Gaia Gaja: On Chinese wine consumers, Italian imports, auctions & more
By Jim Boyce Gaia Gaja of Piedmont-based winery Gaja has been to China over a dozen times since her first visit in 2005, including one …
Q&8
“I’m making a comeback”: New Beijing winery project for Nicolas Billot-Grima
~ By Jim Boyce A thirty-minute chat over coffee and bagels turned into a seven-hour three-bottle-of-wine interview with wine maker Nicolas Billot-Grima in Beijing last …
Dean Hewitson in China: Knowledge, wine market strategy and Mourvedre
By Jim Boyce Dean Hewiston of the eponymous South Australian winery was in town last week and I had a chance to ask him five …
Wine makers in China: Mihalis Boutaris finds a ‘sweet spot’ for grapes in Gansu
~ By Jim Boyce Shandong, Ningxia, Xinjiang, Hebei, Yunnan. A short list of spots where people are pinning their hopes for the future of China’s …
Family man in Beijing: Miguel Torres on Parker, Cava and Chinese vineyards
By Jim Boyce Family is a key theme — perhaps the key theme — when it comes to Spanish winery Torres. Though a huge operation, …
Gerard Basset to China sommeliers: Your job is sales
~ By Jim Boyce “The sommelier is a salesman, but some [in the business] do not like this,” said Gerard Basset to several hundred people, …
Head of the glass: Professor Ma Huiqin on teaching wine appreciation in China for 10+ years
~ Professor Ma Huiqin started a wine appreciation course in 1998 at China Agricultural University in Beijing. Except for a three-year break, when she was …
Michel Rolland to China wine industry: Work on your vineyards
~ By Jim Boyce Focus on the vineyards. That is the advice winemaker and consultant Michel Rolland had for China’s wine industry during a series …
In China’s Outback: Australian Lilian Carter on making wine in Xinjiang
~ By Jim Boyce This fall, Lillian Carter started her second China adventure when she headed to Xinjiang winery Wang Zhong, a six-hour drive south …
Ningxia Wine Challenge Q&A: Winemaker Craig Grafton of Helan Mountain
In the lead up to the Ningxia Wine Challenge, we are posting some expert views of this region of China, including from professor Ma Huiqin …