World Wine Tour 2010……..

~ China: 23 January 2010 ~

Dragon Seal and the Huailai Reserve
Whereas Fengshou winery may have brought us wine scaled to a Chinese level, and Grace Vineyards brought us a refinement of the craft, our third winery visit has given us the history to fill in the gaps. As the first Winery in China Dragon Seal was originally founded in 1910 and offers visitors a history of Chinese winemaking museum at its production site’s footsteps to better grasp the time frame.

Assistant President Kevin Yang gave us a personal tour through the Museum which starts with a French friar who converted his Beijing church’s graveyard into a humble winery. Acquired by the Chinese state in 1949, the winery was (re)named Shangyi Winery of Beijing, and after a few more name swaps the winery was finally ascribed its present day name in 1987, not coincidentally the year of the Dragon. This whole story and the winemaking process itself we could imagine quite clearly with the museum’s unique representation via hard working dolls.
The founding father of the original Dragon Seal winery (then named differently), and a quick view of Chinese winemaking.

Aside from this Museum, a refuge for knowledge-thirsty wine lovers, Kevin informed us that the winery is now in process of moving its head office and production site closer to the vineyards which are in the Hebei Province (about 150 km from Beijing). But why there?? (Things seemed to be going pretty smoothly with the production site located in the center of Beijing). Well, with more and more vineyards popping up in the Hebei province and in addition to its proximity to the Great Wall of China, vino-tourism in tandem with tourism in general may become the next attraction for the new region. And this is all sure to provide much promise for the future of any winery placing itself in these midst’s.

This miniature gives a nice illustration of the Great wall and Dragon Seal’s vineyards (but for the winery and the thousands of tourists you’ll have to use your imagination!).

The brains behind the bottles, two Chinese winemakers and a head winemaker from France sculpt the 10 varietals of royal grapes the winery employs to decide the tastes of each label. And of these, while crossing through the museum we encountered Dragon Seal’s pride and highest achievement, sealed in glass and cork and adorned with its exotic name: the Huailai Reserve. As we wondered about the magnitude of great taste it might offer to our pallets, our dream didn’t come true… but we were by no means disappointed as we were offered a 2003 bottle for our auction! This in addition to a Dragon Seal Chardonnay 2008 has made our collection nearly complete for representing the potential Chinese wineries offer, and for the lucky winner of this wine… can we just join you for one sip???

Top Wines for the Auction!

~Anja and Georges

~ China: 22 January 2010 ~
An ocean’s Grace

It seems as if the most simple tasks to do at home can become arduous endeavors while abroad. Finding food that agrees with you, finding internet with a reasonable speed, asking for directions, but perhaps the most so is for arranging transportation. Luckily though (as is the theme of this trip) we have been putting much faith in the tendency for strangers to help, and as we looked quite helpless in Beijing’s main train station, a kind Chinese student (who doesn’t like wine, our first question second to getting directions) came to our aid.

The train ride proved entertaining: apparently not many westerners frequent the Shanxi province, a 3 hour train ride from Beijing, for all eyes seemed to be on us. Perhaps in line with this an ‘undercover’ Chinese-American missionary posing as a businessman came to discuss Christianity with us during the ride. About two hours of country-side car ride following this and we arrived at the beautiful colonial-style winery building of Grace Vineyards
. While visiting the wine-shop we understood that Grace had quite a popularity, and it was fun to see too that our media partner Jancis Robinson had been there several years ago during the winery’s infancy, praising the wine as one of the most promising of China.
We agree and its moved up since then!

Grace Vineyards in the Shanxi Province of China

The visit began with our first encounter with buried vines for winter protection, a sight quite strange for Georges and quite new for Anja. Buried about one meter underground following techniques similar to those used in Canada, the vineyards look unplanted. Our host through this, assistant winemaker Reno (having just studied viticulture and oenology in Australia was eager to tackle the challenges of winemaking in his home country) guided us through the tour explaining that Grace was under construction; doubling its size to keep with its popularity and the potential of the market.
more…
~Anja and Georges~

~ China: 19 January 2010 ~

Fengshou Winery: Our First Winery Visit!

