On 12 September, Pucui Club organised a tasting event in Yantai, Shandong featuring 10 award-winning Chinese wines from the Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA).
The performance of Chinese wines at DWWA has been improving in recent years, and 2021 was record-breaking for overall medals awarded to Chinese wines, including four Golds and one Platinum medal.
To highlight this success, wines showcased at the event came from five regions in China, including Afip A8 Chardonnay 2018 from Château Changyu, the first Chinese dry white wine to win a Platinum medal, as well as other Gold, Silver and Bronze winners. All the wines were single varietals, including grape varieties like Petit Verdot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, Petit Manseng, Viognier, Saperavi and a rarely-seen Longyan orange wine.
Guests attended the tasting of 10 award-winning single varietal Chinese wines
The event was a great opportunity for wine professionals to communicate directly with consumers, as the guests consisted of wine experts, winemakers, winery representatives, merchants and wine lovers.
Wen Chunguang, director of the quality management department at Château Changyu, Pierre Vayssiere, chief technical engineer of Shandong Taila Winery and Denise Cosentino, technical director of Domaine de Long Dai attended the event and shared key information about the vineyard, vintage and wine-making philosophy of some of the featured wines. Guests also had the opportunity to taste and discuss each wine.
Search all DWWA 2021 results from China
As part of the event, Pucui Club also organised a food and wine pairing session with 12 dishes of Shandong cuisine prepared by the chef at Wanshenghe Restaurant, one of the time-honoured restaurants in Shandong, China.
The wines showcased at the event were:
The 10 wines featured at the Pucui Club tasting
Shandong Taila Winery, Grand Maitre Collection Viognier, Weihai, Shandong, China (Mainland) 2018
100% Viognier
DWWA 2021 Bronze, 86 points
Restrained floral, apricot and lemon nose. Well-rounded, zesty, if slightly oily-textured palate. Drink now.
Château Changyu, Afip A8 Chardonnay, Miyun, Beijing, China (Mainland) 2018
100% Chardonnay
DWWA 2021 Platinum, 97 points
An eloquent and elegant Chardonnay with lemon, lime, light floral undertones, plus green papaya and mango, buttery touches and white peach, all skilfully placed; oak more an observer than a player. Stylish drinking.
Helan Mountain, Xiao Feng Chardonnay, Helan Mountain East, Ningxia, China (Mainland) 2015
100% Chardonnay
DWWA 2019 Gold, 95 points
Expressive, multi-layered nose and persistent flavours: lemon, grapefruit, pineapple and mango, with finely integrated oak adding texture and spice. There is also a recurrent note of struck match and flint. This is a vivid and highly pleasurable drink, seducing as it sings.
Greatwall, Connoisseur Longyan Amber, Zhangjiakou, Hebei, China (Mainland) 2019
100% Longyan
DWWA 2021 Bronze, 86 points
Light, ethereal aromas of white plums and elderflowers. Fair concentration, notes of preserved lemons, green apple skin and orange peel in the mouth. Medium finish.
Château Martin, Cabernet Franc, Huailai, Hebei, China (Mainland) 2016
100% Cabernet Franc
DWWA 2021 Bronze, 87 points
Perfumed and powerful with notes of plum, raspberry, cherry, clove and a touch of cedar, plus fine-grained tannins. Good development potential.
Puchang Vineyard, Reserve Saperavi, Turpan, Xinjiang, China (Mainland) 2016
100% Saperavi
DWWA 2021 Silver, 90 points
Harmonious and well constructed, this features sweet gentle cinnamon spice, raspberry and blueberry pie notes. The finish is soft, powdery and rewarding.
Château Nine Peaks, Collection Petit Verdot, Qingdao, Shandong, China (Mainland) 2019
100% Petit Verdot
DWWA 2021 Bronze, 87 points
Very nicely made, this is a lovely expression of Petit Verdot with notes of vanilla, clove, cedar, red and black fruit, plus flashes of vanilla and chocolate.
Ningxia Hongyi Defeng, Daiyan Cellar Oak Cask Cabernet Sauvignon, Helan Mountain East, Ningxia, China (Mainland) 2019
100% Cabernet Sauvignon
DWWA 2021 Silver, 90 points
Lead pencil and woody spice nose. There’s a creamy mouthfeel with fair tannins, coffee and smoky notes. Finishes lengthily.
Chateau H.Y.R.H, Mountain Wave Malbec, Helan Mountain East, Ningxia, China (Mainland) 2019
100% Malbec
DWWA 2021 Bronze, 86 points
This has a savoury, minty overtone with dark fruits and a pleasant smokiness. Vibrant and rich, with a restrained ripeness.
Yuanrun, Petit Manseng, Helan Mountain East, Ningxia, China (Mainland) 2019
100% Petit Manseng
DWWA 2021 Gold, 96 points
Beautiful citrus bouquet then an explosion of tropical fruit and zesty flavours, climaxing in an immensely appealing, sapid finish. Leaves one searching for a refill. Outstanding.
