A Champion of Chinese Wines
I like to think of myself as a champion of off-the-beaten-track wines. I love trying lesser-known grape varieties from lesser-known wine regions. Now that’s not to say I don’t also love the excellent wines we find on the well-beaten path to France and Italy, but instead, my tastes are curious, and I’m open to all wine experiences. Sometimes this curiosity is not rewarded; for example, I’m still trying to like orange wine. However, most of the time, my inquisitiveness is rewarded with some extraordinary wines (often at very reasonable prices).
When I saw the invitation to a Chinese wine event, I hesitated. I was, at the same time, curious and cautious. I know that China produces excellent wines, but my experience of Chinese wine to date has been that they are poor copies of French wines or ridiculously expensive. In addition, the Chinese wine industry is relatively young and still trying to figure out its identity. What grapes to plant where, and what wine will this produce? I’m sure with time, experimentation and brave winemakers, China will find its own signature style.
A great example of how China is producing distinctive and unexpected wines is the Puchang Vineyard in Xinjiang, China. Located in the Turpan Valley on the edge of the Gobi desert, Puchang Wines produces some exceptional wine. They are certified organic and engage in all manner of viticultural methods to even grow vines in this area. With average temperatures of 14.5C, less than 20mm of annual rainfall and a 270-day growing season, this is not a place where grapes will naturally thrive or even survive. In addition, with -20C winter freezes, they need to bury their grapes to survive the winter. In short a hostile viticultural area!
Add to this the fact that they are not just growing the usual suspects of Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir but a host of grape varieties I’d never heard of. Grapes like Saperavi and Rkatsiteli from Georgia, a Beichun, a hybrid of wild grapes of Jalin Province, China and Muscat from Xinjiang. This unique terroir and these exotic grapes culminate in some distinctive and delicious wines. The Rkatsiteli, in particular, was an exciting discovery. This wine is dry with crisp acidity and a more exciting and complex version of Chablis.
The challenges facing Chinese wines are reputation, distribution and price point. Chinese wines are more expensive and less well-known than wines from other parts of the world, so who will drink them? They may have novelty value if you’re in a Chinese restaurant, albeit probably not going to shine when paired with Chinese cuisine. I also wonder who will select a Chinese Cabernet Sauvignon over a Bordeaux or Napa Valley at the same price point? The hipster wine enthusiast? Maybe?
Maybe the answer to promoting and selling Chinese wines is to make them cool, alternative and edgy. To encourage the creative and curious to fall in love with these wines precisely because they are off-the-well-beaten-path. The hipster wine enthusiast will turn away from pricy Bordeaux in favour of a Pet Nat or orange wine. Let us not forget these are the very people who were responsible for putting Orange wines on the world wine map! Wines like those from Puchang Vinyards are excellent and delicious. These are not French or Italian wines, nor should they try to be. They are unique in terroir and flavour and will appeal to the curious and quality-seeking wine drinker. So when you are next in a hip, cool wine bar, look out for a Chinese wine and make it your “go-to” rather than your “I’ll give that a go (once)”!