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By Jim Boyce

The world’s most influential wine critic, Robert Parker, is coming to Beijing and Shanghai in a few weeks to head a bunch of really expensive classes and dinners. I’ve posted about this several times, including how people can get free tickets to the events by buying wine from ASC (here) and how his visit is being compared to that of Richard Nixon in 1972 (here). I got a few more reminders this week via “Grand World Tour” ads on wine-searcher.com, a promotion by the American Chamber of Commerce in China, and a special area on the Chinese-language website of American Express, the key backer of the tour.

The events listed for the initial stop, Beijing, include a gala dinner on February 27 at Â¥6600 (USD1100) per head and, given sufficient numbers, a Petrus (1995, 1998) and Lafleur (1979, 1986, 1990, 1998, 200o) vertical tasting at Â¥60000 (USD10000) per head. I’ve heard the dinner will seat well over 100 people: I’d be surprised if the organizers found that many individuals to pay but imagine that full-table purchases, along with some comps, will help fill things out. If you want more details, get them at tour’s official website here.

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