WINEMAKER LENZ MOSER TALKS MARTIN GREEN THROUGH THE PROJECT PUTTING QUALITY CHINESE WINES ON THE WORLD MAP
An Austrian winemaker is bidding to make China famous for quality Cabernet after launching an ambitious project in the landlocked region of Ningxia. Chateau Changyu Moser lies just south of Mongolia, in a desert climate that receives 3,00 hours of sunshine per year. It gets so cold in the winter that the team is forced to bury the vines underground. They are uncovered in late March and start budding immediately. Chateau Changyu Moser is the brainchild of Lenz Moser, whose family has made wine in Austria since . He rst went to China years ago in an eort to convince the country’s leading wineries to import his wines and sell them on the local market. China’s largest producer, Changyu, agreed to the proposal, but in return Moser was asked to sell its wines in export markets. Securing repeat orders was a struggle as the quality was not up to scratch. “Fieen years ago, there was not much fun in drinking too much Chinese wine,” says Moser. “Everybody who was an expert at the time will second that.” He helped Changyu improve the overall quality of its wines, and the leadership team asked him to set up a winemaking project from scratch. The aim was to make wine of signi cantly higher quality than anything China was producing at the time. Moser relished the challenge, and identi ed Ningxia as the perfect location.
He snapped up a ha plot in and put a team in place. The chateau itself looks like it should be in the Loire Valley, but Moser takes his inspiration from Bordeaux. Moser aims to produce high-end Cabernet that can compete with the best Bordeaux blends in international markets, and he has already enjoyed considerable success. Chateau Changyu Moser is sold in ¢ countries around the world, and its flagship wine – Purple Air Comes from the East – has secured a listing at London retailer Hedonism, with a £ price tag. “I was working on Purple Air from day one in order to prove the point that this region and this chateau will play in the top leagues as well,” says Moser. “It had to be elegant and fresh and convey the typicity of the area. We only produced ,¥ bottles of the to begin with, but I have now a weapon in my arsenal where I really can target the top end of the market and benchmark myself with other top-end wines – not in order to impress people, but to let them judge.”
Der Captain trinkt 150-Euro-Rotwein aus China, der von einem Österreicher entwickelt wurde.
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Weinmacher Lenz Moser V ist eine der schillerndsten Persönlichkeiten der österreichischen Weinszene und seit vielen Jahren Entwicklungshelfer für Premiumweine in China. Mit ihm sprach der Captain über seine Arbeit im Reich der Mitte und was man von den Chinesen lernen kann, wenn man will. Und natürlich über seinen neuen Wein Purple Air Comes From The East, mit dem Moser auf den internationalen Luxusmarkt vorstößt.
Moser entstammt einer alten Weinbaufamilie mit klingendem Namen. Großvater Lenz Moser III war Anbaupionier, revolutionierte die Weinbergsarbeit und stand →dem glühenden Nazi und Rebzüchter Friedrich Zweigelt als treuer Freund zur Seite, als dieser nach dem Krieg (aus nachvollziehbaren Gründen) nicht mehr viele Freunde hatte. Aber ein Moser hat seinen eigenen Kopf, wenn es um Wein geht.
Lenz, wie fühlt es sich an in einer Diktatur Wein zu machen, wo Andersdenkende verfolgt, gefoltert und ermordet werden? Ich empfinde das nicht so. Ich bin Weinmensch durch und durch und habe eine Mission. Ich werde hofiert und mit Respekt behandelt. Wir haben ein gemeinsames Ziel und ich fühle mich wohl wie ein Fisch. China ist meine zweite Heimat, obwohl ich begeisterter Österreicher bin. Ich liebe Wein und gutes Essen. Das verbindet mich mit den Menschen Chinas.
China kam gut durch die CORONA-Krise, im Gegensatz zum Westen. Was können die, was wir nicht können? Der Unterschied ist: China hat einen Plan. Die Seidenstraße ist nach dem Marshall-Plan die geilste Initiative, die es in den letzten 100 Jahren gab. Das hätte auch einem Europäer einfallen können. Ist es aber nicht. Wer zuhört, versteht China relativ leicht. Die sagen etwas und setzen es dann um. Auch meine Partner von Chateau Changyu halten das so. Natürlich ist es für einen Europäer nicht leicht, in China zu arbeiten. Weil zunächst alles erlaubt ist, solange es zum Ziel führt. In China ist Geschäft wie Kampfsport. Das kennen wir nicht. Wir sind viel zu lax.
Immaginate una Borgogna in cui non ci sia Chardonnay. Ma Pinot Noir e basta, perché quello è il vitigno d’eccellenza dimostrata in zona. E che a partire da quello si produca (con non minori ambizioni) tutta la attuale gamma. Spostatevi ora di un tantino: dalle Côte più celebri di Francia alla ancora non così enologicamente nota – per dirla con molta misura – regione del Ningxia, West China, un’ora e tre quarti di volo (1300 km circa) da Pechino, non lontano da un deserto, il Gobi, ma benedetta (come tantissime zone da vino) dal passaggio di un corso d’acqua importante (il Fiume Giallo) e da un clima che tende decisamente al solare (tanta luce, punte di temperatura fino a 34 gradi) ma che, proprio per l’adiacenza con l’area desertica e per la quota (sopra i mille metri) vede poi il mercurio del termometro letteralmente precipitare, a sera, di un bel tratto.
Inserite nel contesto un signore che si chiama Moser – no, non di quelli trentini che pedalano e fanno anche loro vino, ma quindicesima generazione e quinto del suo nome, Lenz, in una dinastia austriaca di viticoltori e produttori che affonda le radici nei secoli dei secoli – e piazzatelo nell’area “vitizzata” già a metà Ottocento (eh… è che della Cina sappiamo davvero pochino) da un diplomatico di nome Zhang Bishi, che avendo molto viaggiato si era molto incuriosito e poi ampiamente appassionato al fermentato d’uva e aveva battezzato la sua creatura Chateau Changyu.
Aggiungeteci un contesto di capitali a varia partecipazione internazionale (c’è anche una “manina” italiana incarnata in una piccola quota rilevata da Ilva) e 250 ettari vitati a Cabernet Sauvignon (!!) e avrete il totale. Tradotto per ora in quattro etichette, importate in Italia da Meregalli (per capirci: la ditta che oltre a svariati hit mondiali del vino distribuisce Sassicaia): due diversamente bianche (una tendente all’oro antico, l’altra decisamente apparigliabile alla vista ai toni di un Pinot Grigio ramato) e due rossi, uno pensato per i “fruttofili”, solo acciaio, toni fragranti al naso e subito appaganti in bocca (ma non senza una doppia calibrata tensione, tra tannini gentili e ragionata acidità) e l’altro pensato, progettato (e prezzato) per lanciare la Cina nell’arengo dei “Cab” deluxe del mondo, da Bordeaux a Napa passando per Bolgheri e dintorni. Si chiamano rispettivamente Helan Mountain White e Moser Family White (quello più ambizioso, vinificato “en blanc” ed elevato in legno) i due “quasi” bianchi.
Fa il paio con l’altro Helan Mountain il Red di più facile approccio. Mentre corre da solo (con cartellino sulla maglia atteso tra i 230 e i 250 euro contro i 18 dei due Helan) il Purple Air Comes From The Est Red – The Icon (nome che di per sé è già tutto un programma). Lo approcci, ovviamente, da bravo degustatore doppiamente anziano (per anagrafe personale e perché “antico europeo”) con quel pizzico di scetticismo che, come le viti da cui proviene il vino, confina per un buon tratto con il deserto (in questo caso dello snobismo e della prevenzione) e poi resetti, e ammetti.
Il Purple Air che inalbera una bandiera con cui (se vogliamo davvero fare in conti con la più grande entità commerciale del mondo per distacco in pressoché tutti i campi, vino incluso, già dall’oggi e sempre più in futuro) dobbiamo imparare a familiarizzare, dice forse poco del gusto medio cinese in fatto di vino in generale e rossi in particolare (è piuttosto l’Helen a raccontarne un pezzetto) ma approccia con proprietà impeccabile (e ribadita da un rapido Coravin match alla cieca con due competitori di diverse latitudini) il gusto e le attese dei “big spender” enofili di tutto il mondo. Sapido quanto basta, vestito con abbondanza di velluti e broccati, tannico il giusto, comunica impatto (ma non cedevolezza) e fondata ambizione. Forse, invece, non così appieno la “esoticità” del suo Dna. Ma è chiaro che è programmato per piacere al mondo e comunicare che anche sul tavolo dei “Grande Uno Rosso”, per dirla con Samuel Fuller, la Cina c’è. Anche se a pilotare questa sua monoposto da Gran Premio è poi un pilota verticalmente mitteleuropeo…
「AoYunと Longdai は、どちらも高い評価を受けているフランスのトップエステートで、明確なフランススタイルのワインです。シャトー・チャンユー・モーザーXVの新作『Purple Air comes from the East』は、明らかに中国のテロワール、特に寧夏の特質を尊重するワインです」と、中国のトップワインとなり将来の道を示すものだとモーザー氏は信じている。
Hineter dem Namen "Purple Air Comes from the East" steht ein exzellenter Cabernet Sauvignon aus dem jahrgang 2016, der auf Chateau Changyu in der chineseischen Provinz ningxia erzeugt wurde. Der österrreichische Chef-Weinmaker Leny M. Moser, der etwas drei Monate pro Jahr selbst auf dem Weingut ist., präsentiert mit diesem Wein sein Spityenprodukt. über 24 Monate aisgebraut in französischer Eiche. Falstaff bewertete den Wein mit 95 Punkten, er ist bei Wein und Co un 185 euro zu haben.
Sinds 2015 maakt de Oostenrijker Lenz Moser de wijnen op Changyu’s pronkdomein, Château Changyu Moser XV, in de Chinese regio Ningxia. De mogelijkheden zijn er gigantisch. De uitdagingen ook.
Het Chinese wijnbedrijf Changyu en de Oostenrijkse wijnbouwfamilie Moser: de samenwerking lijkt raar, maar ook alsof ze was voorbestemd. Beide producenten kennen een lange traditie en beide zijn, ieder op zijn eigen wijze, pioniers. De Mosers stammen uit Rohrendorf in het Kremstal, waar nog steeds talrijke Mosers actief zijn in de lokale wijnbouw. Lenz Moser, eigenlijk Laurenz Maria Moser V., begon zijn carrière in het familiebedrijf Lenz Moser, dat bekend was van zijn grootvader prof. dr. Lenz Moser en zijn vernieuwende geleidingssysteem Hochkultur, ook Lenz Moser Erziehung genaamd. Kleinzoon Lenz verliet het ouderlijk bedrijf toen het werd verkocht en ging voor Mondavi in Europa werken, in de handel dus. Later lanceerde hij zijn eigen wijnmerk, Laurenz V. Grüner Veltliner, dat hij van 2005 tot 2015 in China via Changyu verkocht.
GEZONDE CABERNET De wijngaarden voor Château Changyu Moser XV zijn bijna volledig beplant met cabernet sauvignon. Überhaupt is dat verreweg de belangrijkste wijndruif in China. Los van het feit dat rood de kleur van China is – ze staat onder meer voor geluk en blijdschap – bestaat er, vertelt Moser, een heel simpele reden voor de Chinese affiniteit met cabernet: ‘In de jaren 90 werd er in het invloedrijke Amerikaanse tv-programma 60 Minutes gezegd dat rode wijn goed voor je was. Chinezen vonden dat geweldig en omdat ze vooral Bordeaux kenden, werd cabernet sauvignon dé druif.’
EERSTE EN GROOTSTE Changyu is China’s eerste wijnproducent, opgericht in 1892 op het schiereiland Shandong, zo’n 500 kilometer ten zuidoosten van Peking. Het is ook China’s grootste wijnproducent, met maar liefst acht wineries, ook al zijn ze nog groter als het om Chinese brandy gaat.
Eccoli. Dopo tanto parlarne arrivano in Italia i primi vini cinesi. Importati dal Gruppo Meregalli, sono quattro etichette di Château Changyu Moser XV, una joint venture tra l’enologo Lenz Moser, della famiglia produttrice austriaca, e Changyu Pioneer, principale gruppo produttore cinese per quantità, con possedimenti in tutto il paese.
Come sono i vini cinesi? Ne abbiamo bisogno? Leggo in alcuni commenti.
La Cina è già il nono produttore al mondo, e i vini sono ormai tanti e diversi (ne ho scritto in questo libro ‘In Cina, vino, società e costumi’, Infinito Edizioni). Ho assaggiato le bottiglie dello Château qualche anno fa, ma etichette destinate al mercato locale, non queste che invece fanno da apripista in Italia: quattro Cabernet Sauvignon, due bianchi e due rossi, dal vitigno più diffuso in Cina (è possibile produrre vini bianchi da uve nere se non si lascia a lungo il mosto a contatto con le bucce, che danno colore al vino).
Arrivano dal distretto di Helan Mountain in Ningxia, regione promossa dal governo come cuore della produzione di vini di qualità. Siamo nel centro del paese, in un’area desertica protetta dalla catena montuosa a ovest; il clima è continentale, con inverni rigidi e precipitazioni scarse (180/200mm/anno), alta escursione diurna e ottima esposizione al sole. Grazie anche a importanti finanziamenti, la provincia si è sviluppata molto negli ultimi vent’anni e sono oggi circa 130 le cantine presenti, alcune più piccole, altre costruite sul modello degli châteaux francesi, come Changyu Moser XV appunto, fondata nel 2013 con un investimento pari a 70 milioni di euro, per la costruzione della struttura e dell’ ‘artiglieria’, ovvero macchinari (‘tutti ad altissima tecnologia’) e dotazioni varie, tra cui una linea del fronte da 1.500 barrique.
Il primo bianco, Helan Mountain white, è descritto con aromi di pompelmo, agrumi, frutta esotica, un’acidità che nel 2018 ha raggiunto i 5,8 g/L ; non fa passaggi in legno ma solo acciaio, così come l’Helan Mountain red, il rosso della stessa linea, con prezzi che in enoteca saranno sui 17 euro. L’altro bianco invece botte la fa e viene sottolineato nella presentazione: Moser Family, ‘primo e unico Cabernet Sauvignon Blanc de Noir al mondo affinato in barrique francesi’; 200mila bottiglie prodotte, prezzo in enoteca 50/60 euro; ‘very commercial I would have thought – si legge ancora nella scheda relativa, che in perfetto stile cinese rassicura i distributori che scommetteranno su quel vino – Designed for the on trade. Mouthful of venosity. Well done!’.
E per finire il vino di punta, Purple Air Comes From The Est, invecchiato per 24 mesi in cinque tipi diversi di botti nuove francesi, descritto con i classici aromi che contraddistungono i premium wines del mondo a base Cabernet, ‘profumi intensi e complessi di frutti rossi e neri, con sentori di cedro, tabacco e un caldo tocco di vaniglia dal delicato passaggio in legno, il tutto in perfetta armonia’. Un vino che andrà oltre i 200 euro e che si piazza quindi sulla stessa fascia dell’altro vino-molto-costoso cinese, Ao Yun prodotto da LVMH in Yunnan, provincia meridionale che sta diventando sempre più interessante per la produzione. Farò un post su come alcuni vini raggiungono certi prezzi.
Abbiamo bisogno dei vini cinesi? È l’altra domanda. La giornalista Renata Pisu, nel libro ‘Cina, il drago rampante’, individua ‘due approcci dell’Occidente: ingenuità filocinese o prevenzione anticinese’; una Cina vista come ‘inferno o paradiso’, tra senso di curiosità, volontà di fare affari con il paese a qualsiasi condizione (che qualcuno si ricorda soltanto a comodo) e diffidenza estrema. La Cina è passata dai 2 milioni di ettolitri di vino prodotti nel 1986 agli 11 milioni nel 2015 e ha possibilità – terreni e mezzi – di crescere molto, sia in quantità che in qualità. Sono di questa settimana i dati della ripresa del Pil al +4,9% nel terzo trimestre su base annua, numeri di un’economia che sembra già fuori da molti problemi.
‘Bisogno’ di vino cinese non ne abbiamo. Di buoni vini e bravi produttori in Italia ce ne sono. Ma è anche vero che, di bisogno reale, non ne abbiamo del 95% (stretta?) di quello che troviamo sul mercato, italiano o straniero che sia.
Come ci dice Pisu, ci sarà chi adulerà vini e produttori, a prescindere dalla qualità, per interesse o ‘ingenuità’, e chi li respingerà senza neanche provarli. Ma il ‘vino cinese’ non è una stravaganza di qualche produttore isolato, e ne sentiremo parlare anche in Italia.
Una bellissima e ricca struttura in perfetto stile francese nel cuore della Cina. È il castello in cui nascono le produzioni di Château Changyu Moser XV, azienda che unisce l'avanguardia nella produzione vitivinicola cinese e la sapienza della famiglia di origine austriaca Moser. E che può contare su un territorio dalle condizioni climatiche perfette: ore di luce solare più lunghe del normale e sbalzi di temperature abbozzati dal vicino deserto del Gobi, caldo di giorno e freddo di notte. Per iniziare la loro ascesa internazionale hanno deciso di sbarcare anche in Italia. Un obiettivo ambizioso? No, se si pensa che si stanno preparando da duemila anni
Bottiglie cinesi arrivano sul mercato italiano: la scelta dell’importatore va al di là del pregiudizio, proponendo prodotti realizzati con uve da vigneti coltivati a 1100 metri di altitudine, in una zona con temperature miti e una forte escursione termica giornaliera. C’entrano il Governo e i francesi. Li apprezzeremo?
Una cena di classe, un menu calibrato, un servizio perfetto. Profumi e sapori fusi armoniosamente nel piatto. E nel bicchiere un vino da intenditori. Cinese. Sì, perché quando meno te lo aspetti il mondo del vino può ancora sorprendere. E se tutti immaginavamo la Cina come un mercato dove semplicemente diffondere i nostri pregiatissimi vini, ecco che proprio da Oriente arriva qualcosa di nuovo.
Cuore cinese, mano europea
Questo ottobre è entrata a far parte della rete di distribuzione di Gruppo Meregalli, azienda leader nel mercato da oltre 160 anni, una selezione di vini provenienti dalla Ningxia, una regione cinese particolarmente vocata alla coltivazione della vite. Qui, nello Château Changyu Moser XV, nascono vere e proprie eccellenze, frutto della collaborazione tra Changyu, pioniera tra le aziende vinicole cinesi e la famiglia Moser europea-austriaca: da una parte la voglia di emergere di produttori che desiderano raggiungere i livelli dei migliori del mondo; dall’altra lo spirito europeo, la profonda conoscenza di una famiglia, i Moser, da 15 generazioni nel mondo del vino. Da qualche anno Lenz M. Moser produce i vini insieme alla sua controparte cinese, l’enologo Fan Xi, giungendo a risultati sorprendenti in termini di qualità e gusto.
La forza della curiosità
Importare vino dalla Cina può sembrare un azzardo, soprattutto in un momento come questo, in cui a radicati preconcetti (cineseria è sinonimo di paccottiglia) si sommano le paure, tanto diffuse quanto infondate, legate alla pandemia. In realtà c’è una precisa logica in questa operazione. «Innanzitutto rientra in quella che è la visione del Gruppo, cioè importare tutte le eccellenze del mondo vitivinicolo: abbiamo rappresentanze da ogni Paese produttore, quindi perché escludere proprio la Cina?». A Parlare è Corrado Mapelli, Direttore Operativo del Gruppo Meregalli, che continua: «Conosciamo la Cina come un Paese attento alla produzione italiana, grande conoscitore e importatore dei nostri vini. Ma è anche un produttore, e lo è da anni: la Francia già da tempo investe in Cina, e la cantina i cui vini noi distribuiamo in Italia esiste da 18 anni». La presenza francese in Cina è tangibile: «L’80% del vino prodotti in Cina è Cabernet Sauvignon, figlio della cultura francese. E anche Château Changyu Moser XV produce Cabernet Sauvignon, base per i rossi, di cui i Cinesi sono grandi appassionati, ma anche per i bianchi». Certo, si tratta di un’operazione in controtendenza, tanto che anche i Meregalli, come produttori, con le loro etichette toscane, esportano in Cina. I dubbi non sono mancati: «Andremo incontro a curiosità o diffidenza?» Mapelli si risponde da solo: «pensiamo a curiosità, sostenuta dalla natura curiosa di noi Italiani e soprattutto dalla certezza di proporre un prodotto di qualità. Noi abbiamo un catalogo di eccellenze: il nostro marchio offre una garanzia di qualità».
Qualche vino cinese già si trovava, dato che grandi gruppi francesi come Rotschild e Moët & Chandon hanno una produzione in Cina. Ma in Italia sono poco presenti. «Certo, anche per noi non si parla di quantità importanti, se si pensa che il vino “di punta” viene prodotto in 6000 bottiglie. Così la distribuzione sarà mirata alle strutture con una clientela internazionale. Appassionati e conoscitori sono i clienti di riferimento: non la comunità cinese in Italia, dunque, ma grandi hotel in grandi città e ristoranti stellati, le cui carte dei vini comprendono etichette di ogni provenienza».
Château Changyu Moser XV è stato inaugurato il 18 agosto 2013 nei pressi di Yinchuan, la capitale della provincia di Ningxia. Il castello ospita un’importante barricaia da 1.500 barrique e una linea di imbottigliamento ad alta tecnologia. Qui si svolgono tutte le fasi della produzione, dalla coltivazione alla pressatura, dalla fermentazione alla maturazione nella barricaia fino all’imbottigliamento. Ovviamente la qualità di un vino dipende in gran parte dalle caratteristiche della terra in cui nasce. «L’area di provenienza di questi vini si trova a 1100 metri di altitudine, ha temperature che raggiungono al massimo i 35 °C e una forte escursione termica giornaliera: è un territorio particolare, molto vocato». Un territorio certamente molto lontano dall’immagine mediterranea, dai paesaggi in cui ai vigneti si alternato gli oliveti, a quell’idea che tutti noi associamo alla produzione di vino.
La differenza si sente? «Si percepisce la diversità più nelle uve che nel prodotto finito – spiega Mapelli – gli acini sono più piccoli, hanno una buccia più spessa, proprio per difendersi dalle caratteristiche del clima. Ma una volta in bottiglia, ci si avvicina tantissimo al classico taglio bordolese. Del resto i francesi inizialmente hanno operato una selezione delle regioni più adatte: una volta identificate quelle, seppur diverse dalle nostre terre, i risultati sono sicuramente importanti». Risultati in cui ha creduto per primo il governo cinese, presente con un 25 percento nella proprietà dello château. «E anche noi ci crediamo. Questi vini sono già di per sé una curiosità. Certo, rimangono delle diffidenze da superare. Ma pensiamo a quanta strada hanno fatto i prodotti cinesi quando si parla di tecnologia o di abbigliamento. Insomma, la Cina è vicina».
Sono quattro i vini importati da Meregalli da Château Changyu Moser XV, tutti a base Cabernet Sauvignon: Helan Mountain white, un Blanc de Noir che è sicuramente il primo Cabernet Sauvignon bianco della Cina. Il suo colore, la sua consistenza e il suo profilo gustativo sono completamente nuovi al mondo. Helan Mountain red propone un nuovo stile di vino che può vantare il carattere dei migliori Cabernet Sauvignon: spezia cinese, aromi di frutta concentrata e sapori che non ci si aspetterebbe mai da un Cabernet così giovane. Moser Family white è il primo e unico Cabernet Sauvignon Blanc de Noir al mondo affinato in barrique francesi. Purple Air Comes From The Est red – The Icon, è il vino che aprirà la strada a una nuova razza di vini Ningxia, dove l’attenzione è rivolta al puro piacere di bere.
China ist einfach überdimensional: Niemand hat mehr Bevölkerung (1,5 Milliarden Menschen), niemand hat größere Streitkräfte, niemand wirft mehr mit Milliarden um sich und niemand hat einen größeren Markt für Wein in der Welt. Chinesische Weinblogger haben zuweilen Millionen Follower! Die neu entstandene chinesische Mittelschicht und ohnehin die chinesische Oberschicht lieben Essen und Trinken. Was nicht viel Geld kostet, kann in der Wahrnehmung der Chinesen auch nichts sein.
Diese Haltung schlägt sich auch beim Wein nieder. Wer was auf sich hält, serviert seinen Gästen französische Burgunder und französische Bordeaux-Spitzenweine. Das hat dazu geführt, daß im Jahrgang 2010 plötzlich durch chinesische Kaufwut die Flasche Château Lafite in der Subskription vor Steuern 1.628 Euro kostete. Preis-Irrsinn made in China.
