8000-year-old wines! Made a clip of all the Georgian wines I tasted in China this past year, most of them from the amber / orange / skin-contact category.

And including producers such as Askaneli Brothers, Anapea Village, Baia, Barbale and Casreli.

In a country with such a long alcohol history--the oldest known site in China dates to about 9000 years ago and involved blending rice, honey and fruit--the story of Georgia resounds. And it is fun to see so many wineries experimenting with amphora / skin-contact wine here.

All of the wines in this video are available from importer Georgia Selections. Also see the website winesgeorgia.com for more info about Georgia's wine scene.

#wine #winetasting #winelife #georgia #georgianwine #orangewine #amberwine #china

From Hannah Che's The Vegan Chinese Kitchen

Clockwise from left
Torn cabbage
Mouth numbing Mapo tofu
And Shanghai rice cakes.

For me the most delicious was the cabbage, and texturally the most satisfying...the rice cakes. I enjoyed the Mapo tofu because it made the flavors fun and made the wine taste different because of the Szechuan pepper or Mala pepper which numbs the tongue.

I love all these flavors. When I came in I was super tired and then after eating I felt energized, and I remembered the same feeling in Chengdu. The food always left me feeling energized and in a state of 'food high.'

Wine:
1. Tucuca 2020 Piero Riccardo Lorella Reale 100% Cesanese Rosato made in chestnut barrels (Lazio)
2. Azienda Agricola Casale 2012 100% Trebbiano long maceration in chestnut barrels (Tuscany)

#whatVegansEat #TheVeganChineseKitchen #cooking #vegan #chinesefood #rosewine #Rosato #amberWine #naturalWine #OrangeWine #cooking

More skin-contact white wines made in China, this time by Canaan winery just outside of Beijing.

- The Riesling has 1 month of skin contact in amphora, then 6 months of aging in old oak.

- The white blend, with Muscat, Chenin Blanc, Ehrenfelser, Müller-Thurgau and more, has 6 weeks of skin contact in stainless steel.

Both wines are fresh and floral, with that Riesling having ample lemon-y character, while the white blend's aromas dance all over the place: chrysanthemum, passion fruit, jasmine, citrus peel and more.

Anyway, I brought back one bottle of each to include in my next tasting in Beijing. Looking forward to sharing them!

#wine #china #chinawine #chinesewine #skincontactwine #amberwine #amphora #riesling #muscat, #cheninblanc #ehrenfelser #mullerthurgau #zhongfa #domainefrancochinois #grapewallofchina #winelife

My top wine of 2022 is this gorgeous amber wine from Azienda Agricola Aurete

2020 Thero
* Reale Bianca (autochthonous) 70% *Trebbiano 30%
1000 bottles made #UnicornWine. 45 days of maceration. Destemmed. Made in terracotta vessels

I opened this months ago and still think about it, that's why it is my # 1 of the year.

I visited the boys and their Esperia vineyards in 2020, and tasted their line up of wines from the terracotta amphorae and even then knew this wine would be a show stopper. They are the caretakers of a vineyard planted in 1847! I wrote about it here:

https://www.jancisrobinson.com/articles/wwc21-cariano-lazio

It smells like a ritual. Lots of apricot, yellow plum, peach, citrus, golden apple, candle wax, walnuts, cedar, incense. It's summery and warm. Even though it's only 11.5% abv, the wine feels very full on the palate. The acidity is perfect. Long finish of wild flower honey.

#WinesOfLazio #winelover #naturalWine #AmberWine #Wine #wineWriter #sommelier

Christmas wines

1. La Torretta 2021 Bolle di Grotta 100% trebbiano pet nat made in #qvevri Lazio
2. Andrea Occhipinti 2021 Sottobianco 100% Procanico Lazio
3. Azienda Agricola Casale 2012 100% Trebbiano made in chestnut barrels Tuscany
4. Azienda Agricola Milana 2020 Cesanese del Piglio 100% Cesanese Lazio
5. Charlie and Echo 2015 Sangiovese San Diego Country
6. Barale Barbera d'Alba 2019 100% Barbera Piedmont

#naturalWine #wineLover #AmberWine #Holidays #WinesOfLazio #WineWriter

Cooking from The Vegan Chinese Kitchen by Hannah Che is joy. The flavors and recipes and details in this book are phenomenal and I am certainly going to stock up on pantry items while in California before I return to Italy because this is the food I need.

Clockwise from top left corner:

1. Braised tofu skins in chili bean sauce
2. Stir fried Gai Lan with vegetarian oyster sauce
3. Dry Pot Cauliflower
4. Fish-fragrant eggplant

Paired with a natural amber version of a Frascati by Cantina Ribela'

#whatVegansEat #ChineseFood #TheVeganChineseKitchen #yum #cooking #foodLover #foodie #cookbooks #naturalWine #wineLover #AmberWine #WinesOfLazio

A little amber wine from Alsace to ease a dish of tête de veau. Hints of almonds and a nice acidity.

#wine
#AmberWine

One thing that sucks about being a natural wine champion for at least 15 years now, is that although natural wine bars are a dime a dozen in most Italian cities these days, all the patrons or owners are quite young. I can't hear over loud music and neon signs give me a headache. #old #genX
But like, I know I am cool because I was fucking punk and goth in the late 80s and 90s. #naturalWine #punksNotDead #AmberWine #Klinec

I love quirky tastings.

And simply featuring Georgian amber wines was quirky enough for many guests at a tasting in Beijing.

But then one brought an amber wine from Poland. And we had another from China’s Ningxia region. Plus, local wines made with Georgian grapes Saperavi and Rkatsiteli. And more.

We tried them at the new Peach restaurant, with Georgian wines from importer Larry Zheng.

They were a real eye -- and taste bud -- opener for amber wine novices. And it was fun to see their versatility in pairings with dishes with Mexican, Middle Eastern and Italian themes.

The story appeals, too: the idea of drinking wine familiar to people who existed before written history, as far back as 8000 years ago.

More details on the tasting here, with wines from Georgia (Casreli, Anapea Village
& Baia), Poland (Domaine Bliskowice) and China (Domaine Charme, Puchang & Grace Vineyard).

https://www.grapewallofchina.com/2022/10/21/orange-amber-wines-georgia-china/

#naturalwine #orangewine #amberwine #chinesewine #wine #winetasting #winelife

Decisions decisions…any one of these would be perfect with Thanksgiving fare. Especially the #skincontact #amberwine #orangewine selections. Big thanks to William Allen, the winemaker, for bringing these by yesterday. #amberrevolution #skinfermented #skincontactwine

‘Orange’ wine from China. Made by Longting winery, in coastal Shandong province, using Petit Manseng grapes, wild yeast and oak barrel aging.

The label says "delicate, dense and ethereal. It is like being in the singing of birds and flowers, and the joy of living things."

Sounds like spiritual experience!

I’ve been hosting Georgian wine tastings – all amber wines – of late, so I’ll save this bottle for the next one. Always like to have a few local wines, either skin-contact or made using Georgian grapes like Saperavi or Rkatsiteli.

Anyway, this wine is more evidence of how China's wine scene is steadily diversifying. While a Cabernet / Bordeaux blend mentality is still dominant, we see an ever-growing number of grape varieties used for commercial wines and more of those wines leaning to niches such as orange, natural and biodynamic.

#amberwine #orangewine #naturalwine #chinesewine #georgianwine #winelife