Tipple talk | Belle Taylor

The rather grand sounding Australia's First Families of Wine were in China recently, stopping over in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong to talk up Australian wine, in particular their own brands, including DeBortoli, Brown Brothers, Taylors, Tyrrell's Wines, Yalumba, Tahbilk, Henschke and d'Arenberg,

The 12 families represent 16 wine growing regions Down Under and have joined together to tell the story of Australian wine, in particular to emphasize that many wineries are family owned, not just businesses run by faceless millionaires.

The families have already completed tours of the United States and Europe and have high hopes for China. Aussie vintners hope that as the Chinese wine market matures, their wine will take a more prominent place on the table, as consumers start to buy for consumption and not just gifting.

At a dinner at Capital M (the flagship Beijing restaurant of another Australian, Michelle Garnaut) a representative from each of the families presented one of their wines, many branching off to speak about the culture and traditions of their wineries.

But this wasn't just about the stuff in the bottle.

Some of the delegates had used their trip to China to not only visit the sights themselves, but observe the habits and preferences of Chinese tourists who they are hoping to lure to their country.

Amy Burch of Burch family wines, whose labels include Howard Park and Madfish, is working on establishing a tasting center (with the help of a grant from Australian tourism authorities) in the Margaret River area with Mandarin speaking staff to lure more wine-loving Chinese tourists.

Tasted at the dinner were wines from each of the 12 families. Highlights included Henschke's Cyril Henschke Cabernet Sauvignon 2009, a big South Australian red with lots of dark berry flavors and a lovely long finish and Tyrrell's Winemakers selection Vat 1 Hunter Semillon 2007, an easy to love crisp white with lovely citrus notes and pleasant finish.

Abadia Retuerta hosted the poshest of posh of wine lunches at the Park Hyatt in Beijing recently, showcasing their very fine reds from their vineyard a two-hour drive north-west of Madrid.

Like the Australians, Abadia Retuerta are also hoping to lure visitors to their winery in Spain, having developed a wine tourism destination that will immerse visitors in the heart of Spanish wine country.

Their vineyard, according to a slightly over-the-top coffee table book handed to guests at the lunch (you know the type, lots of photos of bucolic vineyards and soft focus grapes) sits alongside a restored 12th-century Abby where guests can eat Spanish food, drink great wine, and generally soak up the atmosphere in decidedly less austere conditions than the original resident monks did.

The vineyard was established in 1996 but it lies in the heart of a traditional wine growing area and Abadia Retuerta has spared no expense in developing world-class wines that draw from the traditions of Spanish winemaking with an eye to the modern market. This is a slick outfit, the challenge is - can the wine live up to the gloss of its marketing? If what was served at the lunch is any indication, yes.

Their best-known wine, the Abadia Retuerta Seleccion Especial is an easy drinking, rich fruity red, perfect when paired with big flavor, tomato based dishes. Notable also is the single-variety Petit Verdot, only 1,000 bottles of the stuff are produced every year. It is certainly a luxury wine, packed with rich, Spanish flavors of coffee and chocolate, but for all its exclusivity Tipple Talk was expecting something a bit more exciting than simply another, (albeit very good) Spanish red.

The pick would have to be the Pago Valdebellon, made entirely from Cabernet Sauvignon grapes it is a lively, complex wine that works well with lovely dark berry characteristics. Surely the monks would have approved.

Contact the writer at belletaylor@chinadaily.com.cn.

(China Daily 11/10/2013 page13)