Aber auch in China selbst wird inzwischen immer mehr Wein angebaut. Der teuerste auseinem staatlich gelenkten Weingut kostet rund 400 Euro die Flasche. Merke: Für denchinesischen Geschäftsmann ist ein Wein unter 100 Euro die Flasche schlichtweg "Dreck" - egalwie gut der Stoff in Wahrheit ist. Eines der europäisch geführten Weingüter ist Château Changyu Moser XV. Dafür steht Lenz Moser mit seinem Namen, einer der echten Global Player im Weingeschäft. Der Österreicher bewirtschaftet 250 Hektar. Bis jetzt waren besonders seine kleinen Basisweine ansprechend und überzeugend. Bei den "großen" Weinen galt, was so oft für China gilt: Zu stark künstlich konzentriert, "Blockbuster"-Stil, Tannine ohne Ende - Trinken in 30 Jahren. Manch einer der Kunden ist dann schon tot
Deutsches Handwerk trifft chinesisches Kapital
Das ändert sich jetzt. Am 23. Oktober wird Lenz Moser seine neuen Weine im KaDeWe in Berlin vorstellen und einen Stilwechsel einleiten. Doch der Reihe nach. Lenz Moser stellt mir eine Flasche 2017 Château Changyu Moser Blanc de Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon hin (30 Euro pro Flasche). Der Bursche hat eine tolle Nase mit noblen Fruchtaromen. Am Gaumen grüßen Birne, Nuss und Kräuter. Ausgebaut ist der Wein in 100 Prozent neuen Barriques. Blanc de Noirs sind keine gewöhnlichen Rosées. Es handelt sich vielmehr um das weiß angepresste Lesegut für die großen, roten Kracher-Weine. Und so steht dieser Blanc de Noir als kleiner Verräter für einen entscheidenden Wechsel bei Moser: Statt der in China, Australien und den USA so beliebten künstlichen Konzentration sorgt Moser jetzt für natürliche Konzentration durch Abpressen und Verringerung der Flüssigkeit des Rotweins. Prächtige Ernte.
Der rote Stoff wird damit auf natürliche Weise dicker, und bekommt noch mehr Aromen, wenn er auf der Maische gärt. Dabei zieht der Rotwein seine Tannine, seine Dichte und seine Komplexität. Der 2016 Changyu Moser Grand Vin (70 Euro pro Flasche) zeigt den neuen Weg, den Lenz Moser in China eingeschlagen hat. Moser: „Ich bin auf der Suche nach dem chinesischen Terroir.“ Das heißt: Wie muss ein Wein sein, den ich bei einer Blindprobe als "chinesisch" kennzeichnen kann? Bisher waren viele chinesische Rotweine Imitationen französischer Bordeaux-Weine oder großer Australier. Der 2016er Grand Vin besteht zu 100 Prozent aus Cabernet Sauvignon. Wir dekantieren ihn für 30 Minuten kühl in eine Karaffe und geben ihn dann in ein großes Bordeauxglas. Im Aromenspektrum entfalten sich Brombeere, Schlehe, Tabak, Salz und Röstaromen. Ganz zum Schluss zeigt sich ein süßlicher Schmelz, der nach altem Gouda als Beilage ruft. Zehn Jahre im Keller entwickeln diesen Rotwein noch weiter.
Purple Air – „Die Abkehr vom Blockbuster-Stil“
Der eigentliche, ganz große Stilwechsel zeigt sich beim völlig neu in die Kollektion gekommenen 2016 Purple Air. Moser sagt mir: „Das ist die Abkehr vom Blockbuster-Stil. Da steckt Herzblut drin.“ Der Purple Air kommt aus besonderen Parzellen der besten Lagen und wächst auf lehmigem Sand und Schotter. Moser hat nur 80 Prozent des Weines im neuen Holz ausgebaut. Er setzt ganz auf Trinkfluss und Eleganz. Schluss mit den Wuchtbrummen. Nach dem Dekantieren kommt auch hier das große Bordeaux-Glas. Die Nase des Purple Air ist elegant und frisch. Der Wein zeigt im Aromenspektrum Holunder, Schlehe und Schokolade sowie einen angenehmen Hauch von Gruft. Gleich kommt der Vampir um die Ecke. Fazit: Ein neuer, wirklich vielversprechender Stil aus China. Der Preis sind 150 Euro pro Flasche. Für uns Europäer ist das purer Luxus. Für den chinesischen Geschäftsmann ist dies im Vergleich zu Konkurrenzweinen günstig. China hat andere Dimensionen.
Dunkles Rubingranat, opaker Kern, violette Reflexe, zarte Randaufhellung. Reifes rotes Waldbeerkonfit, Nuancen von frischen Herzkirschen, florale Aspekte, ein Hauch von Bourbonvanille, kandierte Orangenzesten im Hintergrund. Komplex, dunkle Beerenfrucht, zart nach Karamell.Nougat, reifes, tragendes Tannin, gute Frische, Schoko-Toffee-Noten im Abgang, zeigt Länge und Potenzial, bereits jetzt ein hocheleganter Speisenbegleiter.
Il catalogo del distributore monzese si arricchisce di quattro referenze “made in Cina”. Le vigne si trovano nella provincia di Ningxia, la regione più vocata del Paese del Dragone. All’assaggio, i vini sorprendono per eleganza ed espressività.
Coraggio sì, ma anche una buona dose di lungimiranza. È ciò che ha spinto il Gruppo Meregalli di Monza, tra i marchi leader nella distribuzione di fine wines and spirits in Italia, a inserire nel suo catalogo quattro vini cinesi dello Château Changyu Moser XV, disponibili già dal mese di ottobre.
La regione Ningxia
Si tratta di quattro Cabernet Sauvignon in purezza, tra cui spicca l’elegantissimo Purple Air Comes from The Est. Le uve crescono nella provincia di Ningxia, attraversata dal fiume Giallo. Siamo nel centro della Cina occidentale, ai margini del deserto del Gobi e a circa 1.330 chilometri da Pechino. I vigneti dello Château Changyu Moser XV si trovano alle pendici dell’Helan Mountain, 1.100 metri di altezza, che garantiscono le condizioni ideali per la piena maturazione dei grappoli. Il clima è di tipo continentale, con più di 3 mila ore di sole all’anno, temperature estive medie tra i 30 e i 35 °C e forti escursioni termiche giorno-notte.
La collezione di Château Changyu Moser XV
Changyu
Château Changyu Moser XV è una delle otto aziende del colosso Changyu, il maggiore produttore di vino cinese. Il governo detiene il 20% delle quote, il management il 50%, mentre il restante 30% è composto da azionisti internazionali (tra cui una partecipazione italiana, Illva di Saronno). Changyu è stata anche la prima Cantina nel Paese del Dragone: la fondazione di Changyu Pioneer risale infatti al 1892 grazie a un’intuizione del diplomatico Zhang Bishi, che importò 500 mila barbatelle dagli Stati Uniti e dall’Europa. Oggi la Cina è il quinto produttore di uve da vino al mondo e il numero di aziende è in continua crescita. Il consumo pro capite per ora resta basso, intorno ai 2 litri all’anno, ma tanto basta per farne il primo consumatore mondiale di vini rossi (il rosso è simbolo del potere).
Lenz Moser
Château Changyu Moser XV
Lo Château Changyu Moser XV nasce dalla collaborazione tra il gruppo Changyu e la famiglia austriaca Moser, impegnata nel vino da quindici generazioni. È stato inaugurato nel 2013 non lontano da Yinchuan, la capitale della provincia di Ningxia. Il “castello”, costato 70 milioni di euro, include una barricaia da 1.500 barrique e una dotazione tecnologica di ultima generazione. Cinque anni fa la direzione produttiva è stata affidata all’austriaco Lenz Moser, già celebre enologo in patria, che insieme ai vertici del gruppo porta avanti con impegno e determinazione la mission aziendale: fare di Château Changyu Moser XV un brand di fama internazionale, capace di competere per eccellenza e personalità con i maggiori player europei e del Nuovo Mondo, Napa Valley in primis.
Helan Mountain White
Château Changyu Moser XV possiede 250 ettari tutti a Cabernet Sauvignon (la varietà occupa circa l’80% del vigneto cinese). Lenz Moser decide di provare a vinificare quest’uva in bianco e il risultato è tanto originale quanto interessante. Helan Mountain White è in assoluto il primo Cabernet bianco della Cina. Vinificato in acciaio, colpisce per il suo colore rosa salmone molto chiaro. Naso agrumato e di frutta esotica; bocca scattante e sapida.
Château Changyu Moser XV
Moser Family White
Non meno sorprendente è Moser Family White, primo e unico Cabernet Sauvignon vinificato in bianco e affinato in barrique francesi nuove per 12 mesi. Qui il bouquet di frutti rossi si arricchisce di tabacco biondo e note speziate dolce, mentre il sorso si fa più generoso e persistente.
Moser Family Red
Solo acciaio per il second vin dello Château, un Cabernet Sauvignon di grande pulizia e intensità aromatica, che esprime la vocazione del territorio di Ningxia. Rosso rubino intenso, naso fruttato con richiami di cioccolato, foglia di te e frutta secca. In bocca è equilibrato, avvolgente, espressivo, con acidità e tannino integrati.
Purple Air Comes from The Est
La sfida non potrebbe essere più ambiziosa: produrre il miglior vino della Cina, capace di competere con i grandi rossi iconici del mondo. Purple Air è alla sua seconda vendemmia, dopo un quinquennio di prove e sperimentazioni. L’affinamento si protrae per 24 mesi in barrique di cinque diversi tipi di legno 100% nuovi e di media tostatura. Bouquet floreale, poi frutta rossa e nera, lamponi, mirtilli, note di tabacco e vaniglia. In bocca colpisce per eleganza, finezza, il tannino è levigato, la freschezza invita a proseguire la beva, l’alcol perfettamente integrato. Per la serie, la Cina che non ti aspetti.
In apertura: Lenz Moser
Tag: Chateu Changyu Moser XV, Gruppo Meregalli, Purple Air Comes from The Est
Pensare che vini cinesi potessero sbarcare in commercio in Italia fino a poco tempo, sembrava impossibile.
A renderlo possibile ci ha pensato Meregalli che ha inserito nel proprio portfolio la linea di Chateau Changyu Moser XV. La società monzese ha voluto una platea di esperti del settore per la presentazione di questa “storica” iniziativa. Location della presentazione i propri uffici di Monza. La cantina è nata dalla joint venture tra Château Changyu, l’azienda vitivinicola più antica in Cina fondata nel 1892 dal diplomatico Zhang Bishi e l’enologo austriaco Lenz Maria Moser. Dopo oltre 120 anni di crescita, oggi Changyu è un gruppo composto da azionisti internazionali, in cui il 20% è di proprietà del governo cinese e un’altra piccola percentuale è posseduta dagli italiani di Illva. Changyu ha investito l’equivalente del 70 milioni di euro nella costruzione dello Château che ospita un’impressionante cantina con 1.500 barrique e con attrezzature ad alta tecnologia per la vinificazione, compresa la linea di imbottigliamento.
(Lo Chateau)
Non tutti sanno che la Cina è il più grande consumatore di vino rosso al mondo, bevono il 90% di vino rosso e l’80% di uve rosse cinesi sono Cabernet Sauvignon, il mercato del vino in Cina vale 8 miliardi di dollari. Da qui anche la scelta, vista la produzione di un solo monovarietale, di vinificarlo anche in bianco. La promozione al consumo del vino, deriva dalla volontà del Governo centrale di sostituire “l’imbevibile” per noi, baiju, l’acquavite locale che genera ancora 18 miliardi di dollari l’anno. Come dicevamo l’80% delle viti in Cina è Cabernet Sauvignon, un retaggio colturale che testimonia come i francesi siano arrivati prima di tutti gli altri nel sistema vitivinicolo locale. Lo Chateau che ospita la cantina fu costruito tra 2011 e 2013 su disegno dello stesso Lenz nell’area di Ningxia, a 1.100 metri sul livello del mare, con un clima che raggiunge al massimo 35 gradi con grandi escursioni termiche tra giorno e notte, con l'aridità della terra e con le ore di luce solare più lunghe del normale durante la stagione della semina (circa 3.000, confrontare con il Bordeaux 2.052 ore in media), le uve maturano completamente, sviluppando un gusto carico dal carattere fruttato. Le temperature, calde di giorno e fredde di notte, aiutano i vini per mantenere il loro freschezza, viene considerata come la Napa Valley della Cina.
(La bottaia)
La produzione è di circa 500 mila bottiglie su 250 ettari. Figura di riferimento per l’enologo austriaco è il suo omologo enologo cinese Fan Xi. L’obiettivo di Meregalli, raccontato da Corrado Mapelli, è quello di “vincere la diffidenza nei confronti della provenienza di un prodotto superiore, ma marchiato in negativo dalle convinzioni nostrane. E' sicuramente un’operazione ambiziosa, lo dico a prescindere dal momento, però è anche un’operazione coerente se l’obiettivo che come azienda abbiamo è quello di proporre al mercato “i migliori vini” delle più rappresentative regioni di produzioni mondiali. Oggi la Cina è un’importante regione di produzione, giovane (parlando di vino) e con la necessità di farsi conoscere, ma con importanti ambizioni e potenzialità. E’ un progetto che consolida la voglia del Gruppo di esplorare anche territori e zone “differenti” che ben si affianca al progetto di Visconti43 dove invece tutta la nostra attenzione è dedicata al ricco panorama vitivinicolo nazionale”.
(I vini degustati)
Da un certo punto di vista i vini cinesi appaiono al pubblico un po' come, negli anni '80 si presentavano per la prima volta i vini cileni e a seguire gli australiani, i neozelandesi, ma anche gli statunitensi. Allora molti “storcevano la bocca” ai primi assaggi, per poi, anni dopo, constatare come i progressi di allevamento e tecniche di cantina affinati all’europea riuscivano a dare i propri frutti, fino ai tempi nostri dove questi vini primeggiano in tutte le classifiche internazionali. Quattro le etichette dello Château Changyu Moser XV, ogni bottiglia reca un timbro di garanzia di qualità, nota classica della cultura cinese che pone enorme accento sul metterci la faccia. Le etichette degustate sono:
Helan Mountain white 2018 Un Blanc de Noir, primo Cabernet Sauvignon vinificato in bianco bianco della Cina. Meregalli dichiara come il suo colore, la sua consistenza e il suo profilo gustativo sono completamente nuovi al mondo. Matura sui lieviti per 5-6 mesi in acciaio. Segue imbottigliamento. Colore giallo dorato chiaro al palato fruttato con pompelmo agrumi e frutta esotica, si evidenzia anche una nota speziata, al palato tornano i sentori olfattivi con un finale sapido.
Helan Mountain white 2017 Identico Blanc de Noir precedente con la differenza di un invecchiamento in barrique per 12 mesi. Colore rosa salmone chiaro, al naso presenza fruttata e floreale di fiori di camomilla, con lo scaldarsi del bicchiere emergono sensazioni speziate e di idrocarburi, al palato si ripresentano i sentori olfattivi con un finale sapido e minerale.ù
Helan Mountain red 2017 Nessun passaggio in legno. Fermentazione e miscelazione sotto costante supervisione, Età media dei vigneti 12- 18 anni. Prodotto in 300mila bottiglie. Colore rosso rubino, al naso, note di caffè e tabacco, con anche piccoli frutti, al palato corrispondenza gusto olfattiva per un finale sapido.
Purple Air Comes From The Est red - The Icon, 2016 The Icon, questo vino aspira ad entrare in competizione con i vini francesi, specie i vini di Bordeaux. Particolare importante è la vigna, che è all’interno dello Chateau, 4 ettari dei 60 intorno alla cantina (gli altri 180 ettari sono lontani 20 minuti dalla cantina). Un clone di Cabernet Sauvignon dagli acini particolarmente piccoli, che conferisce particolare intensità dei profumi e concentrazione. Dalle botti di legno francese, per il futuro è previsto l’uso di solo legno svizzero. Prodotto in 6mila bottiglie. Età media dei vigneti 12- 18 anni selezione a mano dei migliori grappoli, fermentazione e assemblaggio sotto costante supervisione, affinamento per 24 mesi in barrique di cinque tipi diversi tra cui: francesi, 100% nuove e di media tostatura. Colore rosso rubino scuro, al naso si percepiscono note floreali e vegetali con sentori di piccoli frutti di bosco, a completare il ventaglio olfattivo con la roteazione del bicchiere note di scatola di tabacco e soprattutto caffè. Al palato fresco e con un sorso intenso e complesso con un persistente piacevole finale ammandorlato. Dei quattro vini degustati è quello che più si avvicina al gusto “occidentale”. Prezzo al pubblico intorno ai 220 euro.
La curiosità così come la passione per ciò che ami non deve porre ne limiti ne frontiere.
Anzi deve rappresentare un motore per spingersi sempre più avanti ed esplorare nuovi confini.
Ed è con questo spirito che Meregalli ha abbracciato un nuovo progetto vinicolo sorto nella lontana Cina.
Si tratta di Chateau Changyu Moser XV
Lenz Moser, Chiara Giannotti e Marcello Meregalli
A raccontarcela insieme a Marcello Meregalli è l’enologo Lenz Moser , che ha costruito attivamente per trasformare in realtà un ambizioso sogno condiviso con la famiglia Changyu, un gruppo storico nella viticoltura, oggi proprietaria di ben 8 cantine in Cina. Il coinvolgimento di Lenz è così profondo da avere il suo cognome inserito nel nome stesso della cantina.
Lenz Moser
Anche il XV è un riferimento alla sua famiglia austriaca Moser, in quanto rappresenta il numero di generazioni che l’ha vista coinvolta nel mondo della viticoltura, e che ha insegnato anche a Lenz a lavorare sempre con lungimiranza e innovazione.
L’appellativo di Chateau si riferisce invece all’imponente e lussuosa costruzione, che risale al 2013 e che ospita oggi la cantina. Per produrre i vini, tutto viene fatto internamente e può contare su ben 250 ettari vitati situati nella regione più vocata alla vite, Ningxia.
Chateau Changyu Moser XV
Si trova tra l’altro “in the Middle of Nowhere” In una zona contornata dal deserto e si coltiva solo in pianura dato che gode già di un’altitudine sopra i 1.000 metri, con grandi escursioni ma molte ore di sole. Il Cabernet Sauvignon che nasce in questa zona ha un acino particolarmente piccolo, cosa che rende interessante la concentrazione di profumi e l’intensità del frutto.
Ed ecco il risultato: una declinazione di 6 prodotti tutti ovviamente derivanti dal Cabernet Sauvignon in purezza , di cui 4 da Ottobre importati in Italia da Meregalli .
Helan Mountain White 2018
Helan Mountain White
Primo e unico Cabernet Sauvignon cinese vinificato in bianco. Al naso emergono profumi di frutta tropicale matura, mango , litchi, mandarino e note vegetali, erbacee, fiori di camomilla, rosmarino. Vino fresco, sapido e teso.
Moser Family white 2017
Moser Family White
Primo e unico Cabernet Sauvignon vinificato in bianco e maturato in barrique francesi nuove per 12 mesi.
Conservato al colore una leggera colorazione rosa. Al naso esce la nota fumé , guscio di noce, frutta tropicale, note vegetali , camomilla. Sorso sapido, abbastanza lungo e morbido.
Helan Mountain Red 2017
Helen Mountain Red
Cabernet Sauvignon ovviamente in purezza e vinificato in acciaio.
Dal colore rosso rubino brillante, è un vino pensato per essere consumato nella sua freschezza e sprigiona note di frutti di bosco intense, anche ha una personalità già tendente al muscoloso e mostra un buon potenziale di invecchiamento.
Purple Air Comes From The East 2016
Purple Air Comes From The Est.
Vino icona della cantina, nel quale stanno mettendo tutto il know how per ottenere il meglio e puntare altissimo.
Proviene dai 60 vigneti selezionati che circondano lo Chateau e matura per 24 mesi in barrique francesi nuove e di diverse tipologie.
Al naso frutto maturo a bacca nera, more, mirtillo, una nota vegetale, pepe nero, spezie, cioccolato bianco e una nota predominante di tabacco. In bocca è di grande struttura, morbido, ricco, avvolgente e caldo, con una notevole intensità e un finale persistente.
Hanno voluto rendere l’etichetta di quest’ultimo vino palesemente cinese proprio a sottolineare la sua origine che sfoggia con orgoglio e della quale vuole rappresentare presto un icona.
È l’unico che non riporta il timbro in etichetta ma solo per ragioni estetiche. Il timbro è invece presente in tutte le altre come simbolo di autenticità, valore, affidabilità.
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La Cina è sempre più vicina anche nelle carte dei vini: una selezione di quattro referenze di Château Changyu Moser XV, joint venture tra Changyu, il produttore privato più grande ed antico di Cina (nella cui proprietà c’è anche una partecipazione italiana, con il Gruppo Illva di Saronno), e Lenz Maria Moser, uno dei più celebri enologi e produttori austriaci, entra a far parte della distribuzione del Gruppo Meregalli, una delle realtà storiche e prestigiose della distribuzione in Italia dei fine wine. Segnale di un mercato mondiale davvero senza più confini. Si tratta della punta di diamante enologica del Paese del Dragone, che non è solo uno dei mercati del vino più interessanti del mondo - in particolare, per i rossi di cui è il primo consumatore mondiale - ma è anche tra i primi cinque Paesi produttori. “Questa nuova collaborazione - commenta Corrado Mapelli, Coo Member of Board di Gruppo Meregalli - è sicuramente un’operazione ambiziosa, a prescindere dal momento, ma è anche coerente con il nostro obbiettivo aziendale di proporre al mercato “i migliori vini” delle più rappresentative regioni mondiali di produzione. È un progetto che consolida la voglia del Gruppo Meregalli di esplorare anche territori e zone “differenti” che ben si affianca al progetto di Visconti43, dove, invece, tutta la nostra attenzione è dedicata al ricco panorama vitivinicolo nazionale”. Château Changyu Moser XV è l’azienda di punta in quanto a qualità del Gruppo Changyu, che, con 1 miliardo di dollari di fatturato, diversi siti produttivi per 5.000 collaboratori e 2.500 venditori in Cina, è il più grande produttore di vino nel Paese. Il 50% è nelle mani del management, il 20% del Governo Cinese, e, nel restante 30%, c’è anche una presenza italiana, in capo al gruppo Illva di Saronno. Château Changyu Moser XV è nato per produrre vini di alta gamma, già distribuiti con successo in altri Paesi, come in Uk. Nei vigneti un clone di Cabernet Sauvignon dagli acini particolarmente piccoli, conferisce particolare intensità dei profumi e concentrazione ai rossi. In cantina la tecnologia molto spinta è finalizzata alla migliore selezione delle uve. Solo queste, infatti, danno origine ai vini che prendono il nome dello Château, mentre le altre sono destinate a diverse aziende del Gruppo. Il Gruppo Changyu rappresenta l’evoluzione della prima cantina, fondata nel 1832 dal pioniere Zhang Bishi, un diplomatico cinese d’oltremare. Come pioniere è Lenz M. Moser V, quindicesima generazione dei Moser, famosa famiglia austriaca di viticoltori, chief winemaker di Château Changyu “Siamo una famiglia di pioneri della vitienologia - ha raccontato Moser nella presentazione dei vini, a Monza (da Meregalli). Mio nonno è stato il primo ad introdurre gli impianti a filare in Austria, mio padre il primo a fare viticoltura bio e io il primo ad andare in Cina per vinificate un Cabernet Sauvignon in bianco. D’altra parte, un austriaco in Cina non poteva che proporre un vino da abbinare alla “wiener schnitzel” - scherza - ma con “solo” 250 ettari di Cabernet Sauvignon, l’unica soluzione era questa ed è piaciuta”. Ed ecco i due bianchi, Helan Mountain White e il Moser Family White - primo e unico Cabernet sauvignon blanc de noir al mondo affinato in barrique francesi - entrambi con colore, consistenze e profili gustativi completamente inediti. “Per i rossi - ha continuato l’enologo - le etichette sono due. Un CabSernet auvignon fresco, in acciaio per un anno, che rappresentasse il vero carattere della Ningxia, l’area che ho avuto la fortuna di poter scegliere per questo progetto. Siamo a 1.330 chilometri a ovest di Pechino, nel centro della Cina occidentale ai margini del deserto del Gobi, su un altopiano a 1.100 metri sul livello del mare, con clima continentale, più di 3.000 ore di sole all’anno ed estati con temperature diurne tra i 30 e i 35° C, notevoli escursioni termiche che garantiscono la sintesi di sostanze odorose . Abbiamo l’acqua pulita del Fiume Giallo che nasce sull’altopiano tibetano e arriva qui dopo 3000 km di corsa in zone incontaminate. Il secondo, invece è un Cabernet sauvignon importante, affinato per 24 mesi in barrique nuove di media tostatura francesi e non solo. Anche in questo caso alla ricerca di uno stile proprio che mira a competere non con gli altri vini di eccellenza del Paese del Dragone, ma con i rossi iconici mondiali, bordolesi, italiani, californiani e australiani”. Il primo è l’Helan Mountain Red, con le migliori caratteristiche Cabernet sauvignon, particolarmente concentrato, e il secondo è il Purple Air Comes From The Est Red-The Icon, che secondo Moser “aprirà la strada a una nuova tipologia di vini Ningxia, dove l’attenzione è rivolta al puro piacere di bere”. Quest’ultimo aspetto e la capacità di competere con vini di razza italiani a base dello stesso vitigno è stato confermato in degustazione. “Le due etichette Helan Mountain, bianco e rosso - ha concluso Marcello Meregalli, alla guida del Gruppo Meregalli - usciranno a 17-18 euro in enoteca e potranno essere serviti in mescita a 5-7 euro al bicchiere. I due vini di punta avranno un prezzo ben più alto, che si posizionerà, opportunamente, un poco più in basso rispetto ad altri vini iconici del mondo”. Cioè intorno ai 230-250 euro per il Purple Air Comes From The Est Red-The Icon.
