2008 La Spinetta Moscato d’Asti ‘Bricco Quaglia’, Piemonte, Italy (RMB 172)
Available from Watson’s, Contact Lily Li: LilyLi@asw.com.hk  www.watsonswine.com

La Spinetta is one of the top producers in Italy’s Piemonte region. As well as making great Barolo and Barbaresco, among other wines - for a stunning example from the 1997 vintage click here - La Spinetta also produces one of the region’s best Moscato d’Asti, a delightful sweet sparkling wine (in this case named after a hill-top vineyard - bricco - frequented by quails - quaglia).

Light green in colour with attractive, gentle bubbles, the nose has Moscato’s wonderful perfume of orange blossom and lime fruit. The palate is medium sweet with just enough acidity to balance and low alcohol (5.5% abv.), making it very drinkable!

Moscato d’Asti – which is typically of higher quality than generic ‘Asti’ – does not get much better than this! Try with dishes that contain chilli (or other acidic spices) or enjoy with Chinese fruits at the end of a banquet.

NV McGuigan Sparkling Shiraz Black Label, Australia (RMB 128)
Available from Gelipu Wines, Contact Danny Wu: ausdanny@gmail.com, 13911229053 www.ai9.com.cn

Sadly, there is not much Sparkling Shiraz in China. Most of it is consumed in Australia where it is extremely popular, particularly for special occasions. This is a fun and food-friendly wine ideal for Chinese New Year banquets.

Medium purple with an attractive, full mousse, the nose has pleasant black cherry and berry fruits with a touch of spice.

The palate has refreshing medium acidity and tannin is kept to a minimum for this style of wine. Very adaptable to many kinds of Chinese dishes. We just wish there was more Sparkling Shiraz available here.

(Photo: www.theworldwidewine.com)

Sparkling Reds

With Chinese New Year and Western Valentine’s Day falling on the same day this month, nothing could be more suitable to celebrate than a decent sparkling red wine. Most sparkling wines are either white or rosé; and whilst pink may be considered a romantic colour, red, especially in China, is undeniably positive.

The sparkling red with the longest history is Lambrusco from Central-Northern Italy. Lambrusco is the name of the grape variety used and the region of production is Emilia-Romagna, famous for its especially rich cuisine (in which butter and olive oil are frequently combined and Parma ham and Parmesan are not far behind).

(Photo: www.turismo.comune.mo.it)

Buying good Lambrusco is difficult: firstly, there are four types of which one, Lambrusco Reggiano, is sweet, while the other three are off-dry. There is also a glut of cheap Lambrusco, which unfairly tarnishes the image of what can be a wonderful wine (we once tried a Lambrusco in Bologna produced by Rinaldi Rinaldini that was a superb example).

Generally, high quality Lambrusco should be medium to deep red in colour with a generous sparkle, attractive red cherry fruit and refreshing, integrated acidity – perfect with many types of food from Italian pasta with tomato sauce to Hunan dishes (in Bologna the wine accompaines tortellini in broth or rich ragu sauces).

The other main sparkling red is the uniquely Australian Sparkling Shiraz (see this month’s Wine Picks for an example). This can be made from 100% Shiraz grapes or may have other red grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon blended into the base wine. It is generally off-dry but higher quality and usually more expensive examples will be essentially dry.

Like many other forms of Australian Shirazes, Sparkling Shiraz is full of berry fruits (mulberry, blueberry, blackberry, etc.) and has a very friendly palate with gentle acidity. However, unlike other styles, Sparkling Shiraz should be very low in tannin, thus the palate should not astringent at all.

Sparkling Shiraz should be easy to drink and is a great wine to pair with such classics as Beijing roast duck, hamburgers and many other forms of grilled or roast meat.

NV Warre’s ‘Warrior’ Special Reserve Ruby Port, Douro, Portugal (283RMB)
Available from Aussino (www.aussino.net). Contact: Joe Ma 13810465433, Email: joema@aussino.net

Founded in 1670, Warre’s was the first British-owned Port house and is now operated by The Symington Family. As a Reserve Ruby, this wine is from grapes of higher quality than normal Ruby Port - see this month’s Tips and Tricks for more information - and is aged for longer before release.

