In episode 201 of The Drinking Hour podcast, David Kermode dives into the fascinating world of Chinese wine. To help him in this exploration, he is joined by Susie Barrie MW and Antony Moss MW, both of whom were present at the inaugural IWSC judging in China.
The trio delves into some of the latest trends in Chinese wine, takes a look at which major European producers are embarking on Chinese ventures and talks through the results from the IWSC judging.
The emergence of Marselan is a hot topic, as the variety has been given billing as the signature grape of China. Moss lists some of its strengths, including its disease resistance, relatively high yield and the nature of its character in finished wines. Barrie spends some time detailing the specific terroir characteristics that stand out in Chinese wine, listing some of the regional differences they encountered throughout the judging and explaining why it’s not always easy to recognise them.
Finally, they explain the ‘restart’ happening in Chinese wine, something they put down to the younger generation re-examining its relationship with alcohol, more education in wine and a growing culture of pairing wine with food.
Discover more episodes of The Drinking Hour with David Kermode here.