China gilt heute als der größte Rotweinmarkt der Welt. Nun wird das Land auch mehr und mehr zum Produzenten – etwa gemeinsam mit umtriebigen Österreichern. Von Gero von Randow
Langer Abgang und ein Hauch von Brombeere? Wer über Wein spricht, landet oft im Fuselbereich der Floskeln. Muss nicht sein! "Wein doch" zeigt, dass wahre Fachkenntnisse über Wein oft aus ganz einfachen Fragen erwachsen. Zum Beispiel der, ob Weißwein wirklich aus weißen Trauben gemacht wird. Oder warum Riesling überall in Deutschland anders schmeckt.
So ein riesiges Land, so viele unterschiedliche Böden und Wetterzonen. So eine alte, lange währende Geschichte. Kapital sowie Ambition sind auch vorhanden. Wann also kommen aus China große Weine?
Das fragt man sich schon lange. Meinen ersten chinesischen Wein habe ich im Chinatown von Montréal probiert, das war 1996. Einen Riesling namens Noble Dragon, und er war entsetzlich. Auch später gab es Gelegenheiten, der Frage nachzugehen, sowohl in Deutschland als auch in Taiwan und in der Volksrepublik China selbst. Spaß hat's nie gemacht.
Die herausragenden Getränke, mit weitaus mehr Finesse kultiviert als hierzulande, waren dafür die Tees. Sie demonstrierten mir jedes Mal auf atemberaubende Weise, dass die chinesische Zivilisation zu den bedeutendsten der Welt zählt. Kulinarisch, künstlerisch, philosophisch – ich könnte jetzt ins Schwärmen kommen. Aber Wein?
GERO VON RANDOW
ist ZEIT-Redakteur im Ressort Politik und war von 2008 bis 2013 Frankreichkorrespondent der ZEIT. Er ist Mitglied von Verkostungsjurys, organisiert Weinproben, berät ein Fachgeschäft und wurde für seine Artikel über Wein mehrfach ausgezeichnet. "Guter Wein ist nicht kompliziert", sagt er, "kann aber schön komplex sein."
Unter der Adresse wein(ät)zeit(punkt)de können Sie ihm Ihre Fragen zum Wein stellen.
Allerdings tut sich da jetzt etwas. Was sich beispielsweise daran ablesen lässt, dass die ehrwürdige Revue du Vin de France mittlerweile einen chinesischen Ableger hat. Ein anderes Indiz: Seit einigen Jahren reisen chinesische Weinbaustudenten zu den besten Winzern der Welt, um von ihnen zu lernen.
Unlängst veröffentlichte die Universität von Adelaide in Australien eine Neuauflage ihrer weltweiten Weinbaustatistik. Sie zeigt, dass Chinas Rebflächen schneller wachsen als diejenigen anderer Länder. China war vor fünf Jahren bereits der viertgrößte Produzent von Cabernet Sauvignon und gilt heute außerdem als der größte Rotweinmarkt der Welt. Weißwein ist nicht so das Ding in China, der Osten bleibt rot.
Gewandelt haben sich auch die Sitten. Ich erinnere mich noch an offizielle Festessen, die durchgängig von Bambusschnaps begleitet wurden. Cognac erfüllt diese Rolle ebenfalls. Doch in den vergangenen Jahren begegnete ich immer wieder Weinfachleuten aus China, überwiegend Frauen, die sich aufregende Kombinationen von Wein und Essen einfallen ließen. Weil sie eben von beidem viel verstanden. Und in Blindproben erwiesen sie sich als dermaßen zielsicher, dass sie die arrogantesten Europäer verblüfften.
Es stimmt allerdings, dass in China das Prestige eines Weines eine bedeutendere Rolle spielt als bei uns. Flaschen dürfen, ja sollen schwergewichtig und kostbar sein, dann nämlich eignen sie sich als Geschenk. Die Nachfrage nach solchen Objekten führt immer wieder zu Fälschungen vor allem von Bordeaux-Weinen wie Château Lafite, die manchmal unfasslich plump ausfallen. Abgesehen davon finde ich die chinesische Kultur des Schenkens natürlich sehr sympathisch (ich gebe Ihnen gern meine Adresse).
Das Gewese ums Prestige wirkt sich auch auf die chinesische Weinproduktion aus. Es erklärt, weshalb sich westliche Investoren darauf verlegt haben, zusammen mit chinesischen Partnern Weine für dreistellige Dollarbeträge pro Flasche auf den Markt zu bringen.
Kürzlich zum Beispiel habe ich an drei aufeinander folgenden Tagen den 2016 Purple Air Comes from the East getrunken, einen Cabernet Sauvignon für etwa 150 Euro. Das ist der Premiumwein des Chateau Changyu-Moser XV. Der merkwürdige Name resultiert aus der Zusammenarbeit des Herstellers Changyu (gegr. 1892) mit dem umtriebigen österreichischen Winzer und Weinunternehmer Lenz Moser. Mich hat der Wein überrascht, denn bisher kannte ich aus China nur wahre Wuchtbrummen, die mit Konzentration und Power Eindruck schinden sollten. Der hier aber war frisch, machte keineswegs satt, sondern Lust auf ein zweites Glas – und überzeugte auch mit seiner verhaltenen Würze, die in einen weichen Gesamteindruck eingebettet war. Ein harmonischer Wein.
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Wer nicht gleich so viel Geld ausgeben will, kann Spaß an den anderen Roten dieses Weinguts haben, etwa am Moser Family. Würzigkeit, Frische und ein schmeichelndes, weiches Mundgefühl, das ist der durchgängig verfolgte Stil. Der preiswerte Rosé, ein Nebenprodukt der Rotweinbereitung, ist besonders zu empfehlen.
Auf dem Weingut am Rande der Wüste Gobi steht übrigens ein ganz und gar nicht chinesisch anmutendes Schloss (ich kenne es nur von Bildern). Die Herkunftsregion Ningxia wird von dem Volk der Hui bewohnt; sie sind überwiegend Muslime. Seit Jahrhunderten wird dort Wein kultiviert. Ist das unislamisch? Nein, eine Frage der Interpretation. Erheben wir ein Glas darauf.
Tre mondi eccellenti che si versano insieme nello stesso calice. Il perfezionismo di una dinastia austriaca che si fonde con la visione avanguardistica della Cina, legati dalla costante ricerca della qualità di un’azienda italiana che non si smentisce mai. Dopo due anni di conversazioni, il meglio del vino cinese di Chateau Changyu Moser XV entra nel portfolio Meregalli.
Lenz Moser – Château Changyu Moser XV
A causa della pandemia di COVID-19 si era valutata l’idea di abbandonare la via d’Oriente, ma alla fine tutto è andato in porto. A tessere i fili della macchina cinese c’è in realtà un europeo, l’austriaco Lenz Moser, esponente di una famiglia di vignaioli da quindici generazioni, che cinque anni fa ha iniziato a dedicarsi completamente alla realtà asiatica: Chateau Changyu Moser XV nasce dalla partnership tra Moser e Chateau Changyu, la più antica casa produttrice di vino in Cina, fondata nel 1892, e conta cinquemila collaboratori e duemilacinquecento venditori solo nel proprio paese. L‘Impero di mezzo è il maggior consumatore di vino rosso nel mondo (il 90% del prodotto bevuto), forte della spinta che il regime diede alla produzione all’importazione per sostituire il pesantissimo baiju, l’acquavite locale che genera ancora 18 miliardi di dollari l’anno (il vino ne muove 8). L’80% delle viti in Cina è Cabernet Sauvignon, testimonianza dell’intuizione francese che per prima fece breccia nel paese.
Moser, enologo la cui famiglia fu pionieristica nella viticoltura utilizzando per prima in Austria i filari, e nel ’78 il biodinamico, si è detto “grato di aver incontrato Meregalli: lanciare il nostro prodotto in Italia è un onore e una sfida enorme, è uno dei mercati più competitivi e stimolanti del mondo. Sono convinto che con la visione e la pianificazione tipica della Cina potremo dire la nostra in un panorama così denso di qualità”. Il primo produttore straniero in Cina, peraltro, era appunto austriaco. Meregalli, specializzata nei fine wines, approda così nel quinto mercato mondiale, per quanto sempre con i fari puntati sulla qualità e mai sulla quantità, e con l’obiettivo di portare in Italia le eccellenze vinicole nel mondo: in parallelo con il progetto V43, che invece si concentra sul meglio del nostro paese.
Château Changyu Moser XV – Cantina
Lo strepitoso Chateau fu costruito tra 2011 e 2013 su disegno dello stesso Lenz nell’area di Ningxia, versione ridotta di una Napa Valley cinese: a 1100 metri sul mare, con un clima continentale che raggiunge al massimo 35 gradi con notti fresche e un ambiente desertico, quindi incontaminato. Un mix perfetto per una resa di altissima qualità, acini piccoli ed estremamente ricchi. La gamma di produzione prevede sei etichette (500.000 bottiglie l’anno), quattro delle quali distribuite da Meregalli: ogni bottiglia reca un timbro di garanzia di qualità, nota classica della cultura cinese che pone enorme accento sul metterci la faccia.
Le proposte in degustazione nella presentazione ufficiale del 6 ottobre, a Monza, hanno coperto tutto lo spettro, spaziando da note più semplici e dirette fino a complessità interessanti. Il Cabernet Sauvignon si conferma principe, ma elevato a chicca con una vinificazione in bianco nella linea Helan Mountain, per un Blanc de Noirpressoché unico, solo in acciaio e con affinamento di sei mesi: “In 250 ettari non producevamo nemmeno un bianco”, racconta Moser, “questa mi è sembrata la soluzione più agile”. Lo stesso prodotto è poi disponibile con invecchiamento in barrique per 12 mesi.
Purple Air comes from the East
Esplosivo il Cabernet Sauvignon in purezza, con pepe e spezie che vengono fuori intriganti e ipnotizzano per il sorso successivo. Il top di gamma, il Purple Air Comes From The Est (detto cinese per indicare qualcosa di positivo e bello) è uno snello esempio di elegante complessità, già disponibile sui mercati europei e segnalato da riviste ed esperti. L’obiettivo di Meregalli, raccontato dal COO Corrado Mapelli, è quello di “vincere la diffidenza nei confronti della provenienza di un prodotto superiore, ma marchiato in negativo dalle convinzioni nostrane”. Manca il brindisi: ganbei, come direbbero loro.
La società monzese Meregalli presenta in Italia quattro etichette dello Château Changyu Moser XV, produttore di vino all’avanguardia in Cina.
La Cina è capace di produrre vini di alta qualità e ora arrivano in Italia attraverso Monza: a presentare al pubblico i prodotti dello Château Changyu Moser XV è stato lo storico gruppo Meregalli, uno dei principali attori della distribuzione di vini di alta gamma. I vini arrivano da “una regione particolarmente vocata alla coltivazione della vite che dà origine a vere e proprie eccellenze in ambito vinicolo”, scrive la società, che ha selezionato quattro etichette tutte a base di Cabernet Sauvignon. L’area è quella di Yinchuan, nella regione vinicola di Ningxia, nel nord-ovest della Cina.
Si tratta di Helan Mountain white, un Blanc de Noir, primo Cabernet Sauvignon bianco della Cina. “Il suo colore, la sua consistenza e il suo profilo gustativo sono completamente nuovi al mondo” scrive Meregalli. Poi Helan Mountain red, che rispetto ai prodotti occidentali mostra sfumature di spezia cinese, aromi di frutta concentrata e sapori “che non ci si aspetterebbe mai da un Cabernet così giovane”. Quindi Moser Family white, primo e unico Cabernet Sauvignon Blanc de Noir al mondo affinato in barrique francesi. Infine Purple Air Comes From The Est red - The Icon.
“Questo Château nasce dalla collaborazione tra Changyu, pioniera tra le aziende vinicole cinesi e la famiglia Moser europea-austriaca: una combinazione della voglia di emergere della Cina nel mondo del vino, che aspira a far parte delle cantine migliori al mondo, unita allo spirito europeo sostenuto dall’eccellenza di 15 generazioni nel mondo del vino. Nonostante la differenza culturale tra i due mondi, Changyu e Lenz M. Moser condividono la stessa visione: essere i primi dalla Cina a emergere a livello mondiale e stabilire Château Changyu Moser XV come il principale Château cinese”. L’enologo è Fan Xi.
Château Changyu Moser XV è stato inaugurato il 18 agosto 2013: Changyu ha investito l’equivalente di 70 milioni di euro nella costruzione del castello, che ospita un’importante barricaia da 1.500 barrique e una linea di imbottigliamento ad alta tecnologia. E per chi pensa che il vino in Cina sia un terreno di sfida nuovo verso l’Occidente, la casa vinicola ospita un museo che illustra sia la storia della viticoltura cinese sia la storia di Changyu dalla sua fondazione nel 1892.
La Cina è sempre più vicina anche nelle carte dei vini: una selezione di quattro referenze di Château Changyu Moser XV, joint venture tra Changyu, il produttore privato più grande ed antico di Cina (nella cui proprietà c’è anche una partecipazione italiana, con il Gruppo Illva di Saronno), e Lenz Maria Moser, uno dei più celebri enologi e produttori austriaci, entra a far parte della distribuzione del Gruppo Meregalli, una delle realtà storiche e prestigiose della distribuzione in Italia dei fine wine. Segnale di un mercato mondiale davvero senza più confini. Si tratta della punta di diamante enologica del Paese del Dragone, che non è solo uno dei mercati del vino più interessanti del mondo - in particolare, per i rossi di cui è il primo consumatore mondiale - ma è anche tra i primi cinque Paesi produttori. “Questa nuova collaborazione - commenta Corrado Mapelli, Coo Member of Board di Gruppo Meregalli - è sicuramente un’operazione ambiziosa, a prescindere dal momento, ma è anche coerente con il nostro obbiettivo aziendale di proporre al mercato “i migliori vini” delle più rappresentative regioni mondiali di produzione. È un progetto che consolida la voglia del Gruppo Meregalli di esplorare anche territori e zone “differenti” che ben si affianca al progetto di Visconti43, dove, invece, tutta la nostra attenzione è dedicata al ricco panorama vitivinicolo nazionale”. Château Changyu Moser XV è l’azienda di punta in quanto a qualità del Gruppo Changyu, che, con 1 miliardo di dollari di fatturato, diversi siti produttivi per 5.000 collaboratori e 2.500 venditori in Cina, è il più grande produttore di vino nel Paese. Il 50% è nelle mani del management, il 20% del Governo Cinese, e, nel restante 30%, c’è anche una presenza italiana, in capo al gruppo Illva di Saronno. Château Changyu Moser XV è nato per produrre vini di alta gamma, già distribuiti con successo in altri Paesi, come in Uk. Nei vigneti un clone di Cabernet Sauvignon dagli acini particolarmente piccoli, conferisce particolare intensità dei profumi e concentrazione ai rossi. In cantina la tecnologia molto spinta è finalizzata alla migliore selezione delle uve. Solo queste, infatti, danno origine ai vini che prendono il nome dello Château, mentre le altre sono destinate a diverse aziende del Gruppo. Il Gruppo Changyu rappresenta l’evoluzione della prima cantina, fondata nel 1832 dal pioniere Zhang Bishi, un diplomatico cinese d’oltremare. Come pioniere è Lenz M. Moser V, quindicesima generazione dei Moser, famosa famiglia austriaca di viticoltori, chief winemaker di Château Changyu “Siamo una famiglia di pioneri della vitienologia - ha raccontato Moser nella presentazione dei vini, a Monza (da Meregalli). Mio nonno è stato il primo ad introdurre gli impianti a filare in Austria, mio padre il primo a fare viticoltura bio e io il primo ad andare in Cina per vinificate un Cabernet Sauvignon in bianco. D’altra parte, un austriaco in Cina non poteva che proporre un vino da abbinare alla “wiener schnitzel” - scherza - ma con “solo” 250 ettari di Cabernet Sauvignon, l’unica soluzione era questa ed è piaciuta”. Ed ecco i due bianchi, Helan Mountain White e il Moser Family White - primo e unico Cabernet sauvignon blanc de noir al mondo affinato in barrique francesi - entrambi con colore, consistenze e profili gustativi completamente inediti. “Per i rossi - ha continuato l’enologo - le etichette sono due. Un CabSernet auvignon fresco, in acciaio per un anno, che rappresentasse il vero carattere della Ningxia, l’area che ho avuto la fortuna di poter scegliere per questo progetto. Siamo a 1.330 chilometri a ovest di Pechino, nel centro della Cina occidentale ai margini del deserto del Gobi, su un altopiano a 1.100 metri sul livello del mare, con clima continentale, più di 3.000 ore di sole all’anno ed estati con temperature diurne tra i 30 e i 35° C, notevoli escursioni termiche che garantiscono la sintesi di sostanze odorose . Abbiamo l’acqua pulita del Fiume Giallo che nasce sull’altopiano tibetano e arriva qui dopo 3000 km di corsa in zone incontaminate. Il secondo, invece è un Cabernet sauvignon importante, affinato per 24 mesi in barrique nuove di media tostatura francesi e non solo. Anche in questo caso alla ricerca di uno stile proprio che mira a competere non con gli altri vini di eccellenza del Paese del Dragone, ma con i rossi iconici mondiali, bordolesi, italiani, californiani e australiani”. Il primo è l’Helan Mountain Red, con le migliori caratteristiche Cabernet sauvignon, particolarmente concentrato, e il secondo è il Purple Air Comes From The Est Red-The Icon, che secondo Moser “aprirà la strada a una nuova tipologia di vini Ningxia, dove l’attenzione è rivolta al puro piacere di bere”. Quest’ultimo aspetto e la capacità di competere con vini di razza italiani a base dello stesso vitigno è stato confermato in degustazione. “Le due etichette Helan Mountain, bianco e rosso - ha concluso Marcello Meregalli, alla guida del Gruppo Meregalli - usciranno a 17-18 euro in enoteca e potranno essere serviti in mescita a 5-7 euro al bicchiere. I due vini di punta avranno un prezzo ben più alto, che si posizionerà, opportunamente, un poco più in basso rispetto ad altri vini iconici del mondo”. Cioè intorno ai 230-250 euro per il Purple Air Comes From The Est Red-The Icon.
Attraverso il vino ha fatto scoprire il mondo ai brianzoli e poi a tutta l’Italia. Il Gruppo Meregalli ora apre la strada verso la Cina: a partire da questi giorni, infatti, ha iniziato a distribuire in tutta la penisola i vini prodotti dallo Chateau Changyu Moser XV. "Trent’anni fa – afferma Marcello Meregalli, titolare dell’azienda leader in Italia per la distribuzione di vini e liquori – abbiamo ritenuto giusto aprire le porte del nostro Paese ai vini cileni. Allora avevamo visto giusto: si tratta di prodotti che hanno riscosso ampi consensi in termini di critica e di consumo. Ecco, siamo convinti che i tempi siano maturi per compiere lo stesso passo con la Cina. Non è un salto nel buio, il prodotto è davvero di qualità". Il termine "qualità" è stato ripetuto più volte durante la presentazione avvenuta in sede, alla presenza di Laurenz Moser, l’enologo che sta producendo questo vino con Changyu che, in Cina, è un vero e proprio colosso nel mondo del vino. Un dato su tutti: lui si occupa della parte più piccola in termini di estensione dei vigneti, 250 ettari che qui in Italia farebbero rabbrividire tutta la concorrenza, ma al quale è stato affidato il compito di affidare il vino top del Gruppo. L’enologo austriaco non solo ha centrato l’obiettivo, ma è andato addirittura oltre riuscendo a stupire prima tutti i cinesi e poi il mondo del vino. "In Cina – ha spiegato Moser – c’è quasi esclusivamente Cabernet Sauvignon. Io ho ottenuto la possibilità di vinificarlo anche in bianco, fatto decisamente unico, oltre a dare vita a dei rossi davvero importanti".
In occasione della presentazione il Gruppo Meregalli e l’enologo hanno servito nei calici anche i migliori vini rossi italiani. Tre calici del nostro vino nazionale e un quarto cinese, il "Purple Air" su cui il Gruppo Changyu crede molto: dal confronto il vino che arriva dall’oriente non è uscito sconfitto. "Non chiedetemi in cosa supera gli altri e in cosa manca di qualcosa – ha commentato l’enologo – perché la mia intenzione, quando ho iniziato questo progetto cinque anni fa, era quella di non scimmiottare nessuno. Il vino prodotto a Yinchuan, nella regione di Ningxia situata nella Cina nordoccidentale, avrà una sua propria identità". Il prodotto va ad arricchire la già notevole offerta del Gruppo Meregalli, capace di distribuire vini di oltre 300 cantine per un totale di 2mila etichette, 300 agenti sul territorio nazionale, 12mila clienti attivi, con un fatturato che nel 2019 ha raggiunto i 58 milioni di euro.
La società monzese Meregalli presenta in Italia quattro etichette dello Château Changyu Moser XV, produttore di vino all’avanguardia in Cina.
la sede aziendale
La Cina è capace di produrre vini di alta qualità e ora arrivano in Italia attraverso Monza: a presentare al pubblico i prodotti dello Château Changyu Moser XV è stato lo storico gruppo Meregalli, uno dei principali attori della distribuzione di vini di alta gamma. I vini arrivano da “una regione particolarmente vocata alla coltivazione della vite che dà origine a vere e proprie eccellenze in ambito vinicolo”, scrive la società, che ha selezionato quattro etichette tutte a base di Cabernet Sauvignon. L’area è quella di Yinchuan, nella regione vinicola di Ningxia, nel nord-ovest della Cina.
Si tratta di Helan Mountain white, un Blanc de Noir, primo Cabernet Sauvignon bianco della Cina. “Il suo colore, la sua consistenza e il suo profilo gustativo sono completamente nuovi al mondo” scrive Meregalli. Poi Helan Mountain red, che rispetto ai prodotti occidentali mostra sfumature di spezia cinese, aromi di frutta concentrata e sapori “che non ci si aspetterebbe mai da un Cabernet così giovane”. Quindi Moser Family white, primo e unico Cabernet Sauvignon Blanc de Noir al mondo affinato in barrique francesi. Infine Purple Air Comes From The Est red – The Icon.
“Questo Château nasce dalla collaborazione tra Changyu, pioniera tra le aziende vinicole cinesi e la famiglia Moser europea-austriaca: una combinazione della voglia di emergere della Cina nel mondo del vino, che aspira a far parte delle cantine migliori al mondo, unita allo spirito europeo sostenuto dall’eccellenza di 15 generazioni nel mondo del vino. Nonostante la differenza culturale tra i due mondi, Changyu e Lenz M. Moser condividono la stessa visione: essere i primi dalla Cina a emergere a livello mondiale e stabilire Château Changyu Moser XV come il principale Château cinese”. L’enologo è Fan Xi.
Château Changyu Moser XV è stato inaugurato il 18 agosto 2013: Changyu ha investito l’equivalente di 70 milioni di euro nella costruzione del castello, che ospita un’importante barricaia da 1.500 barrique e una linea di imbottigliamento ad alta tecnologia. E per chi pensa che il vino in Cina sia un terreno di sfida nuovo verso l’Occidente, la casa vinicola ospita un museo che illustra sia la storia della viticoltura cinese sia la storia di Changyu dalla sua fondazione nel 1892.
Ecco le perplessità ed i timori espressi alcuni anni orsono, oggi stanno diventando una triste realtà. Leggi qui
La società monzese Meregalli presenta in Italia quattro etichette dello Château Changyu Moser XV, produttore di vino all’avanguardia in Cina. La Cina è capace di produrre vini di alta qualità e ora arrivano in Italia attraverso Monza: a presentare al pubblico i prodotti dello Château Changyu Moser XV è stato lo storico gruppo Meregalli, uno dei principali attori della distribuzione di vini di...
