Shanghai Dispatch

I've got a bit of a backlog but had to make sure and fill in some notes from a recent trip to Shanghai that involved some oenological adventures over dinners at Jade on 36 at the Shangri-La and Jean Georges's Shanghai outpost. Both restaurants had killer views of Shanghai - Jade on 36 has a high up view on the Bund's historical trade buildings, while Jean Georges offers up the perspective from the opposite bank, nicely framing up Pudong's space-age skyline.

Chinese wine unfortunately doesn't offer much to explore, at least not yet (and likely not for 5-10 more years); when I mentioned wanting to try some Chinese wine this trip, a few of my friends threw out Great Wall in the manner of a four-letter word. While Chinese rice wines and beers are popular and enjoyable, grape wine made in the European style has only recently become more popular due to China's ascendant middle class and its accompanying taste for European and Western imports. Chinese winemaking dates back thousands of years, with the first vines planted in 128BC. But these dates really mean nothing as modern Chinese winemaking is still very much a fledgling affair: There are no regulations to standardize labeling with regard to varietal, appellation, or vintage. Government regulation with regard to import tarriffs, approval of joint ventures with foreign winemakers, and control of distribution is constantly in flux.

Yet there is opportunity for development as Chinese winemakers trained in Europe have become more active, and foreign investmenthas grown with higher-profile projects including a joint venture from Remy Martin (Dynasty), partnership with Torres (Grace), plus greater interest from winemakers around the world. Many Chinese domestic wine producers are either state-owned enterprises or cooperatives, largely centered in the coastal Shandong Province with some wines coming out of Shanxi Province, futher inland along the same latitude. Even if China is not the next great terroir, the potential market represented by the sheer size of its population continues to tempt further investment in developing a robust Chinese wine production center.



Dinner in Shanghai was a constant struggle for me during the whole week there, as I found myself fighting jet lag (usually unsuccessfully). The first relevant meal at Jade on 36 was pretty standard French fare with a somewhat modern spin, appropriately paired with a Louis Jadot Nuits St. George. I wish I could say I had written down notes on the first impressions, but I do remember it was a somewhat fruity yet acidic wine. It was also the first Burgundy I'd had in a while, and an interesting contrast to the fruit-bomb flavors I've come to expect from Santa Barbara pinot noirs. A thanks to D for the meal, and J for the pictures here and below, and both for being good dinner company.

A couple of nights later, we had the good fortune to dine at Jean Georges (certainly can't complain about the food on this trip!), where the sommelier was a bit of a character, and nice enough to chat with us about Chinese wine (didn't seem that excited) as well as offer up a taste of some Grace Vineyard Merlot. We all agreed that the wine teased the palate with promising Merlot characteristics, it was ultimately a one-dimensional wine that faded quickly. To be fair, however, he did say that the white wines were much more satisfying; for whatever reason, that savoir-faire has yet to filter into the red wine production.


We spent the rest of the meal contemplating a tempranillo from Ribera del Duero in Spain, pictured above with the Pearl Tower in the background. It had all the full-bodied characteristics you would expect from a tempranillo of its provenance, plus strong flavors of dark fruit and a heavy earthiness I could only describe as "loamy." This bottle was much more interesting over the course of the dinner, with different flavors emerging as we let it breathe further.

All in all, a great trip to Shanghai. I am undeterred in my search for a great Chinese wine, despite the signs that its time has yet to come. If anything, however, this trip has made me aware of the wide variety of winemakers that are out there; the only challenge will be in finding a quality one, then lugging a few cases back across the Pacific.

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The Angle of Light, pmorgan via flickr