FOLLOWING the victory of Chinese red wines over French ones at a taste-off in Beijing, The Connexion asked: “Should French wine growers be nervous?” My answer is "no". The competition pitted China’s best against some ho-hum Bordeaux wines. And, as Spanish winemaker Miguel Torres told me, “China doesn’t have any good terroir.” Even so, the French now make Champagne, Burgundy and Bordeaux imitations in Ningxia province - an obliging hussy of a terroir just south of the Gobi Desert. Enjoy the spectacle of Chinese wine officials trying to establish China's wine credentials, like a U.S. presidential candidate trying to establish his Irish roots.
Full article first published in The Connexion (February, 2012)
