The Malaysian Insider :: Food
The Malaysian Insider :: Food |
| Elite French winemakers seek elusive Chinese blend Posted: 18 Oct 2013 06:35 PM PDT The potential harvest will be more drinkers in the world's most populous country, where wine consumption more than doubled in the four years to 2011 and is set to rise another 40% by 2016, according to the industry's top trade fair organiser, Vinexpo. France's Domaines Barons de Rothschild (DBR), maker of the renowned Chateau Lafite reds, is planting roots in China with an initial 15 hectares (37 acres) in Penglai, a hilly green peninsula dotted with vineyards on the east coast of Shandong province with a century-long history of winemaking. Its great rival, French luxury group LVMH – owner of Dom Perignon champagne among other brands – has 66 hectares for sparkling wine in the up-and-coming wine province of Ningxia in the north. LVMH is also harvesting its first cabernet sauvignon and merlot grapes from 30 hectares in the cool hills of southwestern Yunnan. "It's a new El Dorado, it's a New World," says Jean-Guillaume Prats, who oversees the firm's wine division. "No one knows really where and how vines should be grown. We have some ideas. People have tried. But nothing has been proved." The three areas' winemaking reputations are just beginning to develop, with experts gaining confidence in Ningxia – whose products have won international tasting competitions – and seeing promising conditions in Yunnan, but worrying that Shandong's wetness could encourage disease. Even so, bottled results could still take years, as winemakers experiment with the terroir -- the soil, climate and other conditions that influence the grape – going so far as remaking the land to improve their odds. China's first wine company began production in Shandong in 1892, but a tradition of high-quality vintages never took root. DBR chose the province after scouting several sites and has spent years blasting through thick layers of rock and digging up earth to create the ideal soil depth, says vineyard director Olivier Richaud. To counter the summer rain, leaves on each vine – most of them cabernet sauvignon, but six different varietals in all – are thinned to give the grapes more sunlight, and weeds have been planted between each row to absorb more water. "Everything is completely different from what the company is used to in all the vineyards we have," says Richaud, standing amid rows of terraces overlooking green hills and a lake. "Until the end we won't really know what quality we should get." For its part LVMH settled on Yunnan after a three-year search for elements such as good summer months, natural soil drainage and access to water. The area resembles Bordeaux but at a higher altitude, says Prats, but it could be a decade before the firm makes something it is happy with, he adds. "I am absolutely incapable of telling you when this wine will eventually be released and what it will be called and how many will be produced," he says. Chinese vineyards have only recently begun to gain respect for quality, with a Ningxia vintage even winning the title of best Bordeaux-style wine at the 2011 Decanter World Wine Awards in London. But so far Chinese consumers have largely given wine as a gift, so tend to buy expensive foreign labels for show. They themselves drink cheap local brands and only recently has a niche but expanding group begun drinking for taste, says Jim Boyce, a Beijing-based wine expert who runs the blog Grape Wall of China. As a result local vintners have generally obliged by making low-cost wine, he adds. "Instead of growing a nice amount of high-quality grapes, they just grow quantity, and don't care much about them and pick them too early." Greek winemaker Mihalis Boutaris found that out the hard way, producing a locally branded good-quality bottle in the western province of Gansu that sold poorly. He turned to importing Greek bottles instead and sidelined his 20-hectare Chinese vineyard. "It made me realise there's really no demand for premium local wine, or there is very little of it," he says. Hong Kong-based wine expert Jeannie Cho Lee says foreign firms could not only benefit themselves but also lift the quality of wine made and enjoyed in China – if they can deliver. "We have to be realistic and very careful," she adds, "because we have no idea about the quality levels." Still, anticipation for these prized brands is already high. Fake bottles claiming to come from the Shandong vineyard have already been seen on sale, Richaud says – "even before we started production". – AFP, October 19, 2013. |
| Posted: 18 Oct 2013 04:00 PM PDT So it was when we were there last Monday. First the warm, crusty bread that came with kombu butter , tinged with umami from kelp was lovely. Then we were bowled over by the Tataki of Tranche Hamachi Fish with Tonburi and Kombu Ponzu Sauce. This is the best time to have hamachi, and kampachi, which are from the amberjack family. The hamachi had been lightly seared, preserving its fine, tender texture and was perfect with the tangy kombu ponzu sauce. The tonburi atop the hamachi tasted like caviar. The greenish black seeds are often used as a garnish in Japanese cuisine and are referred to as "land caviar". We should be at Sage in December to taste the Buri, another amberjack, that thrives in the icy waters of Japan, and relish its fatty texture, said Sage's executive chef Daniel Cheong. The al dente buckwheat tasted like a creamy risotto, having been simmered in chicken stock and garlic, and finished with cream. This was a perfect pairing with delectable foie gras and two plump scallops sitting in an exquisite sherry reduction. "It needs a good brown or beef stock for this sauce," said the chef when I spoke to him later. Dessert was the Double Vanilla Bavarois with Caramelised Puff Pastry and Belgium Chocolate Ice Cream. The white, silky bavarois, studded with tiny seeds of the vanilla pods was expectedly wobbly. It was divine. The thin crispy pastry exuding the caramel aroma, was a worthy enhancement. This Discover Lunch at Sage, from Monday to Friday, is a three-course one with coffee or tea at RM100 nett. The menu changes every week. There is also a three-course Sage Dinner set at RM175 nett, and a Gourmet Dinner with the chef's special of the day, appetiser, main course and dessert at RM195 nett. Sage is the place to be for a truly relaxing and delightful lunch. Chef Daniel has worked with highly regarded chefs like Ken Ho and then with Takashi Kimura at Cilantro, Micasa All Suite Hotel. "From chef Ken I learnt my skill in food combination and flavours, and from chef Takashi, Japanese ingredients in French cuisine," he said. He has heading the kitchen in Sage for the past four years. Sage is at Level 6, The Gardens Residences, Mid Valley, Lingkaran Syed Putra 59200 Kuala Lumpur, tel: 03-2268 1328. |
The world's fine winemakers have exacting standards for soil, climate and cultivation to produce the perfect grape. And they are looking to recreate that unlikely blend in China, which is better known for cheap mass production.
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