Chinese wines beat French in tasting

Chinese wines have claimed victory over their French competitors in a head-to-head wine tasting in Beijing.

Judged by five French and five Chinese wine experts, the recent blind taste-off pitted red wines originating from the Ningxia region of China against offerings from Bordeaux’s vineyards.

First place was taken by the 2009 Chairman's Reserve from China's Grace Vineyards, while the highest-scoring French wine was the Saga Medoc 2009 from Barons de Rothschild Collection, coming in fifth.

The event was intended to highlight China’s ability to produce good wines that can compete globally. However, while the Chinese wines put forward are considered to be some of the best available in the region, the French labels were produced commercially and not necessarily the best from each Chateau, leading to criticisms over the comparison. The average price of each bottle was €30.
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