Chinese wine triumphs at ‘Judgement of Peking’

A bottle of Silver Heights ‘The Summit’ came out on top at a recent Hong Kong blind tasting, hosted by the Flying Winemaker.

A blend of 65% Cabernet and 35% Merlot, Silver Heights The Summit also received the top honour with 97 points in the Asian Wine Review launched earlier this year and was placed first, third and fourth overall in the blind tasting competition. In second place, Burgundy got a look in with Louis Jadot Macon-Village 2012.

Silver Heights is based near Yinchuan, Ningxia with vines planted on the eastern slopes of Mount Helan at an altitude of 1,200m, making it one of the highest vineyards in China – but it also shares the same latitude as Bordeaux.

The winery is headed up by Emma Gao, holder of a Diplôme National d’Oenologue from Bordeaux who honed her craft during stints at Château Calon-Ségur and Château Lafon-Rochet.

The blindtasting rundown was:

• 1st: Silver Heights ‘The Summit’ 2013 (China)
• 2nd: Louis Jadot Macon-Villages 2014 (France)
• 3rd: Silver Heights Family Reserve 2013 (China)
• 4th: Silver Heights Family Reserve Chardonnay 2014 (China)
• 5th: Domaine J.A Ferret Pouilly Fuissé 2014 (France)
• 6th: Le Haut Medoc de Lagrange 2012 (France)
• 7th: Chateau Nine Peaks Chardonnay 2014 (China)
• 8th: Chateau Jean Gue Pomerol 2011 (France)

Kyle Oosterberg, senior wine educator and cellar manager at the Flying Winemaker said: “It was great to see the public’s reaction to Chinese wine and the tasting proved to be a success in their eyes and realising that Chinese wine is great and can compete with the very best in the world.

“I think the Judgement of Peking will lead people to make better, informed choices when it comes to buying Asian wine – even if there were a few astonished faces around the room.”