Boyce XVII, first emailed on May 27, 2006)

Garden of Delights, a two-minute hop from Icehouse, hosted an ASC Spanish wine tasting (150 kuai) last week. This Latin American restaurant is long, narrow and high, with a curved roof, a simple and airy interior, and earthy elements, including wood and bricks. It borrows themes from Hieronymus Bosch’s “The Garden of Earthly Delights,” though the phrase “Ikea biosphere” popped into my head.

We sampled five Bodegas Chivite wines, including a Chardonnay 2004, Rose 2004, Moscatel 2001, Gran Feudo Reserve 1998 (80% Tempranillo; the rest Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot) and Coleccion 125 Gran Reserva 1995. Bodegas Chivite is a top-ten producer and apparently the oldest winery in Spain, and company rep Marife Blanco Esteban described the wines as “home in a glass.” Cheers! My notes were scant and I will simply say that I enjoyed all five, particularly the fresh and crisp Chardonnay and the 1995 reserve.

The three-course dinner (300 kuai), accompanied by even more wine, was prepared by visiting chef Jordi Valles, who previously worked at both Akelarre and Arzak in Spain. (The guy beside me said that he made reservations seven months ahead at one of these places; a restaurant in Beijing is lucky enough to avoid being chai’d for that long.) I had diced roasted chicken with avocado puree between corn chips (tasty morsels); roasted salmon with Peruvian seafood sauce (perhaps a bit too subtle for my base tastes); and warm chocolate souffle cake with molten chocolate center (which I am suing for making me a diabetic). I also enjoyed talking to some of the owners, which consist of three couples who seem like slightly nervous parents with this, their first, restaurant, as well as the Ecuadorian floor manager, who had been in Beijing for only 24 hours and claims he makes a mean Mojito. (Agent Red Wolf has put it to the test and gives a high grade; see next issue.)

(From Beijing Boyce XIII, first emailed on March 24, 2006)

Fifteen people gathered at Sequoia Cafe on January 20 for what we believe to be the first Oregon Pinot Noir tasting of its size in China. The wines were presented by Andrew Macdonald, whose family owns Seven Springs vineyard, ranked by Food and Wine magazine as one of America’s ten best. Andrew knows some of the winemakers whose products we tried and gave insights into planting, pruning, cloning and harvesting. There were plenty of questions as he explained everything from the history of Oregon wine to the trials and tribulations of growing grapes.

“The wines tonight are all pioneers in one way or another,” said Andrew. So, onward ho! (Comments in quotation marks are his. The rest are mine and, as mentioned ad infinitum, I’m not an expert.)

2003 King Estate: Lots of berry and cherry, more fruit in the body, a light finish. 2003 Ponzi: “The first producer in Oregon [and tending to follow traditional Burgundy styles]”; a pungent, alcoholic, slightly spicy nose; tasted like apples at the end. 2000 St. Innocent Seven Springs: “[This winemaker] started making wine with our grapes in the back of his Datsun pickup truck”; great nose, nice body, I didn’t take notes here, because I was too busy drinking; this was easily my favorite. 2001 Amity Vineyards: spicy, hot nose, fruity body and finish. 2003 Rex Hill: “The oak gives it a buttery taste”; maybe, but there was so much wood in this I felt like getting out the Pledge - lemon-scented, of course. In any case, it was good times and good wine all around, and you can’t ask for more.

Note: I was lucky enough to have Galia Stern (Torres), Ethan Perk (Montrose), and Dan Sieber and a co-worker (Summergate) at my table. In addition to soaking up some wine, I absorbed a great deal of knowledge about the wine industry in China. (Dan dispelled my belief that I could let wine breath by popping out the cork in a taxi. Apparently, you have to pour the wine into another vessel - my mouth? - and then back into the bottle for it to work.)

(From Beijing Boyce IX, first emailed on January 26, 2006)

