Chinese merchant opens in Bordeaux

A small wine merchant selling Bordeaux wine exclusively to Chinese wine professionals, has opened in the middle of Bordeaux

La Cave du Dynastie is on Allées de Tourny, a few doors down from the Bordeaux Wine Bureau (CIVB) in the city centre.

LeeLee Yung, the director of the company, told Decanter.com the idea was to have a visible Chinese presence that would reassure wine buying visitors to the region.

‘More and more Chinese are coming in big groups to source and buy Bordeaux wines,’ Yung said, ‘and they often are unsure how to organise visits and make contact with winemakers. We wanted to offer a central location for them to taste the wines.’

La Cave du Dynastie – which is no relation to major Chinese producer Dynasty Fine Wines – has seven Mandarin-speaking Chinese staff, and concentrates on selling small and medium-sized chateaux.

It has operated in Bordeaux for two years, but this is the first time that it has had a ‘shop window’, although it sells no wines to consumers.

‘Most French negociants are moving in the opposite direction, to less expensive premises on the outskirts of the city,’ observed one local.

Written by Jane Anson in Bordeaux