Il post dal titolo: «Château Changyu Moser XV: l’eccellenza del vino cinese arriva in Italia attraverso Monza» è apparso il giorno 07 ottobre 2020 alle ore 19:07 sul quotidiano online il Cittadino MB dove ogni giorno puoi trovare le ultime notizie dell'area geografica relativa a Monza e Brianza.
Lenz Moser has more than 15 years’ experience of winemaking in China, and his 5-year collaboration with the Changyu wine company has produced a range of accomplished Cabernets, including two zesty white Cabernets. This, from Ningxia’s renowned Helan Mountain region, with a price tag of over £200, is his first venture into “icon” wine territory. Aged in new French oak barriques for 24 months, it looks as opulent as its embossed purple label, a fine ruby red in the glass, with a light rim. Very agreeable smoky, savoury nose with hints of menthol, then soft blueberry palate with very delicate tannins, some black pepper adding a bit of interest. To begin with there’s a lack of grip, a kind of old-fashioned sponginess and lightness, but the tannins firm up as the wine moves across the palate, and there’s fine, juicy acidity too. Pleasurable, charming, the sort of wine you can take anywhere. It’s drinking beautifully now but I wonder if it has quite enough backbone for really long ageing? For the price, I’d expect a drinking window of more than a decade
Quattro le referenze di pregio scelte per il nostro mercato due vini bianchi e due rossi che saranno disponibili in enoteche e ristoranti
di Giambattista Marchetto
Château Changyu
2' di lettura
L'eccellenza del vino cinese approda sul mercato italiano. Nonostante la crisi Covid e le difficoltà di un mercato Horeca in grossa difficoltà su scala internazionale, sbarcano infatti nel Belpaese alcune etichette di Château Changyu Moser XV, la casa vinicola con base nella regione di Ningxia nata dalla joint venture tra Château Changyu - l'azienda vitivinicola più antica in Cina fondata nel 1892 dal diplomatico Zhang Bishi - e l'enologo austriaco Lenz Maria Moser.
Una bottiglia di Purple Air di Château Changyu Moser XV
Il debutto a Monza il 6 ottobre
Sono quattro le referenze di Château Changyu Moser XV (due bianchi e due rossi) che saranno distribuite in Italia dal Gruppo Meregalli, specializzato nel segmento fine wines. Sono tutte a base Cabernet Sauvignon e fanno parte delle linee Helan Mountain, Moser family e Purple Air Comes From The Est. La presentazione ufficiale è prevista per il 6 ottobre a Monza.«È da tempo che con Lenz Moser abbiamo una fitta corrispondenza e ora, nonostante la situazione Covid dia ancora incertezze al mercato, abbiamo comunque deciso di iniziare – riferisce Corrado Mapelli, COO di Meregalli –. Il 5 e 6 ottobre faremo le prime presentazioni di questo importante progetto».
La scelta delle quattro etichette è stata fatta pensando soprattutto al pubblico al quale si rivolge la proposta. «La linea Helan Mountain (Blanc de Noir e rosso, entrambi da uve Cabernet Sauvignon) è pensata per un pubblico più giovane nei winebar o comunque per una ristorazione che propone una scelta di vini al bicchiere – evidenzia Mapelli -. Il Moser Family invece, con un posizionamento medio-alto, riteniamo possa essere un'ottima alternativa e sicuramente all'inizio anche una curiosità per la ristorazione o le enoteche. Il vino più importante è il Purple Air Comes From The Est, presente già in molti Paesi europei, premiato da riviste, guide, opinion leader: è sicuramente interessante per la ristorazione, specialmente per una clientela internazionale».
Operazione ambiziosa ma vincerà la curiosità
Viene da chiedersi se sul mercato italiano prevarrà la curiosità o la diffidenza. Secondo il manager di Meregalli ci saranno entrambe, ma sarà la curiosità a prevalere. D'altra parte, in un momento critico per i mercati internazionali, questa operazione risulta ambiziosa. «Lo è sicuramente e lo dico a prescindere dal momento – ammette Mapelli -. Però è anche un'operazione coerente, se l'obbiettivo che come azienda abbiamo è quello di proporre al mercato “i migliori vini” delle più rappresentative regioni di produzioni mondiali. Oggi la Cina è un'importante regione di produzione, giovane (parlando di vino) e con la necessità di farsi conoscere, ma con forti ambizioni e potenzialità».
Dunque questo progetto «consolida la voglia del Gruppo Meregalli di esplorare anche territori e zone differenti, che ben si affianca al progetto di V43 dove invece tutta la nostra attenzione è dedicata al ricco panorama vitivinicolo nazionale».
The new high-end wine from Changyu’s Ningxia estate in China clearly has the top players in its sights, says Sylvia Wu, who also reports on other winemaking projects and plans at this well-known producer.
It all started as a ‘secret project’ when Lenz Moser became fully involved in winemaking at Chateau Changyu Moser XV (CCMXV) in 2015, following a decade of collaboration in sales and marketing with Changyu, China’s largest winemaking company.
The premium project only ‘got serious’ from the 2016 vintage. Moser selected grapes from a small fraction from the 250 hectares (ha) of vines managed by the producer, with the initial goal to make 12,000 bottles of premium red wine that ‘can play [in] the top league of China’.
‘We had to work with what’s there,’ said Moser, a winemaker and marketeer from Austria.
The wine, named ‘Purple Air Comes from the East’, is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon and constitutes a blend of 10 of the best parcels of vines handled by the estate.
That includes the 60ha of vines surrounding the estate’s landmark castle but also the additional 190ha of contract vineyards 20km away.
Scroll down to see reviews of CCMXV’s 2020 new releases
At the point of blending 18 months ago, Moser said that he and the winemaking team tasted every barrel, seeking to make a wine that’s ‘elegant in style but still has enough power to carry it through’.
Moser was keen to stay away from the ‘blockbuster style’, which has been a rather common feature of wines from the Ningxia region’s Helan Mountain East foothills – an area that gets more than 3,100 hours of sunshine per year.
At the first taste it was a more fruit-driven red wine with greater freshness and less oak spice when compared to the estate’s grand vin of the same vintage.
Ageing in 100% new French oak for 24 months has given the ripe and concentrated core of black fruit a smooth, velvety texture.
Purple Air sits at 14.3% abv, almost a whole degree lower than the grand vin, which is in-line with the global trend for lighter winemaking.
In this tasting, the wine improved when given some time after opening, offering a sleek, ripe and fresh palate. The estate’s grand vin from the same vintage still has a rough edge.
The new talent
The Covid-19 pandemic delayed the release date of Purple Air in the UK, and saw the US release postponed until 2021.
However, new winemaking talent has also come to the fore at this almost decade-old estate.
Emma Yu, a 32-year-old winemaker trained in Montpellier and who has worked at wineries in Germany, has joined Changyu Moser XV as assistant winemaker for three vintages now.
She will lead winemaking at the chateau for the 2020 vintage, said Moser, explaining that he won’t be able to return Ningxia from his homeland in Austria for harvest, due to Covid travel restrictions.
‘She received [a] brilliant education (in wine). All she needs is someone like me mentoring her,’ said Moser. The expectation is for Yu to become the head winemaker of the estate in five years from now.
The two have been in close contact on a daily basis to ensure the work in the vineyard and the winery is done as usual. Thankfully, with drastic measures taken at an early stage of the pandemic, the impact of Covid-19 was minimal in this part of the world, Moser said.
Innovation to watch: From blanc de noir to Grüner
To appeal to more wine lovers, Moser wanted to make sure that the Ningxia operation of the enormous Changyu group offers a white wine.
That idea resulted in the estate’s Blanc de Noir Cabernet Sauvignon, which won a Gold medal in the 2019 Decanter World Wine Awards, which is now available at Ocado for £17 per bottle.
This year Moser took the project a step further by rolling out an oaked version of the Blanc de Noir.
Similar to the Purple Air, the Moser Family Cabernet Sauvignon Blanc de Noir also has a purple capsule. Only 1,000 bottles of the 2017 vintage were made as a trial, with 15,000 bottles set to come from the 2018 vintage.
The oaked blanc de noir has a rich character and oily texture, with red berry fruits and sweet vanilla on the nose. However, the 14% alcohol feels rather heavy on the palate and perhaps a bit more emphasis on freshness could give it extra lift.
Currently, 95% of the estate’s vineyards are planted with Cabernet, with small plantings of Merlot and Syrah.
Moser said he was also willing to give Marselan a try.
The variety, which has been named by some aspiring local winemakers as the potential signature grape of China, is deemed as an ‘interesting blending component’ by Moser.
Moser added that he was keen to bring Grüner Veltliner to Ningxia, inspired by Wang Fang, of the region’s Kanaan Winery, who pioneered quality Riesling grown in the foothills of Helan Mountain.
The cool nights and clay soil in parts of Ningxia should constitute ‘familiar’ territory for the variety, said Moser. He suspects that the Chinese Grüner could be more opulent than the classic Austrian version.
The new ‘Ningxia style’?
In the ancient Chinese idiom, ‘purple air’ hints at the aura of the saints, which is believed to bring luck and fortune.
Priced at £150 per bottle, the ‘Purple Air Comes from the East (P.A.C.E.)’ clearly has Lafite’s Long Dai from Shandong and Moet-Hennessy’s Ao Yun from Yunnan in its sights.
Although Moser doesn’t yet have a concrete answer to what a globally recognisable ‘Ningxia style’ should stand for, he believes that his attempt with ‘more freshness, elegance and finesse’ in the inaugural release of Purple Air is one step in the right direction.
‘The 2016 vintage was just the starting point,’ he said.
Chateau Changyu Moser XV: A brief profile
Region: Helan Mountain East, Ningxia, China.
Founded in: Chateau completed in 2012, first vintage was 2008. The 2015 crop was chief winemaker Lenz Moser’s first vintage at the chateau.
Investment: 720m RMB.
Production scale: 500,000 bottles per year.
Core winemaking team: Lenz M. Moser (chief winemaker), Emma Yu (assistant winemaker) and Mr Zhou (vineyard manager).
Vineyard: 250 hectares total, with 60 hectares on the estate and a further 190ha of contract vineyards managed by the chateau.
Varieties: 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, with Merlot and Syrah.
Average yield: 5,000 kg /ha.
Soil: Sandy, loamy soils with some gravel
Portfolio*:
Chateau Changyu-Moser XV, Cabernet Sauvignon, Blanc de Noir, Helan Mountain Range (2018) – RRP £15-18
Chateau Changyu-Moser XV, Grand Vin (2016) – RRP £80
Chateau Changyu-Moser XV, Purple Air Comes from the East (2016) – RRP £150
*Distributed by Bibendum Wine in the UK.
Wine tourism facilities: The chateau has a visitor centre with an interactive museum illustrating the history of Chinese winemaking and the history of Changyu, dating to its foundation in 1892 by Zhang Bishi.
The estate also hosts weddings and private functions.
Key retailers in the UK: Hedonism, Harrods, Selfridges, Slurp Wine, Ocado, Vinum.
La Cina grande mercato per i vini del mondo, ma anche produttore di vino che sempre più punta a produrre vini di alta qualità, anche grazie ai tanti investimenti stranieri, soprattutto francesi, ma non solo, arrivati negli anni in alcune delle regioni vinicole più promettenti del Paese. È il caso di Château Changyu Moser XV, realtà situata nella regione di Ningxia, regione enoica più importante della Cina, nata dalla joint venture tra Château Changyu, il produttore privato più grande ed antico di Cina, e Lenz Maria Moser, uno dei più celebri enologi e produttori austriaci. Una cantina progettata per produrre vini di alta gamma per tutto, le cui etichette sono già arrivate sulle tavole di alcuni Paesi europei, ed ora pronte a debuttare anche in Italia, per la prima volta, distribuite dal Gruppo Meragalli (la presentazione il 6 ottobre a Monza), una delle realtà storiche e prestigiose della distribuzione in Italia dei fine wine. Che, così, diventa anche un piccolo mercato per i vini di lusso made in Cina.
Von René Gabriel: ww w.bxtotal.com Was haben die beiden Städte Ningxia (China) und Chanhassen, Minnesota (USA) gemeinsam? Es ist das Jahr 2016, welches in den USA ein Lila-Ende bedeutete und in China ein Lila-Anfang … In Amerika verstummte im Jahr 2016 eine gewaltige Stimme in der Musikwelt. Der Sänger, Komponist, Songwriter, Musikproduzent und Schauspieler Prince Rogers Nelson (genannt Prince) verstarb im Alter von 58 Jahren. Seinen internationalen Durchbruch schaffte Prince im Jahr 1984 mit der Single und dem Album Purple Rain zum gleichnamigen Film, in dem er auch die Hauptrolle spielte. Zu Lebzeiten wurden weltweit mehr als 100 Millionen seiner Tonträger verkauft und Prince gewann sieben Grammy Award, 1985 einen Oscar, sowie 2007 einen Golden Globe Award. Im Jahr 2004 wurde er in die Rock and Roll Hall of Fame aufgenommen. Somit kam der «Purple Rain vom Westen».
Im gleichen Jahr, nämlich 2016, wurden in Ningxia die Trauben für den «Purple Wind vom Osten» geerntet. Es ist eine Topselektion aus den nicht unbescheidenen Beständen vom Weingut Chateau Changyu Moser XV. (Bild)Lenz Moser (Bild oben) war lange Export-Manager von Mondavi Wine. Danach lanciert er ein erfolgreiches Weissweinprojekt (Laurenz V.). Seine Abstammung ist mit der gleichnamigen Weindynastie Lenz Moser identisch. Bei einem Besuch verliebt er sich in das Weinland China und spürt dessen Potential. Durch gute Beziehungen schliesst er einen Investitionspakt mit dem chinesischen Wein-Giganten Changyu. Diese errichten, als Willkommensgruss das gigantische Weingut, welches sogar mit dem Namen «Changyu Moser» erhält. Dieses protzige Gebäude soll für eine Marketing-Lokomotive des in Yantay ansässigen, tendenziell qualitativ eher lethargischen Konzerns sorgen … Der emsige Lenz Moser, schafft einen tollen Start und nutzt seine mannigfaltigen Beziehungen, um in Europa und Amerika mit «seinen Weinen» schnell Fuss zu fassen. Auch ich bin angetan bis begeistert von seinen Erstlingsweinen und bewerte den 2013 Château Changyu Moser XV (ein 100%iger Cabernet Sauvignon) mit 18/20 Punkten. Nun lege ich nochmals nach und bewerte den «Lila-Wind aus dem Osten» mit 19/20. Auch dies ist ein 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Er wurde 24 Monate in neuer Eiche ausgebaut. Es handelt sich dabei um eine Selektion vom «Besten vom Besten. 2016 PURPLE AIR COMES FROM THE EAST, Chateau Changyu Moser XV: CHF 165, Schuler, St. Jakobs Kellerei. Mitteldunkes Granat-Rubin mit aufhellendem Rand aussen. Zartes, süssliches Bouquet, ausladend, vielschichtig, elegant mit einem minim laktischen Touch, welcher dem Nasenbild einen nasal fülligen Ton verleiht. Die reifen Früchte spielen sich im ganzen Fruchtspektrum ab. Also von rot- über blau- bis hin zu schwarzbeerigen Reflexen. Im zweiten Ansatz findet man Vanille- und Vanillemark und zartes Caramel. Nach einer Viertelstunde zarte, frisch gehackte Kräuter. Viel Minze, eine Prise Eucalyptus. Keine nasale Droge, sondern ein bereits abgeklärter Reigen von ausgereiftem Cabernet, welcher mit einer Prise Erotik durchzogen ist. Im Gaumen weich, samtig im Fluss mit seidenen Gerbstoffen. Sehr saftig im Fluss, wunderbar balanciert und mit nonchalantem Finale endend. Insgesamt mehr Finessen wie Power zeigend. Das geht allenfalls zu Lasten eines beeindruckenden Alterungspotentials. Aber auch zweifellos zu Gunsten eines frühen Genusses. Wichtig ist bei grossen Weinen, dass man nicht ellenlang kauen muss, um in einer Wahrsagerei für Übermorgen zu Verfallen. Wichtig ist, dass man beim Verkosten Lust auf ein zweites Glas bekommt. Das ist hier fraglos der Fall. In seiner Preiskategorie hat er in der westlichen Welt verständlicherweise eine dramatische Konkurrenz. Aber – wie es der Name sagt – weht da ein neuer, lilafarbener Weltklasse-Cabernet-Wind aus dem Osten. Und dort, wo dieser beeindruckende China-Cabernet herkommt, hat er wenig echte Konkurrenz zu befürchten. 19/20 Genussreife: Jetzt bis 2035?
Loin des bords de la Loire ou du Bordelais, le majestueux château de Changyu s'élève à Yinchuan, dans le nord de la Chine. Ce domaine est la propriété du plus grand producteur de vin chinois, et qui dit vin... dit château. Alors le groupe Changyu a fait construire un édifice de 13 000 mètres carrés, pour 170 millions d'euros. Le groupe produit du vin en Chine depuis 1892. Le prix de ses bouteilles varie entre 10 et 200 euros.
Sixième producteur de vin au monde
Dans ce domaine viticole, tout est importé d'Europe. Les vignes sont plantées dans ce qui n'était encore qu'un désert il y a 20 ans. On y fait du merlot, mais aussi du riesling et surtout du cabernet sauvignon. "En 1892, Changyu a importé 100 cépages, explique Xinming Zhou, responsable de la vigne. Ces dix dernières années, on a importé de nouvelles vignes de France et d’Italie pour rendre nos cépages plus riches". La Chine est aujourd’hui le sixième producteur de vin au monde.
Lenz (Laurenz) M Moser’s family has been in the wine business since 1610, with the family’s lineage in their home village of Rohrendorf (Lower Austria) dating back to 1124. Lenz’s grandfather, Professor Dr. Lorenz Moser III, who introduced the young Lenz to wine, is credited with inventing the Austrian trellising system known as the “Lenz Moser Hocherziehung”.
After completing a degree in oenology, Moser worked at the family winery for 10 years before joining Napa’s Robert Mondavi Winery and setting up its European branch office. In 2005 he went back to his Austrian roots by founding Laurenz V with two partners, aiming to continue the work of his grandfather in promoting Grüner Veltliner worldwide.
He was first introduced to the Changyu estate in Ningxia, China, in 2005 and in 2015 started a joint venture, Château Changyu Moser XV. Moser is chief winemaker, spending around four months of the year at the 60-hectare estate, which produces six Cabernet Sauvignons, including two white Cabernets. The latest release from Chateau Changyu Moser XV is the £150 Cabernet Sauvignon “Purple Air Comes From The East” 2016 – the name signifies ‘bringing fortune and luck from the East.’ In traditional Chinese symbolism, purple represents divinity and immortality; in modern times, it stands for love and romance. “It’s also my favourite colour,” Moser says.
Lenz Moser hat schon um fünf Uhr Früh mit China telefoniert "Das wird heuer meine erste virtuelle Weinless", erzählt er. Seit fünf Jahren produzert er auf Chateau Changzu seine Weinlinie. Das in der Provinz Ningxia beheimatete Weingute zählt yo den ältesten und bekanntesten Chinas.
Lenz Moser macht da gerade einmal 500.000 Flaschen. Für chinesische Verhältnisse Garagenweine quasi. Weil es derzeit mit Reisen vorbei ist, dirigiert er also aus dem Burgenland die bevorstehende Lese in China. PerVideostream inspiziert er die Weingärten. .Nur die Trauben kann ich nicht kosten", sagt er. Ich habe den .Cabemet Sauvignon Blanc de Noir Helan Mountain 2018" gekostet. Um Weißwein zu produzieren, muss Lenz Moser den Cabernet weiß verarbeiten. „Blanc de Noir" nennt das der Franzose. Heraus kommt ein frischer, fruchtigerWein in zartem Rosa.
Ein interessanter Vorbote aus einem Land, das in puncto Wein ähnlich rasant unterwegs ist wie in anderen Branchen. Und das nicht nur virtuell.
Chateau Changyu MoserXV, .Cab. Sauvignon Blanc de Noir", 12,95 Euro by weinundco.at
Lenz Maria Moser XV – das ist nicht nur in Österreich ein klingender Name, man kennt ihn von Kalifornien bis nach China. Schließlich war er in den letzten 30 Jahren vor allem für Robert Mondavi rund um den Globus unterwegs. Seit fünf Jahren ist Moser für die Produktion und den Export der Weine von Châteaux Changyu in Ningxia (China) verantwortlich. Bei Wein & Co fand vor kurzem eine außergewöhnliche Verkostung mit den besten Weinen Chinas statt.
China ist ein großes Land und hat eine lange Geschichte – auch beim Weinbau. Historische Funde belegen, dass in China seit über 4.000 Jahren Weinbau betrieben wird. Und doch spielt der Weingenuss im modernen China eine untergeordnete Rolle und auch der Weinbau steckt noch im Anfangsstadium. „Bis vor fünf Jahren haben mir auch die teuersten chinesischen Weine keinen Spaß gemacht, aber Dinge ändern sich in China mit dramatischer Geschwindigkeit – auch bei der Weinproduktion“, sagte Lenz Moser vor kurzem bei einem außergewöhnlichen Tasting, zu dem er gemeinsam mit Wein & Co Chef Willi Klinger geladen hatte. Dort wurden zehn der besten chinesischen Weine in einer verdeckten Verkostung zehn österreichischen Top-Weinen gegenübergestellt.
Dabei wurden Ikonen der heimischen Rotweinlandschaft wie Bela Rex (Gesellmann), Ried Salzberg (Heinrich), Rosenberg (Markowitsch), Rêve de Jeunesse (Pöckl), Lutzmannsburg Alte Reben (Moric), Steinzeiler (Kollwentz) und Battonage mit den besten Rotweinen Chinas in Zweierflights gegen- beziehungsweise miteinander verkostet. Und siehe da, vor allem die fünf Top-Weine Chinas konnten neben den bekannten Österreich-Granaten durchaus bestehen, wenngleich sie, das sei fairerweise gesagt, zumeist deutlich mehr kosten.
Das große Vorbild Bordeaux
„Die Weinkultur in China steht erst am Anfang. Wein wird zumeist als Prestige-Produkt betrachtet und da orientiert man sich an den bekanntesten und teuersten Weinen der Welt – sprich Bordeaux. Deshalb wird momentan auch fast ausschließlich Cabernet Sauvignon angebaut, obwohl sich für die chinesische Küche eigentlich Weißweine besser eignen würden“, erklärte Lenz Moser. Der Pro-Kopf-Verbrauch der Chinesen ist derzeit noch verschwindend gering und doch haben bei einer groß angelegten Umfrage über 90 Prozent der unter 30-Jährigen angegeben, dass Wein ihr bevorzugtes alkoholisches Getränk wäre. Schließlich sieht man in westlichen Filmen, dass man in guten Restaurants stets Wein trinkt. Und auch die chinesische Regierung sieht die Zunahme des Weinkonsums positiv, weil sie dazu beitragen soll, den übermäßigen Genuss von hochprozentigen Spirituosen zurück zu drängen.
„Sollten tatsächlich alle Chinesen über Nacht anfangen, regelmäßig Wein zu trinken, hätten wir statt eines weltweiten Überschusses plötzlich einen dramatischen Engpass. Doch der Konsum wird wohl eher schrittweise steigen. Über kurz oder lang wird sich China jedoch zu einem der wichtigsten Weinabsatzmärkte der Welt entwickeln und das wird dann auch für die österreichische Weinwirtschaft sehr interessant “, ist Lenz Moser überzeugt. ÖWM-Chef Chris Yorke, der bei dieser hochkarätigen Verkostung ebenfalls dabei war, teilt diese Einschätzung.
Exporte und Importe
„Der Export chinesischer Weine wird auf absehbare Zeit ein Nischenprojekt bleiben, auch wenn ich mit aller Kraft daran arbeite, die Weine unseres Château Changyu international bekannt zu machen“, meinte Moser. Momentan sind die Mengen an qualitativen Top-Weinen made in China noch überschaubar und die Nachfrage in China selbst stark steigend. Dennoch ist eine gewisse Präsenz auf traditionellen Weinmärkten wie Europa und den USA vor allem für das Image entscheidend“, so Moser. Die Präsenz auf den Weinkarten von internationalen Top-Restaurants ist dabei laut Moser besonders wichtig.
Das Château Changyu liegt in der Region Ninxia rund 1.300 Kilometer westlich von Peking und ist das älteste Weingut Chinas. Es wurde 1892 von einem chinesischen Diplomaten gegründet, der damals übrigens einen Önologen aus Österreich engagiert hatte. Heute gehört Château Changyu zu einer Investorengruppe, die noch 20 weitere Weingüter betreibt, die sich im Aufbau befinden.