A dozen of us gathered in Sequoia Cafe‘s newly refurbished front room on December 10 to taste five sparkling wines from Torres. [Ed. It turns out only the Bellavista Franciacorta is from that company.] Company General Manager Alberto Fernandez was on hand to help guides us through: 1) Nederburg Brut from South Africa (85% Chenin Blanc, 11% Chardonnay, 4% Colombar; light; fruity nose); 2) Freixenet Negro Brut (drier and, according to the notes provided, with lemon, licorice, pear and resin aromas and canned fruit and dried flower flavors); 3) Bisol Brut Crede from Italy (Scents of wildflowers? I found this one a bit filling); 4) Bellavista Franciacorta, also from Italy (aged 36 months in the bottle, a wine to really swirl about in your mouth; “medium bodied, creamy in texture, and very long on the palate, with aromas / flavors reminiscent of baked bread, vanilla, toast, plum and lemon”; and 5) Christian Busin from France (20% Chardonnay, 80% Pinot Noir; “the attack on the palate is clean, balanced, fat and fresh.” Fernandez thoughtfully brought out another bottle: 6) a Prosecco from Italy that apparently smells of burned apples. Penny, sitting beside me, said she liked number five for its taste, but number six overall, because of its nose. “That’s an inviting wine,” she said. Sequoia Cafe owner Frank Siegel decided to put it to a vote: #2 came out on top (5.5 votes), followed by #5 (4 votes) and #4 (1.5 votes), with Penny giving a “special vote” to #6. Of the three of Frank’s wine tastings I’ve attended, this was the bubbliest yet. (Event fee: RMB150.)

(From Beijing Boyce VI, first emailed on December 14, 2005)

It was drink, eat, drink, eat, drink eat, etc. and be merry at the Shafer and Joseph Phelps wine dinner, held by ASC Fine Wines at Aria on November 10. I know little about wine, other than being able to visually discern between red, white and rose, but here’s my two renminbi.

We started with Bollinger Special Cuvee Champagne, followed by Phelps’ Los Carneros Chardonnay 2002, which Doug Shafer, president of the winery and in attendance, called “big, fat and rich” (which isn’t an uncommon way to describe wine: try plugging those words in to Yahoo.) Next, a Shafer Merlot 2002 that Doug described as “yummy” and a “pretty rich full wine that reflects the weather [where the grapes were grown].” This did have a nice nose and with two solid wines and some Champers under out belts, we were ready to trek into the sacred land of California’s top “cabs” as some like to call Cabernet Sauvignons.

We next tasted, side by side, Phelps Insignia Napa Valley 1997 and 2001. In my notes I scribbled “vigorous, solid, full-bodied - Halle Berry in a tasteful black cocktail dress” and “this is a killer - Campbell Thompson.” Campbell works at ASC and was sitting beside me, thought I can’t guarantee that he actually said those words. (By the way, does he not have a name that deserves a royal title, such as Sir Campbell Thompson or The Right Honorable Campbell Thompson or Campbell Thompson, Earl of ASC? I’m telling you, there’s nobility just waiting to happen there.)

If Campbell didn’t say it, then I will: This wine is a killer. It was beautiful, with a nose that made you want to squeeze your head into the glass. It made the 2001 which came after it and which in other circumstances would probably have been the star seem like a slightly unready debutante (could I sound any more pompous?). Next up and, again, side by side were the Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet Sauvignon 1997 and 2001. These wines, highly regarded by experts, seemed to be a bit of a letdown after the Phelps Insignia. An attendee astutely asked, “Were the Shafer wines disadvantaged being served with the steak course rather than the cheese course?” They were and it’s too bad, but I guess two slabs of meat weren’t in order. Around that time, according to my notes, Doug uttered the words “I’m a big ass Cabernet and I’m here to see you,” but I have no idea of the context. Anyway, we finished off with a Joseph Phelps Late Harvest Riesling 1993 (which I can sum up in one word - sweet) and I then bucked down two glasses of Bollinger for good measure.

As for the dinner, it was good, although it required some dictionary research (remoulade: a piquant cold sauce made with mayonnaise, chopped pickles, capers, anchovies, and herbs; quince: the fruit of a central Asian tree of the rose family that resembles a hard-fleshed yellow apple and is used esp. in preserves; and so on).

This wine dinner cost RMB988 and was excellent value, with a good combination of food, drink and interesting patrons. For number crunchers, just consider that a bottle of Shafer Hillside would set you back at least USD350 (www.winesearcher.com - thanks to Campbell for the site reference). For all others, consider that man cannot live on Taillan Malbec alone. Speaking of which…

(From Beijing Boyce IV, first emailed on November 18, 2005)

When it comes to China, some people like to whine while other simply like to wine. A dozen of the latter got together on November 5 for a trip to the Taillan winery, about 30 kilometers southwest of Beijing. The trip was arranged by the American Community Club and led by John Bull Pub owner Frank Siegel and ACC After Hours Committee member Shauna Cheng. After a leisurely drive to the winery, we received a tour of the vineyards by general manager Alain Lecroux, who has been with the Taillan winery, a Sino-French venture, since its startup nine years ago. Alain, who hails from Brittany, said the vines are imported, with 100,000 of them coming in 1997. (Wine whiz and tour attendee Andrew McDonald notes that the vines are grafted onto North American rootstalks, which costs more money but protects them from phylloxera bugs. That’s some forward thinking by Taillan.)

