Wine

China special

Up in Shandong province, a vineyard is giving spicy food a proper match

While it was, once again, a somewhat subdued Chinese New Year this February, domestic wine sales in China held up remarkably well in the shopping run up to the holidays. Top e-commerce platform JD.com reported Chinese-made wines, Ningxia wine in particular, saw a nine-fold boost in sales in December compared with the same period in 2020. Perhaps this reflects the improving quality and reputation of domestic wines, thanks to local investment and support from international firms like Pernod Ricard and Rothschild. What is more, there’s also a flourishing niche independent market whose wines are available internationally to drink.

Take Treaty Port Vineyards, a venture started in 2004 by Yorkshireborn and long-time Shanghai resident Chris Ruffle. The vineyard is in Mulangou Village, in the Qiushan Valley near Penglai in Shandong Province. Shandong’s first all-organic producer, it is 190 m above sea level and with its own advantageous micro-climate. There’s also a faux-Scottish castle that doubles as the vineyard’s HQ and a boutique hotel.

Treaty Port Vineyard now produces eight varieties of reds, whites, and a rosé, as well as a recently launched Ruby XO Brandy, eleven years old and sweetened up with a splash of merlot. Ruffle is keen to pair his wines with Chinese and other Asian cuisines. For instance, his newly launched The Drunken Beauty is the vineyard’s first sweet red wine, which he believes can stand up to mapodofu, tofu set in a spicy Sichuan sauce. In China, he is marketing it to Sichuan and Hunan restaurants whose fare is usually considered far too spicy for accompanying wines. The vineyard’s white Viognier/Chardonnay, The Lady of Fashion, pairs particularly well with sushi and seafood, while their Petit Verdot/Arinarnoa red, The Prince is considered a good accompaniment to braised pork or the classic dish of Peking Roast Duck.

The Treaty Port Vineyards continues to experiment and try new varieties. Most recent is The Commissioner, a 2014 reserve Marselan, a cross between Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache, a grape type that, according to Ruffle, is now doing very well in China. Success didn’t happen overnight for Ruffle and Treaty Port Vineyards. Business in China, including the wine business, is never without its frustrations and challenges. Ruffle recounts his struggles in his engaging 2016 memoir, A Decent Bottle of Wine in China. The struggle has been worth it. ●

Two (more) to try

THE MANCHU BRIDE is Treaty Port’s 2018 Muscat, cold-fermented in stainless steel tanks and held there until bottling which keeps it super fresh. A floral, lychee-like aroma and palate best drunk chilled on a hot day. Pairs excellently with fish and seafood - or just as an aperitif on its own.

Chinese rosés are not a common thing so well worth trying is Treaty Port’s Grenache Noir/Muscat The Debutante. The vineyard harvested, crushed, soaked and pressed the grenache noir fruit in a single day. After fermentation it was blended with the vineyard’s muscat.

The result has hints of strawberry, cherry and rose petal and, drunk chilled, is a very decent accompaniment to any Chinese banquet. ●