'China's New Wave of Natural Wine: Adversity has sparked diversity for China's winemakers, with niche wines emerging in what was a very traditional wine market."

My article in Wine Searcher.

In sum, Chinese wines became more diverse during the COVID era, driven by global inspiration, local ambition and economic necessity.

https://www.wine-searcher.com/m/2023/03/chinas-new-wave-of-natural-wine

#wine #naturalwine #petnat #orangewine #biodynamicwine #china #chinawine #chinesewine

Lunar New Year wine tasting in Beijing with bottles from Ningxia, Shanxi and Hebei. This was our third CHILL AF outdoor wine tasting and our fingers and toes were indeed numb after three hours in the wild. But it was worth it given the quality of the wine and view: we opened these bottles at the edge of a frozen pond within the park, with blue skies, traditional buildings and the downtown skyline in sight.

The white wine from Clovitis is made with local grape Longyan / Dragon Eye and is light, lemon-y and zippy. The Cabernet-driven red blends are from Grace Vineyard, a supple easy-drinking and fruity wine, and Helan Qing Xue, which had dark berry and toast-y aromas, the latter from the oak barrels in which it was aged.

Good friends, good wines, good talk, good times.

#winetasting #chinesewine #ningxiawine #chinawine #lunarnewyear #yearoftherabbit #beijing

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

Santa Cloud! A box with three Three tea-infused Chardonnays by Lingering Clouds in Ningxia -- Jasmine, Oolong and Longjing -- outside my door this morning.

These are pet-nats--sparkling wines made via the 'ancestral' method that pre-dates Champagne and involves a single fermentation.

(I'm calling them 茶rdonnay. 茶 is the character for tea and spoken as 'cha'. Thus, we get CHArdonnay / 茶rdonnay / 茶多丽.)

I tasted tank samples of all three with winemaker Jianjun 'Johnny' Liu in September and look forward to trying the final product!

#wine #china #chinesewine #chinesewines #chardonnay #petnet

Boozy bunny! The first Year of the Rabbit-themed wine I have seen this season.

Magnum-sized red blend by the independent winemaker Jianjun 'Johnny' Liu of Lingering Clouds in Ningixa.

Blend of 90% Syrah, 5% Viognier and 5% Dunkelfelder, aged for 10 months in old French oak. I will do a taste test soon!

Liu, who packed up his life and moved to Ningxia to make wine a decade ago, will also soon release a pet-nat series, which follows up on his first attempts with this style in 2021. (His Muscat was spot on.)

I was determined to visit Liu on my Ningxia trip in September and did so on the way to the airport, impressed by both his dedication and tank samples. He is part of a wave of winemakers sourcing grapes, renting equipment, creating their own labels and selling directly to consumers.

#ningxia #ningxiawines #宁夏 #宁夏葡萄酒 #syrah #viogner #dunkelfelder #yearoftherabbit #chinesewine #中国葡萄酒

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

‘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

First post. With harvest finished, the vineyards are readied so the vines can be buried to protect them from the cold dry winters.

Photo taken at Lion Fort Winery in Beijing's Fangshan District, which has also created hybrid grapes that require no burial -- the big issue will be selling the story and taste to consumers.

Our tour was led by the 86-year-young chief wine consultant Zou Fu and included a look at the winery, cellar and laboratory, plus a tasting that evolved into a dinner gathering.

#wine #china #chinesewine #beijing #beijingwine #fangshan #grapewallofchina

Ai ya! 'Temporary containment status' at our building as we wait for results of PRC testing: seems there was a positive case in our complex but 1) results are being re-checked and 2) tests are processed in batches so the one in question might be from another building in our complex.

If I do get locked down at home--better than in a central facility!--I'm going to catch up on the stories and tasting notes behind wines featured at my consumer tastings this year.

#chinesewine #中国葡萄酒

Orange wine from China. Made by winery Longting in coastal Shandong province with 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 spiritual! Will save it for my next consumer tasting.

China's wine scene is steadily diversifying, with more grape varieties and more wines leaning to niches like orange, natural and biodynamic.

#orangewine #chinesewine