Hospices de Beaune takes tastings to Chin

November  27, 2010

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Organisers of the annual Hospices de Beaune auction are woong Chinese buyers for the first time with local tastings of the Burgundies slated for sale on 21 November. In anticipation of its 150th sale, the Hospices de Beaune and Christie’s – which has managed the sale since 2005 – have added Beijing, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Taipei to the cities hosting preview tastings before the auctions in Beaune on 21 November.

While Chinese buyers’ preference for red wine ‘continues to develop,’ said Alain Suguenot, MP and mayor of Beaune, their knowledge of Burgundy remains poor.

‘It’s true the Chinese market has not followed Burgundy en masse, as it has Bordeaux,’ said Charles Curtis MW, head of North American wine sales for Christie’s.

‘It is a difficult category for the new wine drinker to wrap their head around. But the leading collectors are both passionate and interested, and will influence others. It will be a gold rush once they discover it.’

Curtis noted that although Asian buyers accounted for 10% of the €5m revenue from last year’s Hospices de Beaune sale, he doesn’t expect marked upward pressure on this year’s prices – even with the tastings in China.

‘The barriers to entry [for buying wine at the Hospices auction] are high,’ he points out.

‘You must commit to a barrel, find an eleveur, choose your bottling and wait two years. It will be a few years before the concept takes off significantly.’

Other experts agree the learning curve will be steep. Fongyee Walker, a Beijing-based wine educator and consultant told Decanter.com, ‘My first reaction is that the market is generally too young for this kind of initiative, but it would be an interesting development because at present understanding of Burgundy and its wines is limited among the mainland Chinese.’

The auction will be guest-hosted by two actors – France’s Fabrice Luchini, presiding on behalf of cancer charity AVEC – and China’s Liu Ye, on behalf of Climats du vignoble de Bourgogne.

The latter, led by Aubert de Villaine of Domaine de la Romanee Conti, seeks recognition of Burgundy terroir as a UNESCO world heritage site.

Roland Messe, winemaker for the Domaine des Hospices de Beaune, confirmed that this year’s sale would feature 45 cuvees – 32 red and 13 white – with fewer than the 799 barrels offered in 2009, due to lower yields.

Other new cities hosting tastings include Boston, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles.

Source: http://www.decanter.com/news/wine-news/503070/hospices-de-beaune-takes-tastings-to-china

Clark Wine Center was built in 2003 by Hong Kong-based Yats International Leisure Philippines to become the largest wine shop in Philippines supplying Asia’s wine lovers with fine vintage wines at attractive prices.  Today, this wine shop in Clark Philippines offers over 2000 selections of fine wines from all major wine regions in the world.  As a leading wine supplier in Philippines, Pampanga’s Clark Wine Center offers an incomparable breadth of vintages, wines from back vintages spanning over 50 years.  Clark Wine Center is located in Pampanga Clark Freeport Zone adjacent to Angeles City, just 25 minutes from Subic and 45 minutes from Manila.

Wines from Burgundy, Bordeaux, Rhone, Loire, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Austria, Alsace, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, South Africa, Chile and Argentina etc. are well represented in this Clark Wine Shop.

For more information, email Wine@Yats-International.com or visit http://www.ClarkWineCenter.com

Getting to this wine shop in Pampanga Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone Philippines from Manila

Buy wine in Manila, Metro Manila, Philippines at good wine shops and boutique wine stores that offer good selection of good vintage wines at all price points. Good white wines that available at the wine shops in Manila and Pampanga include Puligny Montrachet, Chassagne Montrachet, Pouilly Fuisse, Corton Charlemagne, Montrachet, Batard Montrachet and Beaune. This makes it easy and convenient for wine lovers to buy wine in Manila. Manila wine and food lovers looking for things to do in Pampanga and Manila can consider attending one of these wine events. Leading Philippines wine supplier and wine importer Yats Wine Cellars frequently hold public wine tasting in Clark, Pampanga and Manila.

Getting to the Clark Wine Center wine shop from Manila is quite simple:  after entering Clark Freeport from Dau and Angeles City, proceed straight along the main highway M A Roxas. Clark Wine Center is the stand-along white building on the right, at the corner A Bonifacio Ave.  From the Clark International Airport DMIA, ask the taxi to drive towards the entrance of Clark going to Angeles City.  From Mimosa, just proceed towards the exit of Clark and this wine shop is on the opposite side of the main road M A Roxas.