A Question of Value: Beijing Wine Quality v. Price

With the availability of wines in Beijing fast improving, what price ranges can the wine lover now expect? Bulk Chinese wine weighs in around RMB 35, with the very cheapest imported wines sold for around RMB 50. At the other extreme, Burgundy’s Domaine de la Romanée Conti famously offers the highest price points in the world and a recent vintage of their Romanée Conti Grand Cru will cost approximately RMB 35,000-40,000 in Beijing.

These price extremes can be found globally, but what affects Beijing’s wine prices specifically? Taxes on wine imports are often blamed for steep prices, but while taxes are a factor, the margins squeezed out by some importers are ridiculous. If RMB 30-100 bottles are bargain buys in supermarkets, the RMB 100-300 bracket is really the range where wines can compete for the best quality-to-price ratio.

To maximize your chances of finding value, try buying less well-known grape varieties (e.g. Pinotage), less popular wine styles (e.g. sherry) or wines from less obvious countries (e.g. Portugal). All of the below wines have great quality-to-price ratios, so try them out. At these prices, it’s worth experimenting.

2008 Mannenberg Pinotage, South Africa
RMB 106 (Jebsen Fine Wines)
Available at Park Hyatt Beijing, Intercontinental Hotel, Annie’s Restaurant
The less than popular Pinotage grape has undergone a lot of changesin recent years. This wine has attractive damson and prune fruit with a decent structure.

2008 Argento Reserva Malbec, Argentina
RMB 177 (Mercuris Fine Wines)
Available at Hilton Hotels, Novotel, Red Capital Club
Malbec may be famous, but this deep-purple, immensely fruity example with a fine tannic structure is very good value.

NV Alvear 1927 Solera, Montilla-Moriles (500ml), Spain
RMB 215 (Palette Wines)
Available at Pekotan, Palette Vino
This complex, sweet “sherry-style” wine comes from a less well-known Spanish region. 1927 refers to the date when the solera was founded. However, a tiny proportion of this wine will be from 1927!

Edward Ragg is co-founder, with Fongyee Walker, of Dragon Phoenix Fine Wine Consulting, Beijing’s first independent wine consultancy and education service (www.longfengwines.com). They write for the world’s wine magazines and several publications in China.