Auch internationale Investoren haben China als Zukunftsmarkt inzwischen entdeckt. Die Domaine Barons de Rothschild produziert mit dem Long Dai einen echten Kultwein, der in China über 300 Euro kostet. In dieser Preisklasse bewegt sich auch der Ao Yun aus dem Hause Moët Hennessy, der ebenfalls verkostet wurde. Ebenfalls sehr gut zeigte sich die Bordeaux-Cuvée Kalavinka von Legacy Park, hinter dem chinesische Investoren stehen. Im Vergleich dazu ist der Cabernet Sauvignon „Purple Air From The East“, den Lenz Moser vor vier Jahren für das Châteaux Changyu gekeltert hat, mit 190 Euro geradezu ein Schnäppchen.
Eine Frage des Preises
„Die Preisgestaltung ist ein sehr sensibles Thema, bei dem man viel falsch machen kann. Schlussendlich interessiert den Konsumenten ja nicht, wie unterschiedlich die Produktionskosten in China, Frankreich, Argentinien oder den USA sind“, so Moser. Der Einstiegswein Helan Mountain kostet bei Wein & Co knapp 13 Euro, der Moser Family 33 Euro und der Moser XV 70 Euro. Das sei laut Moser zwar nicht billig, aber doch sehr preiswert. Doch was sagt er zum Preis von 190 Euro für seinen Purple Air from The East?
Verglichen mit den deutlich teureren Weinen von Rothschild und Moët Hennessy ist er zwar fast ein Schnäppchen, gegenüber den verkosteten Top-Weinen aus Österreich erscheint er jedoch relativ teuer. „Die Mengen sind sehr gering und es stellt sich immer die Frage, in welchen Märkten man mit seinem Top-Wein präsent sein will. Für den chinesischen Heimmarkt ist dieser Wein eher zu günstig positioniert, in Österreich erscheint der Preis nur deshalb hoch, weil unsere besten heimischen Rotweine eigentlich zu billig sind. Für den internationalen Markt erscheint mir der Preis genau richtig“, erklärte Moser.
Weiße Raritäten zum Auftakt
Zum Auftakt der Verkostung wurden übrigens zwei richtige Raritäten präsentiert – nämlich echt gute chinesische Weißweine, die von Lenz Moser höchstpersönlich gekeltert wurden. Wie das geht, wenn die Weingärten ausschließlich mit Rotwein bepflanzt sind? Ganz einfach, es handelt sich um Blanc de Noir auf Cabernet Sauvignon Basis. „Die Eigentümer hatten meine Idee, auch Weißwein zu keltern, anfangs belächelt, aber mittlerweile schmeckt er ihnen sehr gut. Außerdem bin es ja ich, der diese Weine verkaufen muss“, sagte Moser. Verkaufsprobleme gibt es jedenfalls keine. Die Mengen sind gering und die Preise vergleichsweise günstig (13 Euro für den Helan Mountain, 25 Euro für den Moser Family).
Gleichzeitig hatte Moser bei diesem Projekt einen wohl bedachten Nebeneffekt der Blanc de Noir-Kelterung im Hinterkopf. Der nach dem Abzug des Weißweins verbleibende Rotwein ist deutlich extraktreicher und vollmundiger. Das ist vor allem bei jüngeren Rebstöcken hilfreich und wertet die Rotweine im mittleren Preissegment auf, ohne dass man zu unlauteren „Tricks“ greifen muss.
Und wer weiß, vielleicht kann Moser die Chinesen ja doch noch von den sensorischen Vorzügen guter Weißweine überzeugen und irgendwann damit beginnen, auch weiße Rebsorten zu pflanzen? Es wäre sicherlich reizvoll, in der Zukunft einmal einen Grünen Veltliner made in China zu trinken.
Massive Chinese wine producer Changyu has placed second in the inaugural “wine and Champagne” rankings just released by Brand Finance. Started in Shandong in 1892, and seen by many as the launching point of China’s modern wine scene, Changyu was valued at $1.347 billion, just behind Moët & Chandon at $1.377 billion.
Changyu was the lone non-Champagne maker in a top-five that also included Chandon, Veuve Clicquot and Dom Pérignon.
The top ten also included, in ranking order, Lindeman’s, Barefoot, Beringer, Henkell and Martini.
Here’s the Brand Finance blurb, although it seems they got their dates mixed up as Changyu, as best I know, started in 1892 due to the efforts of returning overseas businessman Zhang Bishi.
“Chinese winery, Changyu closely follows Moët et Chandon in second place in the Brand Finance Champagne & Wine 2020 ranking, with a brand value of US$1.3 billion. Founded in 1819 during the Qing Dynasty, Changyu is China’s oldest and largest winery and is one of the most prolific brands both domestically and abroad. Ranking highly for familiarity and reputation and enjoying a high profit margin, Changyu has spent the last few years expanding its reach by building numerous European-style chateaux across China and increasing its exports to Europe and Australia.”
Changyu has a sprawling empire both in China and abroad. Here it has major operations in the provinces / regions of Shandong, Liaoning, Hebei, Ningxia, Shaanxi and Xinjiang. It’s relatively new Wine City is capable of pumping out well over 100 million bottles per year.
Changyu has also expanded its global presence over the past decade, including investments in properties like Chateau Liversan (France), Marques del Atrio (Spain), Kilikanoon (Australia) and Bethwines (Chile).
For a look at one China property, check out these 60 photos of Changyu-Moser XV in Ningxia.
Château Changyu Moser er et samarbejde imellem den kinesiske vinproducent Changyu og den østrigske vinmager Lenz Moser. Lenz Moser er et etableret vinhus og blandt de bedre i Østrig. Huset blev kontaktet af Changyu for godt 15 år siden, som havde stålsatte ambitioner om at blive Kinas førerende vinproducent. De startede herefter samarbejdet omkring Château Changyu Moser. Changyu er Kinas ældste vinhus og har produceret vin i næsten 130 år.
Slottet ligger i Ningxia. Her er nærmest et ørkenlignende klima med omkring 3.000 solskinstimer pr. år, ca. 50% mere end der f.eks. er i Bordeaux. Men vandingsmuligheder opvejer den lave nedbørsmængde og giver samtidig få svampesygdomme på vinplanterne. Vinmarkerne ligger i ca. 1.000 meters højde.
Det er cabernet sauvignon der udelukkende satses på også til de hvidvine der produceres! I dag er der godt 100 vinhuse i området og flere store internationale koncerner som LVMH og Pernod Ricard har opkøbt marker her.
Château Changyu Moser har godt 250 hektar under vin og laver godt en ½ mio. flasker årligt. Og de nyeste og mest moderne hjælpemidler bliver brugt i vinhuset blandt andet maskinel sortering af druerne.
Der laves 6 forskellige vine – 2 hvide og 4 rødvine. Ganske internationale i stilen med stor influering fra de franske fade. Vinene er flot lavet og har det, man er på udkig efter ved gode cabernet sauvignon vine. Måske savner man lidt mere terroirpræg i vinene, da det kan være svært at adskille vinene fra andre gode cabernet sauvignon områder.
Helan Mountain Blanc de Noir 2018. 88
Theis Vine | 135 kr. tilbudspris
Nærmest rosé i farven. Citrus, ribs og lette blomsternoter i smagen. Pæn intensitet. En frisk imødekommende vin. Alc.: 13,5%
Moser XV Blanc de Noir 2017. 90
Theis Vine | 330 kr. tilbudspris
Hvidvin lavet på cabernet sauvignon og modnet på franske fade. Rødt glimt i farven. Lette røde bærnoter i næsen. Melon, litchi og krydderier i smagen. Pæn friskhed og længde. Alc.: 14%.
Helan Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2017. 87
Theis Vine | 135 kr. tilbudspris
Kun lavet på stål. Urtet i duften. Solbærblade, grøn peber, chokolade og krydderier i smagen. Frugtig i stilen med bløde tanniner. Simpel og for urtet. Pæn, krydret afslutning. Alc.: 14,5%.
Chateau Changyu Moser XV Cabernet Sauvignon 2016. 91
Theis Vine | 330 kr. tilbudspris
Anden vinen. 24 måneder på fad (10% nye). Intens i næsen med solbær. Koncentreret med masser af solbær, tobak, mynte, krydderier og vanilje. Meget international i stilen. Velbalanceret med bløde, let tørre tanniner. Flot, lang afslutning. Alc.: 14,5%.
Chateau Changyu Moser XV Cabernet Sauvignon Grand Vin 2015. 92
Theis Vine | 710 kr. tilbudspris
Ældste vinstokke. 24 måneder kun på nye fade. Meget koncentreret. Tørre tanniner. Solbær, mørk chokolade, peber, tobak og vanilje. En hel del mere fad fornemmes her. Alkoholen lidt dominerende og jeg savner mere elegance. Pæn, lang afslutning. Alc.: 15%.
Chateau Changyu Moser Purple Air Comes from the east 2016. 94
Theis Vine | 1400 kr. tilbudspris
Intens i duften. Flot koncentration og intensitet. Masser af solbær, tobak, læder og vanilje i smagen. Flot balanceret og man fornemmer det er en vellavet vin der er brugt ekstra ressourcer på. Lang afslutning. Alc.: 14%.
Another summer, another round-up of delicious dry rosés, plus a featherweight, lightly sparkling sweet wine from Italy and a pink Champagne that I wasn't familiar with and which hugely impressed me recently.
There are lots of different styles, shades, flavours and grape varieties, but it has turned out to be an almost all-European selection this year, reflecting the limitations the pandemic has imposed on tastings, travel and trade. The one exception (perhaps ironically) is from China.
Chateau Changyu Moser XV Cabernet Sauvignon Blanc de Noir 2018, Ningxia, China
Bone dry but opulent in fruit and texture and with white pepper spice and grapefruit bite. A true original and former Wine of the Week. 14%
Two ‘icon wines’ from China are being launched in the UK this month – Jancis Robinson assesses their worth.
Would you pay more than £100 for a bottle of Chinese wine? In the current political climate, perhaps not. You would therefore be unlikely to shell out for either of the ambitiously priced Chinese wines being launched so hopefully in the UK this month. One was made by an Austrian and one by a Frenchman. In a way, the roots of both wines are Australian, put down long ago when Sino-Australian relations were more cordial than they are today.
Tony Jordan was a hugely admired wine consultant based outside Melbourne. He established Moët & Chandon’s Australian sparkling-wine operation in the 1980s and, in 2008, was charged by the parent company LVMH to find the ideal spot in China to produce a copy of the wine the Chinese liked most: red bordeaux.
Laurenz (Lenz) Moserist Spross der gleichnamigen österreichischen Weindynastie. Nach dem Ausscheiden aus dem Familienunternehmen war er bis Ende 2004 Geschäftsführer der Robert Mondavi Europe GmbH; 2005 geschäftsführender Gesellschafter von TxB International Fine Wines GmbH sowie Partner bei Laurenz Five Fine Wine GmbH. Seit 2015 ist Lenz Moser Chief Winemaker seines Château Changyu Moser XV und wickelt internationale Projekte mit dem eigenen Unternehmen Lenz Moser Projects ab. www.changyu-moser-xv.de
Lenz, Du hast ein Weingut in China, wohnst in Österreich und vertreibst Deine Weine auf der ganzen Welt – wie geht das derzeit?
Ich hatte das Glück, im Januar noch die Blends für die 2020er-Abfüllungen zu machen … Seither „wechatten“ wir wöchentlich, um die Ernte vorzubereiten – das funktioniert super. Und mir bleibt die Zeit, viel über Innovationen nachzudenken. Und wie gehen Deine Kollegen in China mit der Situation rund um Covid-19 um? Chinesisch cool. Man kann ja über viel diskutieren, aber wie China zunächst mit Covid-19 fertiggeworden ist, nötigt mir Respekt ab. Es war eine drastisch harte Zeit, auch für meine Kollegen, jedoch sind sie jetzt wieder fröhlich und gehen ihrer Arbeit fast unbeeinträchtigt nach. Der Weinkonsum über Online-Kanäle und im Offtrade hat ja nicht gelitten. Gehen Dir Zoom- und Teams-Konferenzen nicht langsam auf den Nerv? Nö, ganz im Gegenteil! Als selbstständiger Unternehmer kann ich mir die elektronischen Gesprächshilfen sehr gut einteilen – also kein Overkill für mich. Zwei- bis dreimal am Tag Zoom oder Skype,dann wieder sehr viel Telefon – herrlich. Und ich habe mir fix vorgenommen, nur mehr dann zu reisen, wenns wirklich wichtig ist. Ich rechne mit etwa 50 Prozent weniger Reisen und die dann noch besser geplant. Auch ein Beitrag zur Verbesserung meines Carbon Footprints und meiner Lebensqualität.
Ist Dein nächster Ausflug nach Ningxia schon geplant?
Yap, zur Ernte natürlich – ich hoffe, dass sich die Gesamtsituation bis dahin sowohl in Europa als auch in China entspannt hat; dann geht’s ab nach Ningxia und rein in die Innovation. Denn die nächsten zweieinhalb Jahre haben wir uns ganz der Innovation verschrieben (Biodynamie, Weingartenarbeit, neue Ideen zur Weinlese und im Keller, neue Fässer zur Lagerung, neue Weine und, und, und …). Vor zwei Jahren sprachen wir über das Projekt der chinesischen Regierung, den Wirtschaftszweig Wein so voranzutreiben, dass China im Jahr 2020 größter Weinproduzent der Welt wird. Wo steht China jetzt? Vergiss es – davon hat sich China weit entfernt! Seit Jahren gibt es kleinere Ernten, weniger Absatz von chinesischen Weinen und seit zwei Jahren auch weniger Importe …
Lenz M. Moser V to członek zasłużonej winiarskiej rodziny z Austrii. Jego dziadek Lenz III zrewolucjonizował sposób uprawy winorośli w Europie. Lenz V zarządzał jednąz bardziej znanych austriackich winiarni Lenz Moser, był przedstawicielem kalifornijskiego producenta Mondavi w Europie, prowadził firmę importerską. W 2013 roku rozpoczął projekt Changyu Moser XV w chińskiej prowincji Ningxia. Z Lenzem M. Moserem V rozmawia MACIEJ ŚWIETL
Jak to się stało, że w 2005 roku zaczął pan współpracę z wiodącą chińską winiarnią Changyu? Mój przyjaciel polecił mi Chiny jako region winiarsko interesujący. Zbiegło się to w czasiez powstawaniem dwóch moich firm: austriackiej, by produkować grüner veltlinera, i importerskiejo zasięgu europejskim. Ów znajomy namawiał mnie do stworzenia projektuz zupełnie innej beczki. Zacząłem więc podróżować do Chin, odwiedziłem tam dziesięciunajważniejszych producentów wina. Changyu od razu wydało się najlepsze. Z dwóch powodów:po pierwsze, powitała mnie tam czarująca dama, pani Tan, posługująca się perfekcyjnym angielskim, co było o tyle istotne, że we wszystkich pozostałych miejscach trzeba się było porozumiewać przy pomocy tłumacza. Druga – i może ważniejsza – przyczyna to duch eksperymentu i otwartość, jaką prezentowali zarządzający Changyu w osobach panów Zou i Sun. Z całą trójką jestem w stałym, niemal codziennym kontakcie od 15 lat. Pierwsze dziesięć lat było jak wyboista ścieżka uczenia się siebie nawzajem. Zajmowałem się wtedy głównie importem chińskich win do Europy i ich marketingiem. Muszę przyznać, że ze średnim rezultatem, bowiem wina chińskie w tamtym czasie były, łagodnie rzecz ujmując, zbyt drogie wobec jakości, jaką reprezentowały.
"Allow me to introduce you to the first Cabernet Sauvignon from China and my god is it beautiful. Firstly, the vines are around 15 years old - which is pretty unheard of when it comes to rose. The vine themselves are located in the Ningxia province with Lenz M. Moser continuing to establish his name as a pioneering force of nature for Chinese wines. Estate bottled for that final seal of quality, you can expect grape fruit peel, exotic fruits and an array of crushed respberries and apple. Zippy and refreshing with tectture and as you know, for me tecture is everything"
Château Moser XV is a unique cooperation between Changyu, the oldest winery in China (1892), and Lenz M.Moser from the pioneering Austrian Lenz Moser family. Both partners bring their best to this one-of-a-kind project.
Wine is produced in Ningxia, where the chateau is situated. The location is a real asset: situated at 1,100 meters of elevation with cool nights for fine freshness, the estate also enjoys 3,000 hours of sunshine and a desert climate that deliver full maturity and make it a perfect home for their Cabernet based wines.
The wine estate recently introduced its new flagship wine “Purple Air Comes from the East” 2016 (100% Cabernet based). Château Moser further demonstrates its innovation and vision through its first white Cabernet (blanc de noirs from Cabernet Sauvignon).
This promising project is still in its infancy. Lenz M. Moser only started producing wines in 2015, so “the best is yet to come” …
AdVini, partner of ASI, will begin distributing this range in France by year’s end.
Chinesische Weine sind hierzulande noch nicht weit verbreitet. Das könnte sich aber bald ändern. Grosse Ambitionen hegt das Vorzeige-Weingut Changyu Moser. Mit seinen Luxusprodukten fordert er die internationale Konkurrenz heraus
Chinesische Weine sind hierzulande noch nicht weit verbreitet. Das könnte sich aber bald ändern. Grosse Ambitionen hegt das Vorzeige-Weingut Changyu Moser. Mit seinen Luxusprodukten fordert er die internationale Konkurrenz heraus
Der Wein überzeugt in der Blinddegustation
Ist dieser gerechtfertigt? Das muss jeder für sich selbst entscheiden, aber in einem kleinen Blindvergleich mit Spitzenweinen aus Spanien, Australien und Kalifornien hielt sich der Chinese dank Kraft, Eleganz, Tiefgründigkeit und grossartiger Länge mehr als ordentlich.
Der 2016er zeichnet sich durch eine intensive, vielschichtige Nase aus. Die präsenten Tannine und die reife Säure sind gut eingebunden. Purple Air Comes from the East wird während zwei Jahren in neuen Barriques ausgebaut.
Eine etwas günstigere Alternative
Eine etwas preiswertere Alternative ist der Grand Vin des Hauses, ebenfalls vollständig aus Cabernet Sauvignon gekeltert. Der 2016er erinnert in gewisser Hinsicht an einen Bordeaux. Er sei für Fortbildungszwecke fast ein Must, schreibt der deutsche Blogger Captain Cork.
Der chinesische Wein beweist, dass das Land durchaus das Potenzial hat, mit den Grossen aus anderen, renommierten Gebieten mithalten zu können. In der Nase dominieren Noten von Cassis, Pflaume, Gewürzen und leicht floralen Anklängen. Der harmonische, aber noch jugendliche Wein präsentiert sich mit präsenten Gerbstoffen, einer mittleren Säure und guten Struktur.
Der Gewinner kommt aber aus Spanien
In der nicht repräsentativen Degustation stach der spanische Kultwein Valbuena 5° aus dem Jahr 2014 von Vega Sicilia aus dem Ribera del Duero hervor – eine grossartige Interpretation der einheimischen Rebsorte Tempranillo. Kraft und Eleganz verbinden sich mit Noblesse.
Der chinesische Wein beweist, dass das Land durchaus das Potenzial hat, mit den Grossen aus anderen, renommierten Gebieten mithalten zu können. In der Nase dominieren Noten von Cassis, Pflaume, Gewürzen und leicht floralen Anklängen. Der harmonische, aber noch jugendliche Wein präsentiert sich mit präsenten Gerbstoffen, einer mittleren Säure und guten Struktur.
Der Gewinner kommt aber aus Spanien
In der nicht repräsentativen Degustation stach der spanische Kultwein Valbuena 5° aus dem Jahr 2014 von Vega Sicilia aus dem Ribera del Duero hervor – eine grossartige Interpretation der einheimischen Rebsorte Tempranillo. Kraft und Eleganz verbinden sich mit Noblesse.
Chinese president Xi visited Yinchuan, the capital city of the Ningxia Hui autonomous region in northwestern China, last week and travelled to the Helan Mountain foothills to learn about the local winemaking industry.
The purpose of Xi’s inspection tour to Ningxia was to enhance efforts to alleviate poverty. In one of his stops, he dropped by the wine region of Helan Mountain, and visited Chateau Zhihui Yuanshi, a local winery founded in 2008.
The winery, as one of the most popular tourist spots in Ningxia, boasts significant architectural features, as the complex is built from displaced rocks from the Helan Mountain.
According to Ningxia Daily, after learning about the vinification technology, marketing promotions and workers’ average salary in Ningxia, Xi emphasised the positive future he can see in the Chinese wine industry as the living standards of Chinese people improve year by year. The development of the Ningxia wine industry goes hand in hand with the tightened management of Yellow River, and can strengthen the ecological restoration and eventually create comprehensive benefits and added value for the region.
The winemaking industry in Ningxia started in the early 1980s. The planting base is located on the alluvial plain of the eastern foothills of Helan Mountain. The soil composition is complex, featuring sand, lime, chalk and gravel, making it suitable for wine grape cultivation. The continental climate of the region also favours the process.
Right now, the area under vine is 570,000 mu (38,000 hectares). Scattered among six different production areas, there are 211 wineries in the region. In 2019, the area produced 130 million bottles of wine, accounting for almost 100,000 tons.
From big producers such as Chateau Changyu Moser XV, to boutique wineries like Helan Qingxue Vineyard, some of the wineries are emerging internationally as its wine quality is getting well recognised. Changyu’s wines are one of President Xi’s choices to serve foreign guests at official Chinese functions.
Visit of President Xi in Ningxia, tasting CCMXV wines. He said:” I use Changyu wines to treat other leaders, and I did not know that Changyu also produces such good wines in Ningxia”
President Xi Jinping learns about local efforts in ecological conservation during his visit on Tuesday to a vineyard at the foot of the Helan Mountains in Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui autonomous region. WANG YE/XINHUA
Local authorities get instructions as Ningxia tour ends
Local governments should make efforts to overcome the effects of COVID-19 and prioritize the work of bolstering employment and improving people's livelihoods, President Xi Jinping said on Wednesday.
Xi spoke as he wrapped up a three-day inspection tour of the Ningxia Hui autonomous region, a less-developed inland region. About 37 percent of the population belongs to the Hui ethnic group.
He visited a village, a community, a section of the Yellow River, a rural ecotourism park and a vineyard to learn about work done in disease prevention, poverty reduction, environmental and ecological protection and ethnic unity.
Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, instructed local authorities to fully implement decisions of the CPC Central Committee and take tough steps to forestall and defuse major risks, carry out targeted poverty alleviation and prevent and control pollution.
Local governments should uphold the people-centered development philosophy and help the people to address their problems, Xi said.
The president stressed the importance of securing jobs for major groups including laid-off workers, college graduates, migrant workers and veterans.
Xi instructed authorities to pursue high-quality growth, speed up industrial upgrading and promote economic development in quantity and quality. The government should take practical measures to ease the tax burden of enterprises, implement policies boosting domestic demand and help companies address problems in resuming production, he said.
Calling increases in domestic demand a strategic measure, Xi urged deepening of supply-side structural reform, promotion of innovation-driven development, building up of a modern agricultural system and boosting sales of Ningxia's agricultural products.
Xi instructed local authorities to further deepen reform in all areas, seize the great opportunities in building the Belt and Road and boost opening-up to pursue higher-quality growth.
He stressed the importance of poverty reduction, saying continuous efforts must be made to achieve the goal of eliminating poverty as scheduled. The government should help people relocated from poor areas secure a stable life and find ways to become better off, he said.
Xi reiterated the importance of upholding the concept that "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets", saying that the government should focus on the protection of the environment and ecological restoration of the Yellow River.
The government should promote balanced development of compulsory education in urban and rural areas, Xi said. He also called for speeding up work on the public health system and carrying out extensive health campaigns.
The government should uphold the Party's basic principles on religion work and handle administration of religion issues in accordance with the law, he said, adding that authorities should promote implementation of the Civil Code.
Noting that firm belief is the source of strength for the Party to move forward, Xi called on all Party members to stay true to their original aspiration and keep their mission firmly in mind.
Bringing benefits to the people is the most important mission for officials, and the misbehavior of formalism and bureaucracy must be opposed, Xi said. He added that continuous anti-graft measures must be taken to create a clean environment for entrepreneurship.
While visiting the Yellow River in Wuzhong on Monday－the fourth time he visited the river in less than a year－Xi called it the mother river of the Chinese nation and a precious resource for the development of Chinese civilization.
Ningxia authorities should shoulder their responsibilities, pay greater attention to protecting the Yellow River and coordinate major projects along the river to improve the natural environment, he said.