With a misty winter fog of car exhaust and coal, a rowdy road offering sights and sounds; namely stopped cars and non-stop honking, we patiently sat with Fengshou Winery’s driver and staff and thought: welcome to Beijing. Meanwhile, we were wondering what to expect from our first winery visit of the project.

Crowds and traffic aside, Beijing proved a quite welcoming stay. Arriving at Fengshou Winery, we were greeted by their CEO Mr. Zhang, Board Member Cindy, and many more. The winery, located just outside of Beijing, shares its grape source between its own vineyards in the Hebei province, and from imports from abroad (Generally from Australia and Chile). One of the largest wineries in China, Fengshou caters many different labels throughout its domestically diverse market, and its sheer volume production is only hinted at as we stand dwarfed by 200 ton tanks below:
At the winery’s headquarters, we were treated with the enterprise’s higher end wine, ‘Harvest,’ which though is presented vintage-less, proved a treat for curious palates, and two bottles of these have been donated towards our auction. In addition to two other bottles of ‘Harvest Cab,’ which were also donated, the foundation for a great representation of Chinese wines has been set for our auction!

‘Fengshou’ itself means ‘Harvest,’ and the label of the flagship wine is adorned with a representation of Beijing’s cultural symbol, the temple of Heaven. This monument is where one would traditionally go to pray for good crops, and the label thus seems to authentically tie viticulture with sino-culture.

The Logo on Fengshou Winery label is of Beijing’s Temple of Heaven, a popular place for sports of all kinds, though originally made to pray for good harvest.

Following this philosophy, Fengshou treated us to a sight of the ancient capital with a visit to the Summer Palace. Still splendid in the winter, this amazing park opened to the public only in the 70s, and is a sight of walkways, water (well, its ice if you come when we did), and temples.

The Summer Palace… …In the Winter

Fengshou also showed us the culture of cuisine which China has spent centuries mastering, which in variety seems to surpass all others. A locally popular business hot-spot paid homage to this truth, with seasoned soybeans, fried eggplant, and a fish stew so hot Anja had to cry, adding to our already discovered pigeon meat, chicken feet, and sea cucumber.

The Temple and… The Temple!

A delicious dinner with Fengshou Winery, and Georges showing off his stylish polo, printed early December 2009 with sponsors supporting the project!

Though some may say Chinese cuisine does not offer itself readily to pairing with wine, we beg to differ from what we have seen, a view that is reinforced by China’s move towards dryer wines. We invite you to pair yourself with a taste of local production through our auction, and as 1.7 billion people begin presenting a new market for wines, you can bet this industry is just going to start booming.

Join us for our next blogs as we go to Grace Vineyards and Dragon Seal Winery!

~Anja and Georges

~ Mongolia: 15 January 2010 ~

OK! Our one day pit-stop in Mongolia’s capital Ulaan-Bataar has proven to be quite the adventure. With nomadic Yurts providing a strange backdrop for new glass towers, mixed with soviet era building blocks and hints of Chinese architecture, we could see that Ulaan-Bataar now fully independent of Russia and China was a concentrated population of nomadic entrepreneurs.

With our initial goal of meeting with wine shop ‘Xanadu Fine Wines’ as unexpectedly changing due to our persistent inability to find the correct Marco Polo Square (If it wasn’t ‘Chengis’ Khan, then just about everything else seemed to be named Marco Polo…), we happened to run into a few other wine shops on the way. On our Marco-polo-esk journey (MP traveled over 40 years throughout Asia and beyond) hoofing it to find the sought after square, we managed to run into a few other stories. Our favorite, the reply of ‘UB Wine’ shop’s attendant while we were inquiring as to her favorite wine…: “Martini.” Alright, perhaps she didn’t understand well our question, but it could also be saying something for the wine culture of Mongolia… We might add as well that the second wine shop we came across didn’t seem to trust us at all and was quite hesitant to tell us anything about the wine industry and what kind of people they sell too. Perhaps we were Russian spies?
Join us for our next blogs, as we give you three wineries of China before discussing Hong Kong, and we are soon to update you on our medical mission and visit to the Simmano School in Laos which is our current location!

WoWiTo in Mongolian Snow!

Popularity rising, we have come across what seems to be what WoWiTo fans must have left somewhere in a Mongolian National Park.

