Eastern Scope

 

But for some time now we discovered Chinese wine. It is becoming more and more common in China to have wine on the menu and in almost every restaurant you can get a decent bottle of red or white wine from Chinese wine houses as Dynasty or Great Wall. And the quality gets better with every visit it seems. This is not amazing if you realize that the Chinese do with wine what they do with almost every ‘western’ article; they hire knowledge from other counties (in this case Australian and French wine makers), copy the procedure and start making their own. Since big parts of China have the same climate as for example France and the soil is good as well, all ingredients are there to produce a nice bottle of wine.

Our main advantage is that we do not gain as much weight as we used to do. Secondly, the Chinese themselves are not that used to drinking wine (1/2 a glass per person per year averagely), which causes them to be drunk before we are; a big advantage if still some business has to be discussed.

Although the quality is becoming better and better, wine drinking experience is a different story which differs from occasion to occasion.

After a bus trip of about two hours we arrive in our hotel in Ningbo. It is an old hotel in the middle of town which used to be government owned. Recently it has been fully renovated after western standards. The lobby is completely decorated in natural colours and materials, the rooms are not to big but with all comfort as wireless internet and a ‘rain’ shower. Again very western decorated.

After we dropped our luggage in our rooms we went to the restaurant. Again a beautiful decorated place with panels of dark wood , a light carpet and red dimmed lights on the table. Even the table ware had been given thought of. When we entered a waitress came to us. “A la carte or buffet?”. We both felt we needed a big chunk of red meat accompanied with a nice red wine. No buffet.

After we were seated, the waitress asked if we wanted something to drink. I made a choice out of the four red and four white wines on the menu and ordered a red Great Wall. Within 2 minutes the waitress was back. The hotel was out of wine, if we wanted beer? I tried to explain that that was like asking for water and being offered milk but she looked so stupefied by this remark that I did not make an attempt to explain. Instead we persisted in having a bottle of wine since we could not believe a 500 room hotel could be out of all it’s wine.

The waitress left again, murmuring something like “buy in a shop outside the hotel”. Fine with us. 3 minutes later and after a small discussion with her chef in the back of the restaurant she arrived again, with a bottle of wine! A white one! We explained that there is a difference between white and red wine but after looking at the gréén bottle she stared at us in disbelieve, what were these two foreigners talking about? After taking with the chef, again she disappeared, this time to reappear with a bottle of…. Great Wall red. After our confirmation that this finally is the right wine, she opens the bottle and pours our glasses right to the top. “No head please” I mumble without any hope of her understanding the joke.



5 minutes away from the hotel is a French Italian restaurant run by a Chinese guy who is 20% Dutch and has lived a big part of his live abroad. A few days later we decide to have a nice western dinner there.

After picking an Australian Merlot from the chart, two magnificent, huge glasses appear on the table, those in which you can poor half a bottle. Next the waitress comes to us with the bottle asking if this is what the gentleman chose. Somewhat surprised, we confirm. The bottle is being opened on the next table and the cork put on a small platter on our table. The waitress pours a little wine in my glass and holds the bottle in a way I can study the label. The wine tastes fine and I give her a nod. She fills the glass of Henk first, to the point where the glass bends inside again. Then she fills up my glass. She leaves us stunned, but with faith in the Chinese wine-future!