Alain noted the difficulty of producing wine in China. “At the beginning, French people thought it would be an easy market, but no.” Then we headed inside and learned that the vats can store up to 100000 bottles of wine and that the facility can process 30000 bottles per hour (and often does bottling for other companies).

Our little group could never handle 30000 bottles per hour, but we were ready to try. After Frank unpacked a picnic lunch of cold cuts, cheese, breads and potato salad, Alain cracked the first of six wines. The important thing, he stressed, was not how well Taillan wines stacked up against the competition, but that they are “drinkable.” He got no argument from us. Over a couple of hours, we tried the 2000 Chardonnay (“Apples and pears,” says Alain), 2003 Rose (went down as quick as draft beer); 2003 Malbec (“This one’s my favorite,” says Alain. Me, too; it had a “happy smell,” whatever that means), Merlot (drinkable-plus), 2001 Pinot Noir (drinkable), and 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon (“it was a bit too peppery, although at this point, I think my taste buds might have been upset by the potato salad, which had a creamy nose, hints of mayonnaise and a smooth finish”). At some point, Alain said, “this wine reminds me of dry grass, two days after it’s been cut,” but as is usual with my notes, I have no idea of the context. In the end, I bought eight bottles of Malbec, four of Pinot Noir, and one each of Cognac and Armagnac. That seems to total 14, but for some reason when we got off the bus in Beijing, I only had seven left and my wine-opening hand had cramps. Odd. In any case, home delivery of these wines is available in Beijing. To order or for more info: alain.leroux@taillan.com.cn.

(From Beijing Boyce IV, first emailed on November 18, 2005)

The drinks were effervescent, the surroundings presidential, the people memorable, as Peninsula Palace hotel held a Champagne tasting on November 8. “Effervescence” refers, of course, to the Moet Chandon. The evening started with a glass of Brut Imperial NV. Then, Moet & Chandon Sommelier Christophe Vincent, visiting Beijing, officially launched the new vintages: Millesime 1999 and Millesime 1999 Rose. Outside of a launch in Hong Kong the weekend before, this was the first time serving in Mainland China. “Presidential” refers to the 600 square meters of suite of the same name, which includes a dining room, kitchen, sauna and gym, all for a paltry US$4500 per night. As for “memorable,” it refers to a certain flashback precipitated by a certain someone at the party remembered from slightly less posh surroundings six years ago. Asia is a small place.

(From Beijing Boyce IV, first emailed on November 18, 2005)

I organized my first wine tasting last Friday, so I could try three Schandl wines fresh off the container ship from Europe. These Austrian beauties were imported by Oliver Sedlinger, who is not only a well-seasoned imbiber of grape-based beverages, but also able to charm the pants (figuratively, not literally) off women by crooning Chinese love songs.

The first Shandl up was a dry white — a Pinot Blanc (2004) — with a floral nose. If that description is too plain, here’s what schandlwein.com says: “Classic Burgundy bouquet, delicate and spicy, strong on the palate, muscular and harmonic, fruity and racy, spicy until the long finish.” Um, that’s what I meant. Anyway, this one got a thumb up from my new co-worker Andrew MacDonald, who has spent more than little time around Pinot grapes.

The next wine was a Rulander Spatlese (2003), which was slightly sweeter, followed by a Beerenauslese Cuvee (2002), which was sweeter yet and close to ice wine territory. I like my wine dry, but more than a few among our ten enjoyed these last two.

In any case, ten bottles of wine (add in some Soave, Valpolicella, Shiraz Cabernet and Cabernet Sauvignon for an entirely unscientific tasting) and three kilos of cheese had us Shandlerious and fellow guests / that’s Beijing bigwigs Mike and Toni dragged us off to Tango for the magazine’s Halloween party. We’ll forgo details on that adventure.

This tasting was a trial run for what I hope to be more events. Many thanks to Oliver for sharing his wines and bringing over the stereo speakers, to Sherry for buying the sausage and Aussie red, and to Isabelle, Diana, Toni, Lana, Asti, Andrew and Mike for making it a fun evening. Many apologies to American Community Club President / General Funster Shayne who we met on the way out of my building — I had no idea she lived in the neighborhood — and was the unfortunate recipient of a few bear hugs.

