By Jim Boyce | Beijing Summit Wines, producer and distributor of 1421 Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon from Xinjiang in northwest China, is globalizing its portfolio.
“The idea is to have iconic varietals represent each country,” says Johnny Chan, who co-founded the company in 2008 with Chilean banker Andrónico Luksic.
“So far we have Shiraz from Australia and Carmenere and Sauvignon Blanc from Chile.”
He says the wine arrived in China over the past week and a Malbec from Argentina is en route.
The labels feature famous ships associated with the respective countries. The Shiraz, for example, has the Endeavour that James Cook captained on an eighteenth-century exploration of the Australian coast.
Chan says the plan is to start with southern hemisphere wine and then head north, the possibilities including Sangiovese from Italy and Riesling from Germany.
Randy Svendsen, who is an investor in the project and handles Beijing sales, says a Zinfandel would be a good fit for the United States as would the USS Constitution, or ‘Old Ironsides’, on the label.
The Australian Shiraz was made at Carlei Green Vineyards by Sergio Carlei, who is also chief consultant on 1421’s Chinese wine, while the Chilean Carmenere and Sauvignon Blanc were made by VSPT Wine Group.
Chan said the model is built to grow vertically, with the option of adding more varietals for each country. He also said the wines are traceable under the Starfarms system.
The 1421 brand refers to the claim that Chinese Admiral Zheng He explored the Americas, and the rest of the world, decades before Europeans like Christopher Columbus, John Cabot and Ferdinand Magellan showed up. Beijing Summit is also fitting its brand into the government’s “silk road” initiative, also known as One Belt, One Road, that aims at closer integration with nations in Asia and Europe.
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