Dark purple in colour, the nose has lovely crushed black fruits and sweet spice aromas. A powerful palate with intense fruit, high tannins, vibrant acidity balancing the high sugar here, this wine has good length and is one of the best Reserve Ruby Ports.

2003 Graham’s Late Bottled Vintage Port, Douro, Portugal (306RMB)
Available from Torres China (www.torreschina.com). Contact: Jenny Zhang, Email: jenny@torres.com.cn

Graham’s, like Warre’s, is also part of The Symington Family estates. This wine is from the amazing 2003 vintage. As a Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) wine (see this month’s Tips and Tricks on Port styles), it can be drunk earlier than other Vintage Ports.

Very dark purple in colour, the nose has gorgeous concentrated black fruits and sweet and savoury spices. The palate is immensely rich with integrated sugar, high acidity, very ripe high tannins and excellent length.

This wine represents good value (in the Chinese market) and can easily last for a week after opening without spoiling.

Port: The Basics

The perfect drink for winter - or if, like us, you’re mad about fortifieds for any time of year - Port can be enjoyed by itself by the fire or with a wide range of cheeses, chocolate and desserts.

Ports are part of a family of ‘fortified wines’, so called because alcohol has been added to them, in this case during fermentation, so the resulting wine is deliciously sweet balanced with vibrant acidity.

The key to buying Port is to understand the two basic types on offer: those aged in wood and those aged in bottle.

The first type (‘wood-aged’) are know as Tawny Ports. During their maturation period, they are exposed to a lot of oxygen, so they change colour (from bright purple to a mellow brown-red, tawny colour) and develop delicious nutty flavours which also include caramel, coffee and spice aromas.

Tawnies are more mellow and less tannic than the bottle-aged Ports and pair excellently with cheeses of all types as well as being a perfect after-dinner drink. There are a few quality levels for Tawnies ranging from the basic Tawny to ones with indication of age, such as 10 year old, 20 year old. Of course, the older… the more expensive!

The main problem in China is that many of the Tawny Ports on offer are far too expensive by international standards (if you want better value, look for Reserve Ruby or LBV Ports - as explained below. See also this month’s Wine Picks).

Bottle-aged Ports include what we think of as classic Port, purple in colour, with strong black fruit flavours, spice and lots of flavour and structure.

The basic level, Ruby Port, is young, fruity, noticeably alcoholic and not of great quality. But it’s worth looking for Reserve Ruby which is made from better quality grapes and has a minimum ageing requirement.

Vintage Ports are the best of the best, only made in certain years, but require 20+years of ageing for ideal drinking- which needs lots of patience!! A good compromise is the categroy of Late Bottled Vintage. The winemaker delays the bottling of these vintage wines so that (with oxygen contact) they mature faster and are ready to drink on release without decades of ageing.

All these bottle-aged Ports are the perfect choice to pair with chocolate and chocolate-based desserts which are otherwise very hard on wine. Other types of Port exist but are relatively rare and generally hard to find in the PRC.

2005 Barone Ricasoli ‘Castello di Brolio’ Chianti Classico, Tuscany, Italy (508RMB)
Available from Watson’s. Contact: Lily Li. Email: LilyLi@asw.com.hk www.watsonswine.com

The Barone Ricasoli restored his family’s castle and vineyards in the early 1990s and now makes some of the finest Chianti available.

Predominantly Sangiovese, this wine is a gorgeous dark purple-red colour with a lovely nose of red and black cherry fruit, clove spice and subtle, savoury oak aromas. The palate is packed with sour, but ripe black and red cherry fruit, refreshing high acidity and a wonderful tannic structure with excellent length. Very high quality and superb with turkey, duck, goose or other roast birds!

2006 De Bortoli ‘Noble One’ Botrytis Semillon, Riverina, New South Wales, Australia 375 ml (443RMB)
Available from Torres China. Contact: Jenny Zhang. Email: jenny@torres.com.cn www.torreschina.com

Sweet wines are essential at Christmas! May be you have tasted France’s great treasures such as Sauternes from Bordeaux, Coteaux du Layon or Bonnezeaux from the Loire Valley or the wonderful sweet wines of Alsace. But Australia’s Noble One is among the greatest sweet wines available. In its first vintage in 1982 it even beat Chateau d’Yquem in a blind-tasting!