On Tuesday, Xi visited a rural ecotourism park and vineyard near the Helan Mountains to learn about the development of local agriculture and efforts to strengthen the ecological conservation of the mountains.
Planting should be adjusted to better protect water resources, he said, noting that Ningxia people have long been blessed by the Yellow River.
Duan Changqing, a professor at China Agricultural University, said he gave a briefing about the grape plantation, wine production and ecological restoration while Xi visited the vineyard.
Planting grapes and developing the wine industry in dry areas not only can protect the environment but also increase the income of farmers, which demonstrates the president's concept of "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets", Duan told China Daily.
Lenz Moser, chief winemaker at Château Changyu-Moser XV in Ningxia, pitted his new icon wine, Purple Air, against top drops from around the world in a blind tasting put on for db.
The first blind wine tasting of its kind featuring Purple Air, Changyu’s 100% estate grown Cabernet Sauvignon from Ningxia priced at £134 a bottle; last week db’s editor, Lucy Shaw, took part in the tasting, which took place over Zoom.
Keen to prove that Purple Air can stand shoulder to shoulder with some of the world’s top wines, Moser pitted the inaugural 2016 vintage of the wine against the likes of California icon wine Opus One 2016, the 2014 vintage of Vega Sicila’s second wine, Valbuena, and Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet/Shiraz 2017.
Just 6,300 bottles of Purple Air 2016 were made at Changyu’s flagship winery in Ningxia, northwest China.
“It’s a wine which I believe is the future of Ningxia. We worked hard to bring this new style of wine to life. It’s very harmonious and more fruit-driven than anything else.
“I tried to bring out the bright fruit of Ningxia Cabernet in a very subtle form that’s lighter in alcohol. I’ve worked hard on it, reducing the wood treatment to bring out the typicity of the region,” Moser said.
“I couldn’t resist making an icon wine. It has a very Chinese-looking label and it is going to raise the bar again for the chateau. We have a clear vision – to ensure that the wines of Changyu-Moser XV are not just among the very best of China, but also belonging in the company of the world’s finest,” he added.
Only grapes from the best parcels at Changyu’s estate were selected for the wine, which is aged in new French oak for 24 months.
The striking purple label was created by a Chinese calligrapher, with each character representing the name of the wine, which means ‘bringing fortune and luck from the East.’
In traditional Chinese symbolism, purple means divinity and immortality. It also happens to be Moser’s favourite colour.
Purple Air will be sold in the UK through Bibendum and is aimed at high-end on-trade venues like Sexy Fish in Mayfair and Dinner by Heston Blumenthal at the Mandarin Oriental in Knightsbridge
Arnica Rowan examines ways of producing lighter wines when global warming suggests otherwise.
Across the planet, consumer preferences are swinging to less concentrated, lower-alcohol beverages. Meanwhile, the global wine industry is facing increasing temperatures, resulting in grapes with higher sugar content at phenolic ripeness, and producing super-concentrated, higher-alcohol wines. Australian red wine’s average alcohol has risen by 2% since the 1980s, to 14.4% today (see this report). Global warming is the Achilles heel of the wine industry.
While wine industry advocates are wringing their hands, wondering in North America how they are going to compete with the runaway success of the White Claw hard seltzer, grape farmers have started doing what farmers do best – innovating. On the undulating flatlands of Marlborough and the fringes of the Gobi desert, vines are being tended differently. The farmer’s methods are simple but effective, naturally lowering the alcohol of the wines.
Across the Tasman Sea from the blistering land down under, a Kiwi farmer has made it his life’s work to produce high-quality wine with substantively less ethanol. Seventeen years ago, Dr John Forrest started to experiment with leaf removal, slowing the sugar development in the vine’s grapes. When he presented his first lower-alcohol wine, The Doctors’ Riesling at 8.5% alcohol, he couldn’t believe how popular it was among educated professional women. With rapid retail rebuys, it was a cult success.
Dr Forrest began to use the same plucking techniques in his Sauvignon Blanc vineyards, and other New Zealand producers started taking note. He told me over the phone from his home in Marlborough that the greatest danger to his wines’ success was for other Kiwi wineries to adopt mechanical methods to create their own lower-alcohol, but lower-quality wines. The solution was to share his knowledge freely, and to enable other local farmers to lower alcohol naturally: ‘It was better to share and raise the standard for everyone. After all, a great idea is only a great idea if everyone is able to execute it.’
So in 2014 Forrest (below) teamed up with 15 other New Zealand wineries to launch the largest research project ever conducted in the New Zealand wine industry. The goal of the $17-million programme, funded by New Zealand Winegrowers and the Ministry for Primary Industries, was to create a new, lower-alcohol category of wine leveraging Forrest’s canopy-management methods. The project focused on innovative vineyard practices that could be scaled up industrywide.
During our call, Forrest laughed wryly: ‘I didn’t want to die being known as being the doctor of low alcohol, but now I’ve given up and accepted it. Lighter alcohol has been so successful all over the world, it’s been a unique privilege to be at the start of the phenomenon.’
So far, 27 wines have resulted from this co-ordinated effort, all under 10% alcohol. The difference between these and 5% low-alcohol wines typically seen on the supermarket shelves is in the production methods – the five percenters generally have their alcohol physically removed or diluted – and, importantly, the sensory profile. In other words: New Zealand’s lighter wines taste like real wine.
According to Forrest, the secret is to address the sensory experience of the wine with thoughtful winemaking. For example, he ferments 5% of his Sauvignon Blanc in barrel, just to deepen the colour and texture of the wine to what New Zealand wine fans are accustomed to.
The impetus behind the Forrest lower-alcohol project was to create a new wine category for thirsty consumers. However, his techniques are potential solutions to the rest of the world’s warming climate and rising wine alcohol levels.
Dr Nicholas Cradock-Henry, researcher at Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research in Lincoln, New Zealand, explained to me via Zoom that many global wine regions will face more extreme temperature challenges than his island home.
‘Making predictions is difficult', he admitted, ‘however, modelling results suggest that globally, the current area suitable for viticulture will decrease between 25% and 73% by 2050. That’s a high-emissions scenario. But even if we calculate with mid-range emissions, we’ll lose 19% to 62% of our viticultural area, if we are using today’s practices. Soon, more moderate wine climates will be warm, and warmer climates will face extreme temperature pressure.’ He did point out, however, that higher temperatures may also continue to open up new areas for wine grape-growing, as we have seen in northern Europe.
In the Ningxia wine region in northern China, the winemakers of Chateau Changyu Moser XV are already creating wine in conditions their global counterparts are dreading. The land is dry, the sunshine is relentless; the winters so cold that farmers have to bury the vines to protect them from fatally low temperatures. Only 100–150 mm (4–6 in) of rain fall in the whole year, usually in two or three massive storms. The winery grows little other than Cabernet Sauvignon, but makes red, rosé and, unconventionally, white wines from the variety.
Chateau Changyu Moser XV‘s pioneering Austrian partner Lenz Moser, seen at the top of this article sorting Cabernet grapes, is constantly refining viticultural methods to find balance in the Chinese climate. As we sat together at the Vancouver Wine Festival, he explained to me how tiny the Cabernet berries are – pointing at his smallest fingernail. Moser’s battle for balance is a fight against concentration, and his lessons are valuable for other winemakers’ impending challenges. 'If I have to use unusual methods to get harmonious, complex wines, I will do it', he explained to me with enthusiasm.
Moser’s main techniques include water management and yeast selection, and he is trialling methods to bring forward harvest dates. The Ningxia vineyards are fed by periodic flooding, channeling water from the Yellow River between the vines. The watering cycle is quick – approximately every six weeks water soaks the roots of the vines and then immediately drains deep into the loose, sandy-loam soil. The vineyard staff time the flooding for just before the start of harvest; if the time interval between the last flood and the harvest is too great, the wines will be too concentrated.
Once the Cabernet Sauvignon grapes reach the winery, Moser is employing unusually inefficient, or, as he calls them, ‘lazy’ yeasts to ferment the wines. The white Cabernet Sauvignon is made with Champagne yeast which produces less alcohol. He is also experimenting with old, heritage yeast strains from various parts of Europe, finding suitably lethargic matches for the red and rosé wines.
Moser’s next round of experiments is designed to advance the grape harvest date. His hypothesis is that if he can filter the unripe green-brown seeds out of the grape must before fermentation, he’ll avoid the unripe tannins that can blight wine from early-picked grapes. His initial 2019 experiments using less-ripe grapes produced, according to him, the best Cabernet Sauvignon (red) from Chateau Changyu Moser XV to date.
The ongoing experiments are a necessity, according to Moser. ‘We really have to get our heads around this, controlling the concentration and alcohol. It’s getting warmer, and I want to keep making Cabernet Sauvignon.’
Dr Cradock-Henry of New Zealand warned me that in the future not all wine producers would be able to produce good wine from the grapes they are accustomed to. ‘For perennial crops such as wine grapes, the effect of climate change on phenology may require a change', he said. ‘Farmers will have to consider grape varieties adapted to warmer climates.’
The spiritual home of Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux, shocked the wine world this past June when the AOC Bordeaux producers'association announced that they would be trialling seven new grape varieties. Experimentation with red wine varieties such as Arinarnoa, Castets, Marselan and Touriga Nacional and pale-skinned varieties Alvarinho, Liliorila and Petit Manseng is intended to empower vignerons to adapt to the region’s rapidly changing climate. For example, Arinarnoa is a Cabernet Sauvignon x Tannat cross that offers excellent disease resistance, the quality characteristics of its parents and, best of all, naturally low sugar levels.
For now, the new grape varieties may represent only 10% of an AOC Bordeaux blend but the policy will be reassessed after 10 years of experience. The policy was driven by the Bordeaux Wine Council (BIVB), which invested over €2 million in climate-change research, mainly supporting test plots for 52 varieties and 55 different rootstocks. It’s not a lot of money compared with New Zealand’s low-alcohol research investment, but the results should complement the work of their counterparts from the southern hemisphere.
To quote the business leader and philanthropist Bill Gates, ‘innovation requires the ability to collaborate and share ideas with other people, and to sit down and talk with customers and get their feedback and understand their needs.’
Consumers are speaking clearly with their purchases. They want lower-alcohol wines that don’t compromise on flavour. Now thanks to innovators such as Forrest and Moser, the global wine community has natural techniques to meet the wine lover’s needs while adapting to climate realities across the globe. Cheers to that.
Kürzlich mit Lenz Moser seine neue Range von Chateau Changyu Moser XV verkostet - Von Niko Rechenberg.
Via Face-Time die klassische Moser Family und den Grand Vin aus zusammen mit Lenz Moser verlostet. Und die beiden neuen, den Blanc de Noir als Fume und den extravaganten Purple Air.
Fangen wir gleich mit dem neuen Flagship-Wine an, der das Zeug zum chinesischen Kultwein hat: Der neue Cabernet Sauvignon - Purple Air comes from the East aus 2016 ist eine überraschende Ansage aus Ningxia, dem Napa-Valley Chinas. Eleganz, Präzision und Power, ein Charmeur mit langem Atem und Strahlkraft, die für die ganze Flasche reicht. Die Tannine sind unglaublich seidig, der Abgang so lang, wie die Chinesische Mauer – „Alles Gute kommt aus dem Osten“ und mit überwältigenden 95 Punkten.
CHATEAU CHANGYU MOSER XV Grand Vin Cabernet Sauvignon 2016: Bordeaux-Style, Frucht und Holz in Harmonie, Stoff und Druck, gute Balance - 93-94 Punkte
CHATEAU CHANGYU MOSER XV Moser Family Cabernet Sauvignon 2016: Der Zweitwein vom Chateau: eine runde Sache, süffig und stoffig 91 Punkte
CHATEAU CHANGYU MOSER XV Moser Family Cabernet Sauvignon Blanc de Noir 2017
Der zweite Neuzugang: Nun im Barrique, ein Jahr auf neuer Eiche. Wie sagt es Lenz: "Fettes Teil mit Extrakt, wunderbar zu Kalb und festem Fisch", wo er Recht hat, hat er Recht, für mich eine deutliche Steigerung zum normalen Blanc de Noir, halt mit Turbo: 90 Punkte.
CHATEAU CHANGYU MOSER XV Cabernet Sauvignon Blanc de Noir, Helan Mountain Range 2018:
Der einfache Blanc de Noir, wie sagt es Lenz: "Der Schmackofatz", ein lässiger Grill- und Terrassenwein mit runden 88 Punkten
CHATEAU CHANGYU MOSER XV Cabernet Sauvignon Helan Mountain Range 2017: Der Drittwein mit Rhone-Anklängen, schöner Säure und Frische - 89-90 Punkte
May 09: China and Austria may be in lockdown but Chateau Changyu Moser XV wine estate near Yinchuan in Ningxia in Northwest China, in which Austrian winemaker Lenz Moser has been involved from the very beginning in the viticulture, winemaking and overseeing of sales in Europe, is open and producing wine though Lenz has been managing to operate from his home in Frauenkirchen in Burgenland and continues the dialogue between the buyers as well as the winery, writes Subhash Arora who had a long chat with him a couple of weeks ago
There is a lockdown both in China and Austria so Lenz Moser-Viticulturist and Winemaker who might have been in the European market meeting some of the customers of Chateau Changyu Moser XV or planning to visit the winery in Ningxia, is under self –quarantine at his home in Frauenkirchen, the Austrian town in Burgenland. He is quite happy with the 5 weeks of quarantine that helped Austria contain the Covid-19 virus successfully. In a way it has even helped him reorganise his work as he operates from home, making calls and interviews with his customers, principals in China and journalists across the world from his home office. Working with a positive frame of mind six days a week, this optimist winemaker has his work cut out. He had managed to talk to 175 customers and journalists so far when I chatted with him. ‘This has also given us a chance to rethink about our strategy,’ says Moser. He applauds China which he believes went all-out and ruthlessly to contain the Corona virus. When I queried him about any negative sentiments because of prejudices that the virus originated from China, he says there has been no adverse comment by any of the people he has talked to (though sentiments have turned more anti- China since then especially in the US, UK and Germany for not disclosing the virus earlier and causing a lot of lives that could have been saved). Business has naturally suffered but they have done 50% of the normal business and hope to reach their regular business by autumn.
What’s in the name
Changyu Moser XV wine estate built in 2012 near Yinchuan, is a part of China’s oldest and biggest wine producer Changyu since 1892. The government supported winery which falls under the Helan Mountain East region of Ningxia was built reportedly at a cost of $70 million and had roped in Lenz Moser, the 15th generation winemaker from Austria who also lent his name to the winery, giving it the European edge.
‘I do not hold any equity but work as the viticulturist and winemaker for the winery set up with a brief for me to make the best wine in China. I did not go into details about the costs which might seem to be high but it also gave us an opportunity and freedom to experiment in-house and do the estate-bottling. Our quality is much better because of having a premier estate,’ says Lenz.
Is Ningxia the best location
There is often criticism from wine experts and consultants that Ningxia is not the proper area for making quality wines at reasonable costs and that it has prospered due to the government giving it a special treatment. ‘There is some truth in that, especially because it involves burying and de-burying of wines in the colder months and Spring. But when we started scouting around for the right location in 2008-2009, we concluded this was the perfect region for vineyards. Many of the European wineries like Pernod Ricard and Chandon also selected this region later,’ he says.
‘I do believe that 11 years ago when we bought the land, it was the best location possible. While the government does not give any special benefits, it is definitely wine friendly and provides nice infrastructure. We have utilized it well to promote our wine tourism which is helped by the fact that we are almost in the midst of the city,’ Lenz says.
Although the winery falls in the Eastern Foothills of Helan Mountains region, it is practically within the city and this gives them an edge in terms of wine tourism which has been getting more and more popular.
Grapes of Changyu Moser
‘Cabernet Sauvignon is the signature grape for the region and the winery though we grow some Syrah and Merlot too. Upside here is that the berries for Cabernet are small making it a very concentrated wine, full on the palate’ as I had noticed along with many journalists on a visit to the winery in China last year and also during impromptu Tasting at the ‘Must Fermenting Ideas’ wine conference in Cascais, near Lisbon in Portugal last year. His wines were appreciated at both these places and with the old-world charm.
An interesting aspect has been absence of white wine grapes in the whole area. ‘I have worked with viticulture and winemaking mostly for white grapes in Austria but thanks to my experience working with my father I managed to learn about red wine making too. We make a white wine from Cabernet Sauvignon-called Cabernet Sauvignon Blanc de Noir with notes of light pink. This is rather unique and has found a very good market in Europe.
On another query, he says Climate Change is not much of a problem right now in this region though the temperatures climbed 1.5⁰C during the last 20 years.
Dominant Exports
Changyu Moser has been exporting to 40 countries and Lenz claims to be number one in sales at the top end of the market, adding ‘of course wineries like Silver Heights in Ningxia are our direct competitors. Some of our wines fall under the fine wine category that stand very well against Opus One’. This is a substantial achievement for Changyu Moser which was not even in the export market barely 5 years ago. For the brand architecture Lenz visits Europe often.
About half of the production is sold in China whereas the rest is sold mostly in 25 countries in Europe. ‘This year we plan to enter Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec in Canada. Due to the US-China trade war that market is not opened up well for us,’ he adds.
‘With 250 hA of vineyard surface and a production of 600,000 bottles (50,000 cases) we are considered a medium size company. We make world class wine. There is no cheating, no fake wine. Though it is a purely Chinese wines, made from grapes grown in China, I gave it a European complexion,’ says Lenz when I asked him how he could lend his name with no equity in the winery. ‘I don’t believe in water-tight agreements to work. I am giving all I can-with my 30 years of winemaking experience. It is clear to me that we cannot do without each other and I am not concerned about distant future right now. I believe for next 10 years have great potential for our wines,’ he says.
Distribution is the key element for the domestic as well as export market. ‘We have appointed distributors in Germany, Switzerland and UK where we have three top notch distributors- Berkmann Cellars, Bibendum and Berry Bros. to handle exports.’
The wines cost within about $10 to $130 which compares with Opus One and some third Growths from Bordeaux, making it still a good value for money wine, accordingly to Lenz.
Lower production
Winery was never closed when I chatted with Lenz about a couple of weeks ago. ‘There has been no case of Covid in the winery. I have a weekly video meeting with the winery. I usually visit China in May but this year it may not be feasible. April has been at 50% level while we expect the production to reach 60% and by autumn it should be in full steam. This when the whole of Ningxia has been in quarantine.
It appears Lenz Moser is wearing several hats- only one of them is that of a viticulture and winemaking specialist. He is also supervising the sales and marketing of the Chateau wines and also working to create branding for the products for international markets-all of which he does with a passion. Future holds a lot of promise and the winery is expected to benefit a lot from his participation. One will hear a lot more about Lenz Moser when one talks of Changyu Moser XV in Ningxia, China, considered by most as the best wine region of China despite challenges.
The unique creation from winemaker Lenz Moser is a top-of-the-range white for the chateau in China's Ningxia
Lenz Moser rarely needs any encouragement to be cheerful. The Austrian, who has made wine in Europe, the US and China, typically has enough energy to power a small town.
Yet three things have got him particularly animated on this April morning.
For starters, from our Zoom call, which he is taking outside, I can see an unblemished blue spring sky behind him.
He can sit outside because (reason two) Austria has recently announced it is relaxing some of the rules on lockdown, making some socialising and work journeys possible once more.
And thirdly, he has just launched what he says is the world’s first ever barrel-aged white Cabernet Sauvignon. From China.
It’s the top-of-the-range white for the chateau project that Moser started with the giant Changyu wine group in Ningxia back in 2013.
A fan of barrel-aged Chardonnay, he admits that a Blanc de Noirs wouldn’t necessarily have been his first choice white style. But since the winery’s 250ha of vineyard are planted entirely to Cabernet, if he wanted a white wine in the range, it was the only option.
As he puts it, ‘I had to get creative.’
The standard tank-fermented Changyu-Moser XV Blanc de Noirs was first produced in 2016 and made a clean, fruity, easy-drinking white. But Moser felt there was untapped potential and put some of the 2017 vintage in new French oak as an experime
We try to be as quick as possible separating the skins from the juice. It’s a 10-minute exercise. It’s pure saignée, pure free-run
Lenz Moser
Getting the juice off early is key to the wine’s success. ‘We try to be as quick as possible separating the skins from the juice,’ says Moser. ‘It’s a 10-minute exercise. It’s pure saignée, pure free-run.’
Even so, it’s a deeply-coloured, burnished gold wine, with Ningxia’s desert climate giving plenty of richness and depth – even in a naturally fresher year like 2017. The oak has been well integrated, and stylistically it seems to be closer to an Alsace Pinot Gris than Burgundy, with plenty of red fruit and weight rather than aromatics. This makes it very flexible for food-matching – particularly with Asian cuisine.
‘When you’re in a Chinese environment you pick lots of different types of food – prawns, chicken, beef, vegetables - and the wine is oily enough to accommodate all this,’ says Moser.
There will, he says, be small tweaks and amendments down the years, but Moser seems justifiably happy with his unique creation, which is well worth a look for upper-end restaurants in the UK.
‘White Cabernet is one of our USPs,’ he says. ‘And we’ve barely even scratched the surface with it yet.’
We caught up with Lenz Moser, chief winemaker at Chateau Changyu-Moser XV in Ningxia, to get the lowdown on how China is rebooting after the coronavirus crisis.
Is life slowly getting back to normal in China?
Life is gradually getting back to normal in China. Work was uninterrupted at the vineyard and winery as we didn’t have a single case of Covid 19 out of 5,000 employees. We’re still not fully back into the full swing of things though. We have a lot of wine waiting in warehouses and the pipe is full, as we are an on-trade focused brand. Our off-trade sales are strong but it’s not enough to deplete our stocks. We’re entering a new normal where face masks, social distancing and certain restrictions will be part of everyday life until we have a vaccine.
How has the crisis changed consumer habits in China?
Drinking patterns are changing in China – since the crisis started there has been a lot more home drinking; it’s a huge paradigm shift. The crisis has accelerated the off-trade in China, and the on-trade, aside from the top places, is struggling.
The second and third tier restaurants will be hit hard by the crisis in the coming months as they will be shunned in favour of home consumption. People want to feel safe, so will be staying in more and hosting private parties and barbecues with their friends where they don’t have to wear masks. If you have to social distance at a restaurant, what’s the point in going?
Changyu’s new icon wine, Purple Air Cabernet
How do you think the crisis will change the world?
Hopefully this is the biggest crises we will have to face in our lifetime, aside from climate change. The coronavirus crisis will better prepare us for climate change. This planet has a huge problem and Covid-19 is a precursor of it. The light bulbs are switching on and people are starting to realise the need for change. We will not go back to normal, it will be a new normal. The big question is who will finance the fight against global warming because the world is haemorrhaging money at the moment.
How should the wine trade adapt in the face of the crisis?
In the wine trade we’re selling good moods, it’s a positive product, so I think we’ll be okay if we keep selling optimism, which is more important than ever. A lot of people are suffering, but it’s important to remain positive. In order to get customers back into wine in the on-trade, restaurants will need to go into surprise and anticipate mode – surprising people and anticipating their reaction. When the lockdowns are lifted, restaurants will need people to know that they are open again. They need to re-open with a bang, creating some noise with bold actions.
Will the crisis change how people do business?
Yes. I think relationships will be even more important than ever. Trust is the new currency. When it comes to the wine trade, when we form even stronger bonds than in the past with our partners and fully trust each other then we’ll be on very safe ground. Without trust in this new reality doing business will be impossible.
What is the future for the wine trade post Covid-19?
The online sector is going to get really big and the way people buy wine will change. Online sales will become a much bigger part of people’s businesses as it’s incredibly quick, easy and convenient. People will have to innovate in a completely new way. Consumers want something new and sexy, which is why I think our white Cabernet has done so well as it’s something completely different.
What does the future hold for Chinese wine?
Local is going to be the new paradigm. Chinese wines will need to be typical of their region and something that you can’t find elsewhere in the world in order to succeed going forward. They need typicity or our exports are going to die – people want local or exceptional products, ideally both. China has no indigenous grapes so we have to work with terroir at the moment to stand out. I’m going to plant Grüner in China so I can offer consumers something different. I would have done it in May if I was allowed to travel – it will have to be next year now. I have the rootstocks from Austria ready to go.
Changyu’s popular white Cabernet
How has Changyu had to adapt during the crisis?
We’ve managed to keep both the vineyards and the operations side of the business going and have been gaining new distribution partners during the crisis, which is encouraging. We signed five new distribution deals in Canada, Indonesia, Italy, France and Switzerland in the last few weeks through talking to people on Zoom, so it’s business as usual as far as it can be, which is a very positive sign.
We have the advantage of having Moser on the label, a wine family that is known in Europe, which engenders trust with consumers and makes things a lot easier as they feel like they are on safe ground with our wines.
