Tag Archives: China

Chateau Guofei, situated in Heshuo (aka Hoxud) County, Xinjiang, is to be congratulated for not just producing riesling, but a dry and a semi-sweet version (most Chinese wineries are obsessed with making chardonnay when it comes to white wine). This is the semi-sweet riesling which has 80 gm of residual …

ZHANG Bo assumed responsibility for Chateau Guofei from his father in 2014. A former magistrate, Zhang (with law degress from China and Germany), continues to be based in Lanzhou, Gansu, where he works as a pro bono legal counsel offering free legal advice to individuals. First planted in 2009 and …

Legacy Peak Estate Grown Chardonnay 2015 Legacy Peak, in Ningxia, is situated within a national park containing the imperial tombs and royal mausoleums of the Western Xia Dynasty (1038-1227). A UNESCO Heritage Site in north-west China, the kingdom was contemporaneous with the Song Dynasty (960 – 1279). The tombs are …

Welcome to EDITION 740 of GRAPEVINE No 50-something-year old man has any business asking a 20-year old girl to kan pei. If, for some reason, you think that assertion too harsh, then I presume you would consider it alright if the same 50-something-year old man  asked his 20-year old daughter to kan pei. Lest you still think …

Tiansai of Gobi is situated in Yanqi, Bazhou prefecture, Xinjiang province. I visited, last week, for the third – or was it the fourth – time. Proprietor CHEN Lizhong and consultant winemaker LI De Mei were there and conducted a tour of the vineyard and put on a tasting. The best wine, …

This is arguably Tiansai Vineyard’s finest, best red they have produced to date. Violets, and raspberry fruit of intensity and stubborn persistence. Sweetness of ripe fruit wrapped in textured suave tannins. And delicious freshness. Full-bodied but very elegant. Decanted for an hour. This is the first vintage of Tiansai Grand …

Mid-gold. Nutty, dried cooked orange peel, cinnamon and spice. Gently sweet. Smooth, rich, and round. Very Cognac-like. Produced from the marc of chardonnay and riesling of the 2013 vintage. 41% in alcohol.  JIANG Yanjun started as winemaker at Tiansai in 2013. Apart from wine, he also makes a brandy which …

Welcome to EDITION 739 of GRAPEVINE Silk Road is situated very near Kazakhstan (two hours to drive) in scenic Yili, where the same named river flows through. Yili also has 2,000 hectares planted to lavender. The climate – and weather – in Xinjiang is so arid, there’s hardly a pest in sight. …

Silk Road owns three vineyards in Yili. Two are to the east, 20 km from the city of Yining. The third is 50 km west of the city (where flights arrive). This predominant cabernet sauvignon has 3% petit verdot. Deep coloured. Rich blackberry fruit held together by rich, smoky oak …