Deep gold in colour, the nose has lovely honey and citrus lemon with the savoury aromas of noble rot (botrytis). A rich, sweet palate with balancing acidity and wonderful length make for a special Christmas treat! Don’t just think to match this wine with fruit or cream desserts. Try with paté, especially foie gras (fatty goose or duck liver). The trick with sweet wines is: never serve a dish that is sweeter than the wine itself (otherwise your delicate ‘dessert’ wine, so-called, will taste unduly sour).

Wines for Christmas

This year Beijing seems to be celebrating Christmas like never before (no doubt the tinsel will stay up until the more serious business of Chinese New Year).

This month we’re going to suggest, therefore, a few tips and tricks concerning wines for the festive season: including wines for parties and what to match with that demanding turkey dinner!

Party wines should be instantly appealing. If you have the budget, Champagne is always a good start. In Beijing, look out for: Pol Roger (Summergate), Louis Roederer (Links China), Taittinger (Torres China), Bollinger (ASC) and Egly-Ouriet (Globus). Duval-Leroy (East Meets West) is also a good option. But if you want something a little more affordable, try the Italian sparkling Prosecco: Bisol (East Meets West) is probably the best Prosecco producer available in Beijing.

For party whites and reds, wines from New World countries rarely disappoint as they are so dependable. They are also more adaptable to the wide range of foods that can appear on party tables. Australian Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay can all work well, as well as New Zealand Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Syrah and Sauvignon Blanc.

Like Australia, Chile offers especially good value in the Chinese market. Chilean Syrah is very impressive at the moment, but don’t forget Chile’s classic grape Carmenere. If higher alcohol wines are a problem, try Mosel Riesling from Germany (around 7% abv.) or you can enjoy Torres’ new de-alcoholized wine, Torres Natureo (Torres China), a white Muscat anyone can gan bei!

What is a traditional Christmas dinner? Different countries follow their own interpretations, but the American turkey seems to have travelled the world. Personally, we prefer duck or goose! Also, a turkey dinner with various other meat stuffings and a huge of array of vegetables and sauces can be tough on wine.

However, this meal is suitable for riper types of Pinot Noir (from California, Australia, Chile or New Zealand) or spicier versions of Syrah or Shiraz (France’s Northern Rhone, Australia’s Hunter Valley).

Riper red wines from Italy can also be delicious made from grapes such as Sangiovese, Nero d’Avola and Negroamaro. Full-bodied, oaked Chardonnay can also work well or even Alsace Gewurztraminer in dry or off-dry styles.

2007 Cono Sur Pinot Noir, Chile (RMB 109)
Available from Pernod Ricard. Contact Daisy Wang (Daisy.Wang@pernod-ricard-china.com) 13466329273

Pinot Noir is hard to get right and make affordable, but this example from Chilean producer Cono Sur is excellent value. Chile is also likely to produce increasingly interesting Pinot Noirs as it discovers the potential of new regions such as Limari.

Medium red in colour, the nose has perfumed red cherry and raspberry fruit whilst the palate combines lively acidity, silky tannins and good length.

2007 Momo Pinot Noir, Marlborough, New Zealand (RMB 247)
Available from The Wine Republic. Contact: Matt Bahen, Email: matt@thewinerepublic.com www.thewinerepublic.com

This wine comes from an excellent producer, Seresin Estate. New Zealand’s Marlborough region may be better known for Sauvignon Blanc, but it also has some charming Pinot Noirs. Lovely medium ruby in colour, the nose has appealing red cherry fruit, Pinot Noir’s violet-scented perfume and elegant oak.

The palate has silky fine tannins, lovely refreshing acidity, great fruit and impressive length. For the Chinese market, this wine represents especially good value.

(Photo: The Hill of Corton with crop-thinned Pinot Noir)

Aromatic Red Varieties: Pinot Noir

Although the Chinese autumn is short, the welcome change in temperature means that many wine lovers turn to red wines for comfort. But not everyone likes to drink big, full-bodied, high-alcohol reds. If you would like something often elegant, usually lighter-bodied and wonderfully perfumed, Pinot Noir is the answer.