What is next for Changyu?
We’re an on-trade focused brand so we need to build sales in off-trade channels. Slurp and Ocado have sold quite a bit of our wine and have re-ordered, but we need to grow our off-trade presence and look for new importers with strong web-based sales channels, which will be key going forward. I hope the crisis changes how the wine industry does business because change is needed when it comes to management models and exports. Business outside of China could do with some fresh air.
Do you have any new releases in the pipeline?
Before the crisis hit we were just about to launch our new icon wine, Purple Air, in the UK. Bibendum has taken it on, so it will be on sale in the on-trade soon. The Mandarin Oriental in Knightsbridge is going to go big on it by the glass, and it will be on sale at The Ivy restaurants and Sexy Fish.
We only made 6,000 bottles of the debut 2016 vintage and it will cost around £150 at retail. It’s a trend-setting wine made from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon that moves more towards fruit intensity rather than alcohol.
Do you have any personal projects on the go?
I’m planning to get back into Austrian winemaking. Having moved back to Austria recently, I couldn’t resist the chance to make white wine again. It doesn’t conflict with Changyu as I mainly make red in China. I’m back on a Grüner mission and am working with some close friends in Austria on a new Grüner project after taking five years off. It’s going to be a major global initiative. I don’t have time to do small things anymore. It has to be big from the beginning.
BRWSC 2019: Visiting Ningxia Wineries in Helan Mountain East in China
Oct 27: Ningxia has become a brand as popular as Barolo, Brunello, Burgundy or Barossa with the eastern foothill of Helan Mountain recognized as one of the most suitable regions for producing high-end wine. Since 2013 it has also the protected area for national products with geographical indications (GI), writes Subhash Arora who visited Ningxia for second year as a part of a group of journalists to judge at BRWSC wine competition and visited a few wineries, found a majority to be of high quality but the prices rather high.
The Chinese wine industry occupies the most important position in the economic development of Ningxia. This region has good conditions of sunny days and warmth. It has an arid and semi-arid climate, it is easy to carry out manual irrigation thanks to the Yellow River that flows through the area. The first and only provincial-level of development bureau for wine in China was founded here. The government gives great support to the technical training, seedling introduction and infrastructure such as land, road and water and power utilities construction. The wines produced in this region have won many awards in both domestic and international wine competitions, and have attracted big investments, making Ningxia a star region in China.
During the 4-day stay, I visited the following wineries in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and tasted their wines besides visiting vineyards and wineries. Here are the wineries visited:
Chateau Changyu Moser XV
Founded in 1892, Changyu is the oldest wine producer in China and has become the largest wine producer in Asia and the fourth largest in the World. Changyu Moser XV opened in 2013 in Yinchuan at a cost of $70 million. The government-supported winery, Changyu roped in Lenz Moser, the 15th generation winemaker from Austria who lent his name to the winery. He claims he has no stake in the equity of the winery.
This Winery produces the most high-end wine of Changyu Company. At present, the wines have been exported to many countries in Europe including France and received much praise from leading wine tasters. Keeping in touch with the reality, the wines have been priced at realistic levels too. I had visited the winery last year and was very impressed with the Bordeaux style Chateau at enormous costs. The museum is also world class but despite the busloads of tourists the number is still between 25000-30,000 visitors (compare with Sula Vineyards in Nashik India welcoming 350,000 visitors every year), I was told; there are hardly any tourists in winter starting from October end and till March-coincidentally the time when the vines need to be buried under snow when the temperature touches -20°C. It was a shock when the guide told us there were no instructions for tasting.
When I met Lenz in Europe later on two occasions, even he found it hard to believe. He promised that on the day I visited the winery next, he would personally be there and conduct the tasting. Sure enough, he caught the flight and arrived directly from the airport where we were being shown the winery by the assistant winemaker. The guided Tasting of 4 wines in the professional Tasting room was a highlight of the visit to all the wineries, with Lenz answering all questions in simple, understandable English and was very forthright in his opinion. No wonder, a significant chunk of the 600,000 bottles are being exported in several countries including Dubai where one hotel with 11 restaurants is serving their wines in all the restaurants.
Four wines were tasted –Cabernet Sauvignon white 2018 was a special wine, slightly pink in colour and nice structure; at 150 Yuan ($20) a very good value. The Grand Vin (Bordeaux style blend) at Y1000-1250 ($145- $180) sounds expensive but think Phelan Segur when comparing the taste, he says.
Joanna Simon is one of the UK's leading wine experts and she samples some of the best wine around. This month she explores the freshest roses for spring and summer. With a huge expansion in choice these days, we look at her top six favorites.
Chateau Changyu Moser XV Cabernet Sauvignon Blanc de Noir
"A delicious, one of a kind rose produced from Cabernet Sauvignon grown in Ningxia, China by an Austrian-Chinese partnership. Succulently fruity and smooth but bone-dry with white pepper spiciness and a crisp grapefruit finish. It's a great match for a Chinese banquet and fusion food, but also for more European flavours. Note that Ocado's website calls it white Cabernet Sauvignon"
China, we know, is full of surprises, so why should anyone cock a brow when they learn that one of the grandest and most opulent Bordeaux-inspired winery constructions in the entire country shares its name with a 15th-generation Austrian maker of grüner veltliner?
Welcome to Château Changyu-Moser XV, a stunning €70 million construction located in the now-sprawling region of Ningxia. It’s the proud, ambitious project of China’s oldest and largest wine producer.
Its consultant winemaker is the energetic and engaging Lenz Moser, who for the past five years has been responsible for making Changyu’s wines and taking them to the world.
Even before their partnership, Moser had a relationship with Changyu’s winemaking team. Changyu was fighting the odds to sell Moser’s Austrian white wines in China while Moser was trying to distribute their wines in Europe.
Then, in Moser’s words, Changyu’s chairman expressed frustration that the company hadn’t achieved a breakthrough in Europe, and both agreed that quality was the issue. The chairman asked why couldn’t Moser make a wine from Changyu’s finest fruit to take to the world? The ambition was thus forged and the agreement was made.
The first Changyu-Moser XV Cabernet Sauvignon was released in 2015 from 2013 vintage. Since he stepped into the lead role, Moser has refined the wine – the 2016 vintage that I tasted married plushness and polish with genuine elegance and shape. Its backbone is fine and supple, and with the small berries at his disposal, he expects to build more structure in the future.
“Ningxia is extremely dry and I’m working with the smallest cabernet fruit I have ever worked with,” says Moser. “We get great skin-to-juice ratio, and the thick skins have an abundance of flavour, colour and tannins. We’re at 1,100 metres altitude and only get 150 millimetres of rain annually, so it’s all irrigated.
“The one and only challenge is that we need to bury the vines over winter, burying in November to around 30 to 40 centimetres of soil and unburying in March. We grow the canes at about 45 degrees to the vertical so at least we don’t have to bend them over 100%, which would increase the chances of them snapping. Given all that, since about 2009, I’ve been convinced this might be the hotspot of winemaking in China.”
The upside to burying is that you control the timing of budburst through the unburying process. The estate has around 60 hectares of cabernet sauvignon and access to another 200 hectares of nearby vineyards planted to cabernet sauvignon, merlot and shiraz among others.
The soils are around 60 to 70 centimetres of sandy loam and Moser is dead keen to “exploit their terroir and possibilities to the max”. With only around 10 to 20 days of what you can really call autumn, Ningxia presents unique challenges, typically related to achieving full late season ripening and true phenolic ripeness.
Moser, however, reckons his fruit gets the same hang time or longer than that in Bordeaux, saying his biggest challenge was to get the vineyard workers to harvest after the Moon Festival holidays in early October.
In March last year, Moser travelled the world to launch the 2016 Purple Air Comes From The East Cabernet Sauvignon. At the time of writing, I was yet to taste this wine, which was limited to just 6,300 bottles, so I couldn’t say if it’s on the same plane as the Shangri-la, LVMH’s Ao Yun, or Helan Qingxue’s Baby Feet cabernet-based wines – the finest I have seen from China to date. But I’m thinking I’m in for a pleasant surprise.
And Lenz Moser’s other piece of hot news? He’s now planting grüner veltliner.
This coming week’s launch of a new €150 red wine from China’s Château Change Moser XV shows just how far the Chinese wine industry has come, notwithstanding the direct and indirect impact of the coronavirus. Although the release of Purple Air Comes From the East has had to be scaled back in size it is still a significant moment in the history of Chinese wine, an industry that has been growing at a fantastic pace and improving in quality year-on-year. Mike Turner talks to Lenz Moser about his joint venture winery, about managing the tannins of the region, and coping with some of the quirks that inevitably come with making wine in such a distinctive and individual country.
‘Behind the Label’ – 2018 Chateau Changyu Moser XV, Cabernet Sauvignon, Blanc de Noir, Helan Mountain Range, China.
"Although this wine is labelled as a Blanc de Noir, or white wine made from red grapes, it is actually rosé coloured and this hint suggests that the flavour and palate are fuller flavoured than expected. This is my favourite Chinese rosé and it a rich, main course style with a gorgeous red rose nose and plummy palate and it would work wonders with the Fish curry recipe."
The full, luscious ice wine Changyu Golden Icewine Valley Liaoning 2017 (93 points) from the far north of China added diversity to our list, with immense concentration, tons of pure dried fruit and mouthwatering acidity.
"Deep Gold hue. luscious dried pineapple, honeyed apricys mangoes and honeysuckie. Huge concentration of pure, dried fruit. Mouthwatering acidity balances the waxy texture and sweetness and seduces you into drinking more. Delicious! Drink or hold."
I attended the Chateau Changyu Moser XV Master Class at the Shangri La Hotel in Toronto February 20 2020. Organized by Von Terra, the Master Class was hosted by Austrian winemaker and proprietor Lenz Mozer. We tasted four wines he produces in Chateau Changyu Moser XV in Ningxia, China's best wine growing region. Chateau Changyu Moser XV is the only winery in China to make a red, white and rosé from Cabernet Sauvignon.
Lenz is a great storyteller, telling us about the history of the Chateau and the history of wine making in China while we tasted his delicious wines. Although there are no local varietals, there is a lot of red wine produced and consumed in China but “nobody wants to do winery management in China,” he said.
I truly enjoyed Lenz’ philosophy of “minimal manipulation of grapes” – in other words, let the grapes unfold and give the type of wine it’s supposed to give. I also loved Lenz’ attitude of “wine is to have fun”. I especially adored his answer to someone who asked “What do you pair the Blanc de Noir with?” and he responded “You pair it with everything!” – and that’s how it should be: no snobbism with wine – just have fun with it!
We got to try the wines with great appetizers from the Shangri La Hotel such as tuna nigiri and beef sliders. Thank you for the great event Von Terra!
The four wines we tasted are available at the LCBO:
“'Persistence is everything in our trade. Never be afraid to keep repeating the same message, because it can sometimes be decades before you reach the final consumer'”
Lenz Moser is both a wine maker and a marketing man. While many wine makers fly around the world tasting their wares. Not many have had formal training in marketing and such a long glittering career in the trade. We talk to Lens about his golden rules for marketing wine. We also touch on his family inventions and carrier wine.
Lenz Moser talks to us about Chateau Changyu Moser XV, one of the top wineries from Ningxia and one of China's new rapidly growing regions.
Chateau Changyu Moser XV is a partnership between Changyu, one of China's big producers, and Lenz Moser and Austrian winemaker. With a huge investment in the winery and impressive Chateau building, Chateau Changyu Moser XV is striving to become a top tier wine from China.
Chris Scott talks to Lenz Moser about how the project began and and about Ningxia (ning-sha) which Lenz calls the Napa of China.
‘An ok wine is not good enough. When you make wine from a new appellation like China, especially Ningxia, you have to 'wow', you have to enthuse people. That's why Chateau Changyu-Moser XV has been out on the map in 40 countries including China. We have the surprise element and we are also living up to the expectation that Ningxia makes 8/10 of the best wines in China.’
Leading Ningxia winery Château Changyu-Moser XV has released what it claims is the world’s first white Cabernet Sauvignon aged in French barriques.
The unusual wine, which spends a year in French oak, was made at Changyu’s estate in northwest China from the free-run juice of small, thick-skinned Cabernet Sauvignon grapes harvested from 12-year-old vines.
The barrel-aged white follows on from Changyu’s successful unoaked white Cabernet, which launched in 2017 to satisfy a growing thirst for Chinese whites.
“White Cabernet is something we did out of necessity. At the chateau I had 250 hectares of Cabernet Sauvignon, but I had to have a white wine, so I got creative,” said chief winemaker Lenz Moser.
“We loved the unoaked, stainless steel version so much that we started experimenting by ageing the wine in barriques. After repeatedly tasting the barrels we grew increasingly confident that this would be something spectacular, and it is.
“All the credentials of our unoaked white Cabernet have been refined with subtle wood treatment for 12 months. This gives it the harmony and complexity expected of a world-class white wine,” Moser added.
With an RRP of £35, the rare white is aimed at independent specialists and the high-end on-trade. Just 1,000 bottles were created from the debut 2017 vintage, but production was ramped up in 2018, when 18,000 bottles were made.
Château Changyu-Moser XV is in the process of converting to biodynamic viticulture and aims to be certified by 2022.
Chinese wine has long been touted as one to watch, but the industry has been so cloaked in mystery it’s never been quite clear what to expect. An LCBO release of four wines from Chateau Changyu Moser XV, a boutique winery operating in the foothills of the Helan Mountain in Ningxia in northern China, is one of the first real glimpses of that county’s fine wine boom.
From Ningxia geology to the new regional brand 'Ningxia Hong', here's the latest report on China's up-and-coming fine wine region in the wild northwest.
Chateau Changyu Moser XV, backed by China’s oldest and biggest wine producing company Changyu, is another estate built with tourism in its mind.
Chateau Changyu Moser XV, Ningxia
With a total investment of 600m CNY (65m GBP), Chateau Changyu Moser XV opened to the public in 2013, one year earlier than Yuanshi. The estate’s central piece is a ‘Byzantine-style’ chateau (see above).
The chateau, which can be mistaken for one in Bordeaux, is also a popular movie set, we were told, and I do remember from two years ago seeing a hospital-like set and a couple of rusted cages on our way to the cellar.
‘We receive 50,000 – 80,000 visitors each year,’ said Fan Xi, chief engineer (winemaker) and deputy general manager of the estate, ‘70% of them are consumers who do not work in wine.’
Different from Yuangshi, visitors only purchase 1% of the estate’s astonishing 1500 tonnes of annual production, most of which is pumped into the Changyu group’s wide-spread distribution channels around China and abroad, said the winemaker.
Each visitor, however, pays 80 CNY (8.7 GBP) per ticket for a tour in the massive built-in wine museum, where they get to see every element of winemaking, experience wine aromas, and learn about the century-long history of Changyu, which also coincides the winemaking heritage of China. They can even make their own labelled wines at an extra cost.
‘For us wine tours are more important for branding and nurturing potential customers; sales come second,’ said Fan. ‘At the end of the tour, we want our visitors to feel that they have gained some knowledge about wine.’
‘There’s a huge potential in education here,’ said British wine critic Robert Joseph, who is also at our press tour, ‘every year thousands of consumers are exposed to wine via these visits. It’s likely some of them will become regular wine drinkers in the future.’
In den Startlöchern scharrt der Österreicher (Kremstal) Laurenz Maria Moser, besser bekannt als Lenz Moser V., seit Jahren als Winemaker in China tätig: Im März kommt sein ultra-premium Cabernet Sauvignon aus China auf den Markt. Dort betreibt Moser das Château Changyu–Moser XV gemeinsam mit dem chinesischen Weinriesen Changyu. Der Wein mit dem markanten chinesischen Etikett und englischem Untertitel nennt sich „Purple Air Comes From The East“, ist Jahrgang 2016 und ein reinsortiger Cabernet Sauvignon. Die Trauben stammen von Château-eigenen Lagen in der chinesischen Provinz Ningxa, dem Weinbauzentrum Chinas. Nur 6300 Flaschen wurden von dem Premierenwein gefüllt. Der Preis steht noch nicht fest.
Im März startet die weltweite Präsentation des Premiumlabels, in London gab es bereits einen Vorgeschmack. Auf Augenhöhe sieht Moser seinen neuen Wein mit den Flaggschiffen chinesischer Winzerkunst, etwa Lafites „Long Dai“ oder dem „Ao Yun“ aus dem Weinbereich des Luxusgüterkonzern LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy), beide aus Frankreich und in China mit eigenen Weingütern engagiert.
Moser arbeitet seit 2005 mit und für die Changyu Winery, der größten ihrer Art in China. Er ist dort Konsulent und „winemaking advisor“. Château Changyu–Moser XV wurde als Marke 2015 gegründet und verbindet einerseits Changyu und andererseits Mosers Wurzeln (XV): Er ist Fünfter der Winzerdynastie Lenz Moser und 15. in der direkten Linie der Winzerfamilie Moser. Sein Großvater entwickelte die Hochkultur in den Weingärten, die nach wie vor weltweit als Standard im Weinbau gilt.
Nach seiner Geschäftsführertätigkeit für die Weinkellerei Lenz Moser, die 1986 an eine Investorengruppe verkauft worden war, baute Laurenz V. ab 1997 für den amerikanischen Weinbaupionier Robert Mondavi dessen Niederlassung in Europa auf. Nach dem Verkauf von Robert Mondavi Europe an die Constellation Group wandte sich Lenz Moser wieder dem Weinbau in Österreich zu und etablierte im Jahr 2005 das Projekt „Laurenz V.“ Unter dieser Marke werden Weine nach seinen Vorstellungen von Abfüllern hergestellt und vor allem in den USA und Asien vertrieben.
In der Kooperation mit Changyu findet Moser alles vor, was er sich wünscht. Modernste Anlagen, weitläufige Anbauflächen, passende Teams – und viel Kapital. Das ermutigt zu Innovationen. Etwa dem weltweit ersten weißgepressten Cabernet, den Changyu–Moser 2017 auf den Markt brachte. Oder auch für den Grünen Veltliner, der Stammsorte seiner Familie, mit dem er derzeit wieder Großes vorhat. In China sieht der Österreicher gewaltiges Potenzial, vor allem auch im noch schwach entwickelten Inlandsmarkt.
Chinese wine is the future says Lenz Moser, as he reveals the release of a new top end Cabernet Sauvignon to rival Chinese offerings from Château Lafite and LVMH.
Chief winemaker Lenz Moser from China’s Chateau Changyu–Moser XV will embark on a global tour in March to launch the winery’s new ultra-premium Cabernet Sauvignon.
The 2016 wine – called Purple Air Comes From The East – is a 100% estate-grown Cabernet from the Chateau’s Ningxia Provence vineyards and is limited to just 6,300 bottles.
Moser hopes it will rival similarly premium offerings from China. ‘I need to rub shoulders with the likes of Long Dai from Lafite and Ao Yun LVMH and I couldn’t resist making an icon wine,’ said Moser during a dinner in London to showcase Changyu–Moser XV’s wines.
‘It has a very Chinese-looking label and it is going to raise the bar again for the Chateau,’ he added.
Moser has been working with China’s Changyu winery since 2005 as a consultant and winemaking adviser and launched the Chateau Changyu–Moser XV label in 2015 in partnership with them.
‘Our vision is very simple we want to revive China’s quality game and make sure our wine is not just among the very best of China, but also belonging in the company of the world’s finest,’ he said.
Moser believes that China is the future for global wine consumption and production. In the future he predicts that 70% of the market for Chinese wine will be domestic. ‘China will be our biggest market by far, it will follow the USA model where only 15% of wine is exported,’ he said.
In the mountainous desert highlands of Ningxia, fifth generation wine maker Lenz Moser has teamed up with China's oldest and largest winery to make world class Cabernet Sauvignon. He spoke with vintages about the projects.
Der Österreichische Önologe Laureny Maria Moser leitet in China das nach ihm benannte Weingut Chateau Changyu Moswe XV. Das Zeil: Spitzenwiene für den Weltmarket. Im Stilteil auf Seite 56. Begleitet vom üblichen sonntäglichen Weintipp zu den reyepten von Volker Hobl.
Sustainable farming practices that use natural materials, soils and composts are taking root in the Ningxia region, thanks to the arrival of European and Western-educated Chinese winemakers
Sean Moncrieff’s programme on Newstalk, Ireland’s National talk radio station, has a cult following. Sean’s programme takes an irreverent look at life but is topical and can be serious about current affairs. The Movies & Booze slot started shortly after Sean started working with Newstalk in 2006 and is, to date, the longest standing regular feature. The premise is simple, review two films and two wines in a 60 minute slot, while engaging with the audience via FB, twitter, email and text.
Newstalk is the only radio station in Ireland to commit to a regular wine slot, which is part educational, part irreverent, but mostly fun. It is promotion through education thought in a light-hearted way. There are three wine slots every month and one slot featuring craft beer, presented by Dean McGuinness who is an importer of specialist beers. The wine presenters of Movies & Booze are Jean Smullen, Mick O’Connell MW and Tomas Clancy who alternate each month, presenting once or twice a month as the schedule requires.
The audience for Moncrieff is predominantly AB1 males (25-50+) with a daily national audience of 96,000 , it outperforms the Irish Times with who have a daily readership of c 68,000 for the same audience.
The 2016 IWA Report shows that in the 45-54 age bracket 21% of Men and 19% of Women now drink wine, and in the 55-64 age bracket 17% Male and 16% Females drink wine. Contrast that with the drop in wine consumption by Millenials from 25% in 2011 to 16% in 2016. Source: IWA Aug 2017
Ningxia China: Chateau Changyu Moser XV Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
Cedary, blackcurrent and red berry aromas, lush rich ripe fruits, soft luscious mouthfell, smooth tannins - this is the "second" wine of Chateau Changyu Moser, one of the new premium wines made by Austrian Lenz Moser and the best I have ever tasted yet from China.
Thirty-year-old Emma Yu, above, is the youngest member of the four-strong winemaking team at Château Changyu Moser XV; she is also the only woman. [We have tasting notes on most of the wines discussed here, but particularly and most recently for Changyu Moser – JR]
Her appointment as assistant winemaker was championed by renowned Austrian chief winemaker Lenz M Moser, whose remark ‘it took me a year to persuade Changyu to take a woman instead of a man’ speaks volumes.
A fluent English speaker, Yu graduated from Shaanxi's Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University and came to Europe in 2012 to join the EuroMaster Vinifera programme, studying in France (Montpellier SupAgro and Bordeaux Sciences Agro) and in Germany at Geisenheim University.
On her return to China in 2015 she was hired by Ningxia's Yunkou estate where she helped make and market their annual output of 30,000 bottles before joining Moser at Changyu.
We chatted about men and women, and differences in the workplace. According to Yu, the former are typically assigned to heavier physical labour, but she pointed out that there are three female cellar hands at Changyu.
‘Sometimes it can be difficult for a female winemaker at the start. When you're a young woman the recruiters are more hesitant, but it's the same in other industries. The biggest problem around hiring young women is that in China, we get at least 150 days off if we give birth', she observed astutely.
However, there is good news: Ningxia's status as a booming wine region is in Yu's favour. ‘It's quite a new region and the success of other female winemakers here means that it wasn't that difficult for me to find my first job', she observed, adding that women who become successful on the technical side of the industry attract particular attention.
She talked with enthusiasm about the support she gets from other younger females working at Helan Mountain estates with whom she discusses technical questions, vintage characteristics, new products and marketing.
According to Yu, women in wine are perceived in the same way, be it in Europe or China. ‘Sometimes people are surprised when I introduce myself as a winemaker. They always say “but you're so young! A woman making wine!” But then I tell them my background and they show more respect.’
Does gender make any difference to winemaking? ‘For the technical part, I would say no. I've met excellent winemakers, men and women. Being a good winemaker has no relation to gender. Some people believe that women make delicate wines, but I've met females making really big wines.’
She ended our interview with another astute observation.
WEIN China investiert Milliarden in den Aufbau einer eigenen Industrie. Eine Szene von Winzern ist entstanden, deren Produkte sogar den französischen Konkurrenten gefährlich werden. Die ersten Flaschen kommen jetzt in Deutschland auf den Markt.
Chateau Changyu Moser XV is innovating to make the most of its grapes, whose special properties come from their unique terroir in arid Ningxia, Li Yingxue reports.
@lenz_m_moser met with @louisehurren in Ningxia last week to talk about life, business and his latest project - a super-premium Chinese wine to be launched next spring. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
'It’s very harmonious, more fruit-driven than anything else. I tried to bring out the bright fruit of Ningxia Cabernet, in a very subtle form, lighter in alcohol. It’ll be the 2016 vintage. I’ve worked very hard on it, reduced the wood treatment to bring out the typicity of the region.' #chinesewine #ambition
Wein aus China war etwas für Chinesen oder Menschen, die das Exotische lieben. Nun will er den Weltmarkt erobern, und zwar mit Qualität. Dear Österreicher LENY MOSER arbeitet daran.
