Check out the two minutes highlight video
More than 1,000 fine wine lovers in China were treated to an extraordinary day of tasting and the chance to meet their favourite winemakers at the third Decanter Shanghai Fine Wine Encounter.
The sold out tasting was held on 26 November at the elegant Ritz-Carlton hotel in Pudong, Shanghai.
The day started with a masterclass of Château Lafite Rothschild, with president and CEO Christophe Salin – which were sold out just a week after tickets went on sale. Attendees enjoyed vintages of 2012, 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2001, 1998 and 1988, all of which were brought directly from the cellar at Lafite.
‘It is an honour to be invited to present a masterclass,’ Salin told Decanter. ‘The knowledge level of attendees continues to surprise and impress me.’
Salin was then mobbed by fans after the class, all taking the opportunity to have a photograph with him – and then take part in Decanter’s first selfie competition on Chinese social media, WeChat and Weibo.
Château Smith Haut Lafitte’s Florence Cathiard led an intimate Star Producer Focus session, showing Smith Haut Lafitte’s Blanc 2013 and 2010, Le Petit Haut Lafitte 2012 and the 2010, 2009 and 1990 vintages – the latter being served from a magnum.
At the same time, DecanterChina.com columnist Professor LI Demei, held a session on sparkling wines from ‘unexpected countries’ – including three Chinese wines, from the Ningxia and Shanxi regions, and other wines from Austria, India and Brazil.
This was followed by a session with Miguel Torres Maczassek, leading a vertical tasting of Mas La Plana, from 1971 – 2011.
‘We only ever open old vintages of Mas La Plana for very special occasions,’ said Torres. ‘This was one of them.’
The afternoon session started with the second masterclass of the day, which was hosted by Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande with general manager and winemaker, Nicolas Glumineau. He took guests through the 2010, 2009, 2008, 2005, 2003, 2001, 1996 and 1995 vintages, plus 2010 and 2009 of Réserve de la Comtesse.
At the same time, Pio Boffa, owner of Pio Cesare, lead a class on Barolo and Barbaresco wines.
‘This is a quite unique tasting. Shanghai is a great city with a lot of wine lovers – the recipe is perfect!’ Boffa told Decanter.
More fine Italian wines were showcased in the final masterclass of the day, the Superstars of Tuscany, with Ian D’Agata.
‘Every year this event continues to get better and better,’ said Axel Heinz, from Tuscan winery Ornellaia, whose wine was showcased in the masterclass.
One of the last sessions of the day was the eagerly anticipated Graham’s Aged Tawny Port class with Paul Symington, another session that sold out of tickets within a week of going online. The line-up of Tawnys included the Ne Oublie Very Old Tawny Port 1882.
Antonio Flores, master blender at González Byass, took the final session of the day, the evolution of Sherry, showing five Tio Pepe 2016s in ‘at different stages of its life’, as well as the Palo Cortado 1987.
‘This is my second year at the Shanghai Fine Wine Encounter,’ Flores told Decanter. ‘Last year was good, but this year is even better. Our table [in the grand tasting] had people every single minute. They had studied the list before, they knew what they wanted to try – they’re interested. I’ve not seen this at other wine events in China.’
As well as the wide selection of classes, in the grand tasting, attendees could taste 600 fine wines from over 100 producers, from a variety of countries and wine regions, including France, Australia, the US, Canada, New Zealand, Spain, Italy, Chile and Argentina. There was also the opportunity to taste medal winning wines from this year’s Decanter Asia Wine Awards.
‘The level of engagement is remarkable: what’s more I know of people who travelled from four tier one cities to be here,’ said Carlos Serrano, export director for Chilean producer Montes. ‘This is an iconic event.’
Marco Milani, brand ambassador for Zenato Winery, called it ‘the best wine event in China.’
Marc Hochar, from Chateau Musar in Lebanon, said, ‘there is no event in Asia like it.’
There was significant social media interaction on the day, as guests shared the highlights of the days with selfies, videos and more, engaging with the event’s official WeChat and Weibo account. A live streaming video shared on DecanterChina.com’s Weibo account from the sparkling wines class had 17,000 views in a day. Followers also enjoyed some behind-the-scenes action with a video from decanting and wine preparation room, which had 6,500 views.
‘It was thrilling to see so many wine lovers meeting their heroes and discovering new vintages and wines,’ said Sarah Kemp, managing director of Decanter. ‘I’m so happy to be able to connect China’s most passionate wine lovers with the world’s greatest wineries. An unforgettable day of wine magic.’
The next Decanter Shanghai Fine Wine Encounter will be on 18th November 2017.
Thank you to Acqua Panna and S Pellegrino mineral water for keeping guests hydrated on the day, to Riedel for supplying the glassware and to all Ritz-Carlton staff.
