Bordeaux in Beijing: A Grand Cru afternoon

– By Jim Boyce

The best wine event of the year – AL

This is the best wine tasting event in Beijing. I put this event on my calendar a year ago. – EW

Definitely the best wine tasting I’ve been to in Beijing – AU

Praise abounded for this year’s Beijing visit by the Union des Grands Crus de Bordeaux on November 30 at Sofitel Hotel. With nearly 100 wineries represented, the event saw a large turnout. What made this tasting so good?

• It featured one region (Bordeaux) and one year (2004), a rare chance in Beijing for in-depth comparative tasting.
• Many winemakers, owners and staff from the producers were present.
• Attendees received a handy booklet with info about the wines and wineries, including grape varieties used, aging time in barrels and total production as well as room for tasting notes.
• The booklet was in Chinese and English (and Japanese and Korean, for that matter).
• A handy numbering system made it easy to match each booth with its section in the book.
• Glassware abounded, thus no worries about sticking with the same one all afternoon, as is usual in Beijing. Switching from reds to Sauternes? Simply grab another Riedel glass. 

Oh, the most important part: we were drinking excellent wine. Even the worst of this stuff is pretty good. Next year looks to be even better, as local winemaker Alain Leroux says that vintage is poised for greatness.

Other stops on this Bordeaux tour include Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

Note: Thanks to p3wong for getting me into this event.

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