Chinesischer Wein ist in Europa noch echte Mangelware. Selbst in bestsortierten Fachgeschäften wie auch im Online-Handel sind Flaschen aus dem Reich der Mitte kaum zu bekommen. Nun fi nden die ersten Weine von Projekten, in denen Europäer federführend sind, auch den Weg zu uns. Die folgenden Tropfen stellen eine Bereicherung jeder Weinkarte dar.
Mit rasender Geschwindigkeit hält die Weinkultur Einzug China. Am Anfang standen importe teurer Prestigeweine, heute verfügt China bereits über die zweitgrößte Rebfläche der Welt. Und es werden erste Weine von internationalem Format gekeltert.
Delighted to feature in this article by @christine_winein @theipaperon the increase in quality wines from lesser known and exciting new wine regions featuring our white cabernet made by Austrian winemaker Lenz Moser at our Chateau in Ningxia China.
We’ve had White Zinfandel and now White Cabernet is poised for its moment in the sun as hip London restaurants like Sexy Fish and Brasserie of Light get behind the wine.
Lenz Moser V is a fifth generation member of the Lenz Moser Austrian winemaking dynasty. Having sold his shares in his family wine company four years ago, Moser swapped Europe for Asia and is currently chief winemaker at Château Changyu-Moser XV in northern China’s Ningxia region. Passionate about putting Chinese wine on the world wine map, Moser is in the process of converting the 250-hectare Château Changyu Moser XV to biodynamic viticulture and hopes to be certified in three years. He is also working on an ‘icon’ wine that aims to take on the best in China.
Bisher waren Eigengewächse aus dem Reich der Mitte nicht der Hit, dieses Jahr kann man wieder Empfehlungen geben, sogar für Normalverbraucher, die keine 80 Euro für einen chinesischen Cabernet Sauvignon ausgeben wollen.
Große Weine werden nicht umsonst mit großen Auszeichnungen gekrönt. So erhielt der Cabernet Sauvignon Château Changyu Moser XV aus dem Jahrgang 2015 die höchste Auszeichnung des Wettbewerbs, Großes Gold, und wurde somit zum besten Wein Chinas gekürt. Sechs weitere Weine des Weinguts erhielten Goldmedaillen.
Now turning to northwest China's Ningxia to see how an Austrian winemaker pursues his dream in China. STANDUP (English): NATAJIA MILLER, CNC Correspondent: "You may think about Europe or the Napa Valley when you think about wine, but Ningxia also has some of the most high quality wine you'll ever taste. And to tell us more about how high quality it really is we'll bring on the wine chief himself, Mr Lenz Moser. Pleasure to meet you, sir." SOUNDBITE (English): NATAJIA MILLER, CNC Correspondent: "So fifteen generations of wine, is that right?" SOUNDBITE (English): LENZ MOSER, Chief Winemaker, Chateau Changyu Moser XV "Yes."
1. What is your favourite restaurant in London? I have three favourites; Dinner – at the Mandarin Oriental – Stefan (Neumann MS) and his team are just amazing, ditto the food; China Tang, Igor must be one of the best hosts of any restaurant I know – you come in and he makes you feel immediately at home; and Sexy Fish, such a cool vibe and a great team. I am eternally grateful to them for having helped us make our white Cabernet such a big success – one of their top selling wines by the glass. ‘
China ist der zurzeit am schnellsten wachsende Weinmarkt der Welt, und das Zentrum dieser Entwicklung ist die Sonderverwaltungszone Hongkong. Vorbild für die neuen Weine sind die Klassiker aus den traditionsreichen Weinregionen Europas.
2017 Château Changyu Moser XV, Cabernet Sauvignon Blanc de Noir, Ningxia, China £15.95, Slurp.co.uk; £18.99, selfridges.com
This week I have a wine story that sounds so outlandish and improbable that it simply could not be true. But it is. I met with Lenz Moser last week, one of Austria’s most renowned winemakers, in order to taste his brand new Chinese releases. As a precursor to his range he opened a 1996 Lenz Moser cabernet, which he made in his homeland in one of the worst red-wine vintages in living memory. This 23-year-old pale rosé-hued wine was lively, impressive, elderflower and blackberry leaf-scented and thoroughly beguiling.
ASI is very proud to announce a new, two-year partnership with Ningxia’s Helan Mountain Eastern Slope wine region in China, one of China’s fastest growing and best-established high quality wine producing regions, which will be host to the 2020 ASI Annual Meeting.
Aux portes du désert de Gobi, des pionniersont transformé sable et cailloux en vignobles prospères.Au point que, en vingt ans, le Ningxia est devenu uneldorado viticole. S’ils sont partis de rien, les propriétairesde ces nouveaux domaines savent s’entourer des meilleursprofessionnels. Résultat!: leurs grands vins rouges ont déjàremporté des concours internationaux, avant de conquérir lesmeilleures tables. Un succès qui ne doit rien au hasard.
Fast 7200 Weine aus aller Welt stehenauf der Verkostungsliste des internationalenWeinwettbewerbs„Mundus Vini“, der noch bis Sonntagim Saalbau läuft. „Wir sehenschon jetzt, dass der 2018er dort,wogut gearbeitet wurde, tolle Qualitätenzu bieten hat“, zieht VerkostungsleiterChristian Wolf eine zufriedene Zwischenbilanz.
There's growing interest in Chinese wines. Get up to speed now, says Sam Wylie-Harris.
It’s Chinese New Year – the beginning of the Year of the Pig – a time for eating, drinking, fireworks and celebrating. But while China is famed for its cuisine, what about its wine?
Das chinesische Neujahr steht vor der Tür, deswegen hier ausnahmsweise ein Wein, der nicht durch sein tolles Preis-Leistungsverhältnis auffällt, sondern durch seine Herkunft. In China steigen sowohl der Weinkonsum als auch der -anbau rasant an. Mit der Handschrift von Lenz M. Moser V entstehen in Ningxia, Chinas jüngster Weinregion, Weine internationalen Stils.
Huge congratulations to @jzwinepeek on her brilliant new book on Chinese Wine - ‘The Chinese Wine Renaissance’ - which launched in London yesterday. More than 5 years in the making and thoroughly researched wIth fascinating insight into the history and cultural aspects of Chinese wine production and general wine culture and consumption in China
Die rote Gefahr: So will die chinesische Provinz Ningxia das neue Bordeaux werden.
Chinesische Weinbauern wittern den nächsten Goldrausch. Auch westliche Experten sind beeindruckt. Nur die Chinesen selber machen beim Wein noch nicht wirklich mit.
När det talas om världens vinländer tänker vi lätt på Europa, Sydamerika, Australien eller kanske Sydafrika. Men faktum är att Kina håller på att vinna mark både som konsument och producent av kvalitetsviner, och det går i en rasande fart!
„Eco“ über Österreichs Wirtschaftsdaten, die Waagner -Biro BiroBiro-Insolvenz und das Weinland China Insolvenz und das Weinland ChinaInsolvenz und das Weinland China Insolvenz und das Weinland ChinaInsolvenz und das Weinland China Insolvenz und das Weinland China Insolvenz und das Weinland China Insolvenz und das Weinland ChinaInsolvenz und das Weinland China
Am 15. November um 22.30 Uhr in ORF 2
Wien (OTS) - Dieter Bornemann präsentiert das ORF-Wirtschaftsmagazin „Eco“ am Donnerstag, dem 15. November 2018, um 22.30 Uhr in ORF 2 mit folgenden Beiträgen:
So geht’s Österreich: Zahlen, Daten, Wirtschaftsfakten, Haushaltseinkommen
Lenz Moser ist der einzige Winzer im deutschsprachigen Raum, der auch in China Wein anbaut. Auf Chateau Changyu in der Region Ningxia macht er überraschende Erfahrungen mit Traditionen und neuem Tempo.
Det blev restaurangchef Markku Niemi från restaurang Pastis i Helsingfors som i mars får representera Finland i VM för sommelierer i belgiska Antwerpen.
The last twenty metres of road aren’t yet tarmacked on the way to He Jin Zun winery in Ningxia, northern China, so we get out and crunch over the gravel on foot. Consultant winemaker David Tyney bounds out to greet us and walks us through the building site past rows of gleaming steel tanks into the noisy winery. He’s from New Zealand but most other employees are locals. A dozen women in colourful headscarves are huddled over the speeding sorting table, an older man forks piles of discarded stalks, some younger ones tip crates of grapes into the press. Tyney surveys the busy scene. “None of this was here two weeks ago,” he says, “it was just a dirt floor.”
Fresh off the plane after a trip to China,just-drinks' wine commentator, Chris Losh,brings us his take on the category in thecountry and finds that the greater threat tosuccess for the world's wine producerscomes from within.
Here’s a good dinner party question for wine lovers: after the big players of Spain, Italy, France and the US, which is the fifth-biggest wine producing country in the world? Well, it’s not, as might be suspected, somewhere else in Europe or the New World. It is China, with an annual production of around 1.7 million tonnes, which is about half that of the US, but still more than what we might think of as bulk producers such as Chile and Australia, whose wines have such a massive presence on our supermarket shelves. In fact, wine has been made in parts of China since very ancient times – although modern industrial production dates largely from the early 20th century – and more than 90 per cent of Chinese wine is consumed internally.
I did a whirlwind ten-winery tour of Ningxia in May. After stops at Pushang, known for its Marselan, and Aromes, known for a focus on natural wine, I joined writers from England, Germany and Switzerland for eight stops with organizer Changyu-Moser XV.
A new wine which can be compared to some of the top wines of the world … the top wine from china …“
Adi Schmidt – he is a legend in austria . was head somm of steirereck in austria for 41 years before retiring last year – steirereck ist austrias best restaurant , always amongst the top 50 restaurants of the world – usually in the top 15 ( last year top 10 , this year 14th ).
Der Captain trinkt chinesischen Wein. Doch nicht so, wie die Matrosen sich das vorstellen. Hier die Geschichte des ultimativen Gesichtsverlust. Ganbai!
Following archaeological investigations, winemaking in ancient China started around 1st-3rd century BC, but in the more recent history we can say that modern winemaking in China started in the late 19th century when Zhang Bishi started growing vines under the brand Changyu. The company was quite successful as testified by the awards it won in the early 20th century. After the revolution, the focus was shifted a bit until the revival of China towards the end of the 20th century.
Das neue Disneyland des Weines: Die Region Ningxia wird zum chinesischen Napa-Valley - Changyu Pioneer kann die Hälfte der Jahresproduktion von Deutschland verarbeiten – Wein & Neue Seidenstraße.
Changyu-Moser XV opened its stunning Loire-esque facility in Ningxia five years ago today. The project pairs Changyu, China’s oldest and biggest producer, with Lenz Moser, who hails from a veteran Austrian wine family. It is sibling to similar huge Changyu wineries in Hebei, Liaoning, Shaanxi, Shandong and Xinjiang. Below I’ve posted photos from five different visits, including on opening day, which featured a musical ensemble, toasts of “ganbei” (bottoms up), fireworks, and tours of the cellar, museum, tasting room and more.
Ein Österreicher will die besten Weine Chinas produzieren und sich mit den Top Weingütern der Welt messen. Lenz Moser berät den Weinproduzenten Changyu und ist Mitgebieter über ein Schloss, das kaum Wünsche offen lässt. view article
Ningxia ist eine der aufstrebenden Weinregionen Chinas. Sie liegt im Nordwesten des Landes an der Grenze zur Inneren Mongolei. Dort hat sich der Österreicher Laurenz Moser mit seinem Weingut Chateau Changyu Moser XV dem Weinbau verschrieben …
No other grape variety is more resilient and adaptable than Cabernet Sauvignon. Whether made in a single variety or in a blend, the grape’s characteristics are unmistakable with blackcurrant, cassis, spicy peppery notes, cedar and a leafy lift. Hailed by many as the king of red grapes, from its heartland in Bordeaux to adopted homes in Napa Valley, Australia, Chile or even as far as Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley or China’s Ningxia, Cabernet Sauvignon trumps other varieties for its faithful interpretations of terroir, vintage conditions, winemaking techniques and most importantly, its longevity that allows some of its best to age gracefully for decades.
China is often overlooked when it comes to wine — but the country is producing a growing number of quality bottles, as I discovered on a recent visit....
A team of 275 judges, including many of the world´s top experts, blind tasted 16.903 wines in the competition. At the end Chateau Changyu Icewine, Golden Icewine Valley Blue Label Vidal, 2015 has won gold.
Douglas Blyde accompanied fifth-generation Austrian winemaker, Laurenz (Lenz) Moser on his 49th visit to the People’s Republic of China last month, taking in Ningxia, where, at Château Changyu Moser XV, Moser (now in his thirteenth year of consultancy) helps it to produce Cabernet Sauvignon-led wines, including a lushly textured blanc de noirs, and Yantai, home to the HQ of Changyu Pioneer Wine Company.
Das Beste am Wein ist, dass er fast rund um die Welt wächst und ganzeNationen miteinander vereint. Das Tolle an meinem Beruf ist, dass wirWeinjournalisten die Möglichkeit haben, auf Reisen zu gehen und in dieunterschiedlichsten Weinwelten eintauchen können. Jüngst führte micheine Weinreise ins Land des Lächelns.
Mithilfe des Weinexperten Lenz Moser will der größte chinesische Weinhändler Changyu die Exporte steigern. Der Sonnenkönig Ludwig XIV wusste um Inszenierungen. Nun gibt es in China ein Château Changyu Moser XV. Der Zusatz Moser XV. kommt vom österreichischen Chiefwinemaker des Chateaus, Lenz Moser. Die Familie ist schließlich seit fünfzehn Generationen im Weinbau tätig...
Les 9.180 vins présentés au Concours Mondial de Bruxelles (CMB) qui s’est tenula semaine dernière à Pékin, ont été dégustéspar 350 experts internationaux...
You may not have heard of it, but Ningxia is being hailed as China’s hottest region for the production of quality wines. Jane Anson travels to the wild stretches of the Great Wall to meet the up-and-coming producers who are leading the way...
Chinese wine has been tipped again and again to be the product to watch in 2018, but UK consumers still know very little about this emerging market....
Frank Kämmer ist der einzige Sommelier aus Deutschland, der schwerpunktmäßig in China arbeitet. Im Interview erklärt er, warum der Weinmarkt dort explodieren könnte...
This year could be the start of something big for Chinese wine. Sainsbury’s, Wine Rack, Tesco and Berry Bros have taken delivery of the latest vintages, and there will be plenty more coming our way soon. Sceptical? You shouldn’t be: China has the second largest area under vine in the world and its 2,000 wineries pump out a billion litres a year, with consumption expected to rise by almost 40 per cent in value over the next five years...
“All our children will drink top quality Chinese wines. China is the most dynamic wine market and its wines are gradualy gaining in prestige,” said Baudouin Havaux, Chairman of the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles (CMB), on announcing that China would host the next CMB. “A country once famous for tea-drinking, China may soon become one of the world’s largest global wine consumers. And what consumers in the world’s second-largest economy want, is premium quality wine“, he added.
Neue Maßstäbe kennenlernen – mit dieser Erkenntnis haben sich Besucher am Stand des chinesischen Big Players Changyu auseinandersetzen dürfen...(page 9)
Im Jahr 1892 gründete Zhang Bishi, ein chinesischer Diplomat, in Yantaidie Zhang Yu Wine Company. Heute ist die Yantai Changyu PioneerInternational Company Ltd eine Unternehmensgruppe mit internationaler Beteiligung...2015 hob Changyu in der Region Ningxia zusammen mit Laurenz Maria Moser V. (kurz: Lenz Moser) Chateau Changyu Moser XV aus der Taufe – mit dem selbstbewussten Ziel, die besten Weine Chinas zu erzeugen...
Wang got her nickname from her so-called ‘crazy’ idea to start a winery with no professional experience. (Wang Fang) Leading the generation is pioneering winemaker 'Crazy Fang', whose top Chinese reds have just landed in Australia, just in time for Lunar New Year.
With Chinese New Year fast approaching and celebrations for Year of the Dog imminent, we turn our heads to look at all things Chinese wine, and, as Britain’s oldest wine merchant, speak to Lenz Moser, winemaker at China’s oldest winery – someone who believes China will be the future main driver of global wine production.
Lenz Moser has gone from making Grüner Veltliner in Austria to producing white Cabernet Sauvignon in China’s Ningxia region for Changyu Pioneer Company. He told Jo Gilbert how he plans to take his wine from the ‘Napa of Asia’ to the rest of the world...
Masterclass und Tasting: Lenz M. Moser und Frank Kämmer (Master Sommelier Changyu) führten in Hamburg mit einer Ningxia Masterclass durch die faszinierende Weinwelt Chinas
China’s oldest winery, Changyu Pioneers, has announced a major leadership change, appointing its vice-chairman Zhou Hongjiang as its new chairman, the first change at such a high level in 20 years.
"We're hungry hunters" says Lenz Moser, lifting chopsticks, conductor-like. We eat at Andrew Wong's avant-garde Pimlico dim sum house, where croquettes conceal rabbit curry and torched mushroom buns sprout from "turf"
Wines from the 2017 harvest in China's premier winemaking region look set to be fresher and slightly lower in alcohol than last year, but some white wine producers are rejoicing after avoiding the rot that damaged their 2016 crop. Sylvia Wu, editor of DecanterChina.com, reports from Ningxia on the harvest.
Noch ist China nicht erste Wahl, wenn es um Wein geht. Aber im riesigen Land gibt es bereits 900 Weingüter, etwa Chateau Changyu Moser XV. Es setzt auf Cabernet Sauvignon, wie ein gelungenes Beispiel zeigt.
Die drittärmste Provinz der Volksrepublik, Ningxia, hat ein ambitioniertes Ziel: Die einstige Kohleförderregion will mit ihrem Wein weltberühmt werden. Hunderte Winzer und Geschäftsmänner sind dem Ruf der Regierung gefolgt. Auch ausländische Fachmänner hat das Fieber gepackt – darunter einen Österreicher.
With its spectacular chateau, dramatic vineyards and extraordinary climate, Chateau Changyu-Moser XV is one of the most exciting new wineries to appear in the past 50 years.
Ningxia province in China while warm and suny in summer, can regularly plummet to -25 C in the winter. Lenz Moser from Chateau Changyu Moser XV tells us how they avert disaster: " We tackle the danger by burying the vines. This is a very labour-intensive process, which involves pruning the vines right after the harvest..."
Viel Kunst, Handwerkskunst und Pioniergeisti st in dieser Selektion zusammengekommen. Wir haben Weine aus Italien,Spanien, Frankreich und der Schweiz entdeckt– sowie eine Neuheit aus China...
Austrian winemaker Lenz Moser, a representative of the 15th generation of a well-known family of winemakers, presented his Chinese project in Moscow. The wine tasting of Chateau Changyu Moser XV wines was held this summer in Moscow's Ararat Park Hyatt.
The consultant of the oldest wine house in China, Lenz M. Moser, introduced CHATEAU CHANGYU MOSER XV's products to the Russian public and talked about the peculiarities of winemaking in China. (…)
... Château Changyu Moser, a collaboration with China´s largest winery, is his most ambitious, but in the UK an eclectic range of retailers including Conviviality, Tesco and Berry Bros & Rudd has already bought into it. (...)
Lenz Moser´s six-strong Chinese range hopes to establish Chinese wine in both the mainstream off-trade, but also in causal and fine dining restaurants through Bibendum, Walker & Wodehouse and Bros & Rudd. (...)
... Take acclaimed Austrian winemaker Lenz Moser. He has been working in China for over 13 years. He says to succeed in China takes patience – and a lot of it. It is not only such a complex and fast changing market to understand, but you also have to work hard at building trust amongst your Chinese wine partners and distributors. (...)
Chateau Changyu Moser has launched its first white wine – Helan Mountain 'white Cabernet' 2016 to go with the two estate reds that it brought into the UK last year through Bibendum. (...)
Tesco has become the latest major supermarket to tap the trend for Chinese cuisine with the launch of its first wine from the country. The Chinese produced Chateau Changyu Moser XV Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 is available from 700 of the retailer´s stores, and online, now with an introductory GBP 7 pricetag (rsp. GBP 8). (...)
SUPERMARKETS TO START STOCKING REDS FROM THE COUNTRY: Tesco and Sainsbury´s have started selling wine from China costing GBP 7 and GBP 8 / Changyu, the company behind the Tesco Wine, has produced wine since 1892T / Tesco´s master of wine James Davis said China would soon be a powerful player in the world. (...)
Tesco is looking to capitalise on the emerging Chinese wine trend with the launch of a red oriental brand, which it claims could be the first of many on the shelves. Hot on the heels of Sainsbury´s foray into Chinese wine in January, Tesco has started selling a China-produced Cabernet Sauvignon that it believes could finally establish the market in Britain. It bills the GBP 7 Chateau Changyu Moser XV Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 as a "smooth, full-bodied wine" that is cross between a classic bordeaux and a fruity Australian wine. (...)
Changyu and Fangshan are moving. No idea who that is? No wonder, because it’s not a who, it’s a place. Two places, in fact. Two places of viniculture. Jürgen Schmücking was there. His conclusion: we know very little about what’s going on there. (...)
Eine abgelegene Wüstenregion im Westen Chinas produziert erstklassigen Wein. Tom Pattinson hat die Winzer von Ningxia besucht, die weltweit Furore machen. (...)
Noch ist er nicht die erste Wahl im Glas: Wein aus China, Thailand oder Bali. Doch immer mehr Produzenten jenseits klassischer Weinbaugebiete wollen sich mit Qualität und Innovation in der Branche etablieren. (...)
I've chosen a new-wave red whine from China to mark Chinese New Year on Saturday.The alternative would have been a zingy, off-dry Riesling from Europe, the southern hemisphere or North America to match a variety of seafood, vegetable, dim sum, rice and noodle dishes, but I wanted to highlight the quality and style emerging from this vast new world of wine where Cabernet Sauvignon is king. This one, from vineyards planted around a dozen years ago in the fast-growing Ningxia province, is made by Chateau Changyu Moser XV. ...
Lenz Moser has described his sub-£10 Chateau Changyu Moser XV 2015 wine as a ‘game changer’ for the Chinese wine industry. ‘It was tough to make [the management] do it,’ said Moser. ‘The industry there tends to think the money is at the top end. But sub-£10 is going to make a huge di erence.’ Chateau Changyu Moser makes 350,000 bottles of its basic Cabernet Sauvignon, available from Bibendum for £9.54 ex-VAT. ‘Wines like this don’t exist in China,’ commented Moser, ‘but others are going to follow our lead.’ At present, all three wines in the range are 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, but Moser sees big potential for blending the French variety Marselan into his basic wine. ‘Currently there are just 10 hectares of the grape in Ningxia,’ he said, ‘but everyone is really excited by it. It can add a lovely softness to the structure of Cabernet, and it would help set the region’s wines apart. I think we’ll see more of it.’
Austrian winemaker Lenz Moser has been working with his Chinese colleague to create a range of wines worthy of attention outside the province of Ningxia, China. (...)
The domed caps of the creamy stone towers echo those at Valençay. The cherubbed fountains (faintly) evoke the Boboli Gardens in Florence. It´s magnificent. It´s also brand new and, considering it was finished in 2013, after just two years of construction and at a cost of €70 million, there´s only one place it could be – and that´s nowhere near the Loire or the monuments of renaissance Italy, but in China. (...)
Le tonneau n° 1 est presque chocolaté, plus doux que les autres. Le n° 2 est plus viril, l’arôme plus longue en bouche et épicée. “Trop, bien sûr“, dit Lenz Moser, un consultant vinicole venu d’Autriche pour se rendre l’automne dernier dans la région autonome du Ningxia Hui à l’occasion d’une dégustation de vin en fût. “Mais il va vieillir bien, s’adoucir et prendre un peu de rondeur en gagnant en puissance“. (…)
Everything from the ‘strange’ to the ‘superb’: I certainly wasn’t able to get a comprehensive overview of Chinese wines within the space of a few days, but I now know where it all starts and where it ends, in which region you’ll find the best wines, who the most popular producers are and what we can expect from China in the future in terms of quality, quantity and, indeed, architecture…
Bibendum PLB unveiled the latest addition to its portfolio at the London Wine Fair yesterday (May 4) – a Chinese wine created by Austrian winemaker Lenz Moser. The wine, which has five bottles in the range, is from the Chateau Changyu Moser XV in Ningxia. ...
Austrian wine entrepreneur Lenz M. Moser headed to China more than a decade ago, wanting to see what was going on. Now, he can’t stay away. Here he gives his impressions of the Ningxia wine region. (...)