For more details on the Shandl wines, email Oliver at iussi@hotmail.com. For more details on the attempt by Oliver and me to write a Beijing-centric version of Sound of Music, watch this space. For now, I’ll leave you with a work in progress, a version of “My Favorite Things“:

The Temple of Heaven / is an earthly pleasure

The Great Wall, quite simply / there’s nothing that measures

Forbidden City / from Dynasty Ming

These are a few of my favorite things

When the taxi / driver’s snarling / there behind his cage

I turn on my Walkman and just drown him out

While outside the red sandstorms rage

(From Beijing Boyce III, first emailed on November 3, 2005)

Since I came to Beijing a year ago, I can’t think of a company that has provided me better service than ASC Fine Wines. Okay, the first time I called them, some 12 months ago, I ended up in a horrible game of phone tag. But since then, they’ve been spot on. A few examples:

- Their delivery people are on time, almost down to the minute;

- They have some very creative specials, especially the mixed dozens;

- Their wine tasting events are well-run and informative;

- When I showed up one Saturday to buy some wine glasses for a wedding the next day, Simon Liang, who happened to be in the office during off hours, took me to the warehouse (an awe-inspiring, temperature-controlled, air hanger-like structure filled with pyramids of wine) way out on Fifth Ring Road to pick them up.

I think ASC outdid itself a few weeks ago at a media briefing. It packed the following into a couple of hours: a presentation on China’s wine industry (40-50 percent growth expected over the next five years); a tasting of the company’s new Laurent-Perrier Champagne (thought I didn’t see it listed on ASC’s website today); a trial of the new Riedel “O” series of glasses, sans stem and base (which mean each glass had to be filled with wine); a lesson in sniffology, as we tried an aroma kit, Le Nez du Vin (The Nose of Wine), which contains 52 bottles of various scents and is used to train your snout to detect aromas in wine (at RMB3000, it’s not cheap); and a food and wine pairing, where we tried various eats (chicken, lemon, ginger, dried tomato, and so on) with different wines, to see which ones best matched. The event was well-organized, educational and intoxicating. Note 1: Who would want wine glasses with no stems or bases? Restaurants: since it would reduce breakage and since seated diners are unlikely to hold their glasses for long (which is the main concern, since that could warm the wine). Note 2: Note 2: ASC Champagne whiz Olivier says: don’t swirl your bubbly or it you’ll decrease its effervescence.

(From Beijing Boyce III, first emailed on November 3, 2005)

The annual Hilton wine fest a couple of weeks ago filled two floors of the hotel, with over 160 producers from Canada (How often is Canada listed first when it comes to wine? Go Canada!), Italy, Australia, the U.S., France, New Zealand, Chile, South Africa, Germany, Austria, and other grape-growing nations. I tasted 52 wines – these were sips, not full glasses, my friends – along with the buffet, for a measly RMB250 (US$30).

I also looked like a total poseur by writing tasting notes on my little black pad – unfortunately, I forgot my turtleneck sweater and Robert Parker book or I could have really stood out. Even so, when going through enough labels to make a deck of cards, you need a way to remember what was good, bad and ugly. It’s funny how my early notes use descriptions like “fruity,” “fresh,” “acidic” and “earthy,” while later ones are more, uh, creative: “hints of Sprite,” “honestly mundane,” “this grape’s got [sic] identity crisis” and “tastes like birch bark” (which I’m pretty sure I’ve never tasted). It’s also funny how you think a wine tastes like, say, birch bark, but then the distributor approaches and says it has “a delicate nose, a full body and a passionate finish” – and you suddenly realize it’s true! (And, in the case of this description, get turned on.) When the same expert points out the “notes of Saskatoon berries,” you swear you can taste them even if you’ve never eaten, seen or heard of this fruit, or know where Saskatoon is (it’s in Canada, which at least in this inaugural newsletter, ranks first in wine. Go Grape White North!).

Thanks to Stefan Fleischer of Palette, who explained his company’s wines and had us taste each of them in the proper order. (Stefan is opening a coffee shop in the art district – Dashanzi – more details to come). Beijing’s other four leading distributors were also there – ASC Fine Wines, Montrose, Torres and Summergate. By the way, to those who know that my cell phone and I parted ways that night, it was not lost, I repeat, it was not lost. Someone stole it. I clearly remember putting my phone down at 9:34 PM (26 minutes left to taste!) to exchange business cards and minutes later it was, so to speak, Gone with the Wine. Be careful fellow tasters. Cell phones disappear as quickly as that last glass of Bollinger’s.

(From Beijing Boyce I, first emailed on October 6, 2005)