Pinot Noir will typically have lovely red fruits, aromas of violets or other flowers – Pinot has its own distinctive perfume – combining with lighter tannins and the refreshing acidity that makes it such a good partner to many types of foods.

Pinot Noir is, however, difficult to grow and only comes from distinct regions. Its home is France’s Burgundy region, but the variable climate means that you should only choose red Burgundies from the best producers. New Zealand, especially in the Martinborough and Central Otago regions, produces excellent Pinot Noir. Australia too, in the Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula and Geelong regions of Victoria, has some great Pinot Noirs.

Good-value Pinots can also be found from Chile; whilst the wines of Oregon and certain parts of California (Sonoma, Carneros), although often expensive, can be very high in quality (see this month’s Wine Picks for some good value Pinot Noirs available in China).

Amazingly, Pinot Noirs from warmer climates – especially Australia – can even go well with Sichuan cuisine.

If you don’t believe us, try any well-made New World Pinot Noir with kou shui ji (mouth-watering chicken). You may be surprised! Or go for a sparkling white wine rich in Pinot Noir. This works brilliantly too with chilli-hot and aromatic, spicy cuisines.

NV Prosecco ‘Jeio’ Valdobbiadene Brut, Bisol, Veneto, Italy 211RMB
Available from East Meets West, contact: Wendy Jiang. Email: wendy@emw-wines.com

Prosecco is an easy sparkling wine to enjoy and to remember! Prosecco is both the grape name and place from which this famous Veneto sparkler comes. Bisol is a highly reliable producer too, this wine originating from the Valdobbiadene heartland of the Treviso region.

Light to medium green in colour with a persistent mousse, this Prosecco has delicate apple and pear fruit, refreshing high acidity and good length.  Try as an aperitif or with many Chinese light dishes (Prosecco is very food-friendly).

NV Pol Roger Champagne Brut, France 826RMB
Available from Summergate, contact: Jim Yang. Email: jim.yang@summergate.com
Telephone 86.10. 6562.1800 ext 16.

Although one of the famous Grande Marque Champagne houses – like Moët & Chandon or Veuve Cliquot – Pol Roger is relatively small. It boasts very high quality wines indeed. This classic non-vintage Brut – known popularly as ‘White Foil’ on account of its distinctive white packaging – is a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier (exactly a third of each).

Lovely medium gold colour with a fine, delicate mousse, the nose has complex citrus and slight redcurrant fruit with typical yeasty, bread-like and biscuit aromas. The palate is effectively dry with amazing depth of flavour, very well-balanced high acidity and considerable length. Winston Churchill once described Pol Roger as ‘the most drinkable address in Europe’. Now we can enjoy this top-flight Champagne in China!

(Photo: the late Bill Baker with Fongyee Walker, 2004 Pol Roger Champagne Oxford-Cambridge Varsity Wine Tasting Match)

The Real Thing: Champagne

Did you know that there is an office in Beijing whose specific remit is to protect the name and reputation of ‘Champagne’ in China?  Why does Champagne require such special attention?

Champagne is a protected area and name (in France, for wine, we call this ‘Appellation Controlee‘ or a controlled name of origin). Only sparkling wine produced within the Champagne region according to the traditional method can be labelled Champagne. All other wines with bubbles that come from other areas must be called ‘Sparkling Wine’ only or, if made by the traditional method but in other French regions, ‘Cremant‘. Of course, some of these other wines can be as delicious as Champagne, but cannot be labelled as such.

Apart from the legal and commercial considerations of protecting the name, what quantitavely supports maintaining Champagne as Champagne? The Champagne area, a marginal one for ripening grapes, is relatively distinctive: it has a very cool climate by viticultural standards and very chalky soil. This combination produces advantageous flavours and especially high acidity - ideal for sparkling wine production - and is only found in Champagne (and in parts of England - but don’t tell the French that! Watch this space…).

Regulations also pertain to ageing requirements for non-vintage and vintage Champagne. Although a lot of average quality Champagne nonetheless exists, this is still the region capable of producing some of the most distinctive sparkling wines in the world and - despite recent attempts to expand the AC area - one worthy of a protected name.