Editor’s Note: As many of you know, we diverge from Iberian wine every now and again to give you new perspectives and experiences on wine from abroad. This week, our Chinese correspondent, Edward Ragg, of Dragon Phoenix Fine Wine Consulting gives his the first installment of his series on how he became a Chinese wine consultant in Beijing.

First off, a few qualifiers… I am not Chinese nor am I a consultant to Chinese wineries; although, for better or worse, I have tasted my way through multiple Chinese wines, if only a handful overall from a country that boasts several hundred wineries in Shandong province alone.

Sadly, I’m not a master of Chinese either; and currently grasp only enough of the language to get me into trouble or fool taxi drivers into thinking my linguistic skills extend beyond ‘Turn Left’, ‘Turn Right’ or ‘Please go to the end of the street’. These are the phrases most ex-pats here obviously have to learn; and, sadly, what most of us only have time to learn. After the usual practical banter, I typically fall at the first hurdle when it comes to intimate questions about my family, salary and what I’m paying on rent (apartment and office): questions just about every Beijing taxi driver will gladly ask.

So it’s with a sense of caution that I talk about anything ‘in China’ or indeed Chinese consumers’ responses to wine, relying as I do on my wife Fongyee’s far more competent language capabilities. Nevertheless, through team-work or otherwise, we have been hugely …

Editor’s Note: After reading the title of this post, you may be pondering why Catavino has an article on North-East Chinese cuisine, which is a very good question. Edward Ragg, our Chinese correspondent, has been sharing his experiences living in Beijing as a wine consultant, which have included very detailed and descriptive articles on the state of Spanish wine in east Asia, as well as his experience with pairing traditional Chinese foods with Iberian wine. Considering that Edward is magically finding time to share his knowledge with us, between wine fairs and teaching WSET courses, we are clearly very appreciative. And if you have any questions for Edward, please don’t hesistate to put them in the comments.

It’s now almost two years since my wife, Fongyee, and I moved to China to begin work as wine consultants, a profession that barely exists in a country that only really began importing wine some fifteen years ago and whose own wine industry is dominated by massive government corporations.

Much of that time has, of course, been devoted to setting up a company – no easy thing in the PRC – getting to know the wine importers and fledgling wine magazines as well as becoming more and more familiar with the different national wine markets – Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and further a field – the extent of wine knowledge at consumer and trade levels, people’s expectations of wine in general and what myths v. facts abide in an emergent wine culture.

Trying myriad Chinese wines, judging at Chinese wine competitions and the teething pains of setting up a website and blog – ever works in progress – have had their own challenges. But we can hardly complain: this invaluable …

Not a great deal has been written on what is admittedly the relatively new area of pairing international wines with Chinese cuisine. Or should that be Chinese cuisines? This vast country, now in the grips of the Olympics at last, boasts an incredible array of provincial and regional dishes, embracing just about every cooking technique under the sun – many of which, of course, were either ‘invented’ or developed in China itself.

So, if you want to explore Chinese cooking and try your hand at matching your favorite wines with different dishes, how can you get started? And what dishes might partner well with Iberian wines, an equally diverse world of flavors and textures?

China’s rich culinary heritage is hugely complex. But, put simply, four overall groups dominate: Lu (Shandong), Yue (Cantonese), Chuan (Sichuan) and Huaiyang (Jiangsu). What wines match with these groups? Given the innate diversity of these cuisines, Chinese gourmets will find this question bizarre: a bit like saying, ‘What wines can pair with French, Spanish, Norwegian or Austrian food’? The answers can seem endless, but we have to start somewhere.

Below are some specific examples from each school of cooking matched with one or more Spanish or Portuguese wines. There are certainly enough wine-styles and types of wine-making in the Iberian Peninsula to offer some great matches with Chinese dishes from different traditions.

And, if some of these cuisines are not all that available outside China, the great Cantonese Diaspora has at least meant that what passes for Chinese …

Our Chinese correspondent, Edward Ragg, recently sat down with Honorio Noya Dominguez, a native of Barrantes in the heart of the Salnes Valley, part of the Rias Baixas DO, to explore the future of Albarino wines in China. Honorio is the export manager for the producer Veiga Serantes, although, as part of a small family operation, is actually involved in every stage of the wine-making process. He has lived in the UK, Ireland and Germany and his passion for travel has undoubtedly helped in researching new markets, as he aims to bring great Albariño to the world. He began visiting China in 2007 and has remained a repeat visitor.

You work for Veiga Serantes, a top-quality Albariño producer in Rias Baixas. This is your second visit to China. What would you say is the current situation for Spanish wines in China?
Well, the wine-world in China is developing really quickly, like almost everything over here, mainly in certain urban centres: Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Guangzhou etc.. The interest in wine is growing in both expatriate and, most importantly, local sectors. No one is selling a lot of wine yet, but the range of wines is changing quickly; and, although wine education is in its infancy, Chinese consumers seem to be learning equally fast. The image of Spain as a quality wine producing country is not very solid here, and a lot of work will have to be done to achieve the recognition and status Spain really deserves. Most Chinese consumers are not really aware of Spain as a major wine producer, although it is potentially a plus-point to have the traditional image of an Old World country with a number of prestige estates and notable wines (Riscal, Murrieta, …

Editor’s Note: A few month’s ago, Edward Ragg of Dragon Phoenix Fine Wine Consulting in Beijing contacted us through Catavino to simply say “hello”, a gesture we always appreciate! With a little back and forth through emails over the course of a month, we slowly built a relationship, eventually asking Edward if he wouldn’t mind covering the Vinoexpo Asia event for us on Catavino. Lucky for us, he agreed and has provided us with two posts on the event, which I trust you’ll enjoy. Hopefully this does not end, and we look forward to more input from Edward as we move forward. For more detailed information on Edward, please check out our “about” page. If you want to be a Catavino correspondent we are still looking for individuals in the UK, and USA, who want to help round out the Catavino team. Just email us at: write{at}catavino{dot}net.ll

There was certainly a buzz in the humid Hong Kong air when some 700 wineries, trade bodies and other interested parties set up stall for this year’s Vinexpo Asia, held from 27th-29th May in Hong Kong’s massive Wan Chai Convention Center.

This bi-annual event, first started in 2006, was, of course, boosted this year with the news that the Hong Kong government has slashed import duty on wine. Some merchants have already adjusted prices on their stock, but we shouldn’t expect significant price changes until new wines arrive and not everyone will lower their prices commensurately.

Some commentators think Macau and even mainland China will follow suit. But mainland China is a totally different market from that of Hong Kong, Macau or, for that matter, Taiwan. Imported wine is only growing slowly, if steadily, in mainland China. Despite …