~Anja and Georges

~ Russia: 12 January 2010 ~

The Trans-Siberia/Mongolian Express: Unexpected

During the Trans Mongolian train ride we not only had the great opportunity to enjoy the amazing landscapes of deep Russia, the face of pure nature with freckles of villages scattered throughout, but we were also able to share closely with locals both the space of our coupe, and the stories of their lives.

Further on our Siberian odyssey, this time from Irkutsk going towards the capital of Mongolia, another Russian woman joined us with her child. She loved wine herself and especially Lindeman’s. Her stories couldn’t seem to stop coming. Most interesting to us was about the fraud that happens with Mongolian drinks. It’s not uncommon for drivers to be stopped at the border between Russia and Mongolia with large gas caskets of generic wine, cognac, and vodka, all to be used to refill premium bottles and sold at high prices. So visitors be warned!
Media Contact:Anja and Georges
Anja Cheriakova, +31(0) 0624641048,
anja.cheriakova@worldwinetour2010.com

WorldWineTours

Russia: 4 January 2010 ~

The Dark Legend from Krim and More!

What made our stay in Moscow so pleasant? Great wine, great people, and an inviting atmosphere! It is our second day in Moscow. Still no bears in sight, but we have found the grotto of wines, thanks to Legenda Kryma. To help us better understand the Russian wine industry and tastes, we were invited to taste a variety of Russian wines. Legenda Kryma actively tries to increase wine knowledge of those interested by offering educative tastings on the wide range of wines they offer.

Wines Tasted

We were told that of dry wines, Russians prefer sparkling whites, and for all other types the pallet leans more towards preferring semi-sweets. This seems to coincide with a general preference for sweet (non-hard) alcohols in Russia, though we were told that a progression towards preferring dryer-reds is predicted for the future, perhaps thanks to the incoming generation.

Wines Tasted

To open the tasting, we were treated with a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon sparkling red wine, following two more traditional sparkling whites (one of which officially earned the title of “Champagne” after winning the ‘Grand Prix’ in 1900 at the Paris World Fair). Just as delicious were the subsequent wines, one of which was shrouded in Legend.

A small taste of our great tasting and time spent with Legenda Kryma, Music thanks to ‘Spindreamer Music.’

…The Legend of the Black Doctor, and the Black Colonel.

“A long time ago, in a village lost deep within modern day Ukraine, lived a humble and peaceful doctor. A wise and astute man, the doctor had developed a potion able to treat all ailments, and he prescribed this to all patients under his care.

One day, an injured colonel stumbled into the village seeking care for his wounds. Villagers led him to the doctor and he was prescribed the usual remedy. With a distinct, though warmly familiar taste, the colonel drank his medicine which cured him on site. Astonished by the result, the colonel inquired as to the potion’s recipe.

The doctor, wise in his ways, knew that the recipe for a powerful medicine as such should only be given into trusted hands. As years passed, the doctor and the colonel developed a strong friendship, and the time had come to divulge his secret. The medicine, grown from vines on historic and sacred land, was a wine crafted by the hands of a doctor, and endowed with the energy of a deep and ancient people.

Soon after, called to war, the colonel left the doctor’s side to fulfill his duty to his people. While scouting in the woods in the loom of a great battle, a beer surprised the colonel and injured him gravely. Mortally wounded, the colonel ordered his men to rush him to his old friend. However, as the doctor was delivering a child and unable to receive the colonel, he prescribed several liters of wine to cure the colonel.

After delivering the baby, the doctor rushed to see his old friend and to see how he was healing. The colonel, looking through swollen and drunken eyes, saw a dark and blurred figure approaching him. In his state of trauma and madness, from both his injuries and remedy, the colonel mistook the doctor for his attacker, the bear, and drew his strengths and knife to serve to his defense and revenge. Stabbed in the heart, the doctor fell cold to the ground.

The legend thus names the doctor’s potion as thus, the wine so called ‘The Black Doctor,” to reflect the dark nature of his fate. The colonel, in despair after realizing what he had done, swore never to drink again, while devoting his life to crafting the same wine the doctor had taught him to make years before. This was thus named ‘The Black Colonel.’ “

Special thanks to Legenda Kryma who has graciously donated a bottle of ‘the Black Colonel’ for our charity auction to be held in 2011.

Legenda Kryma has also donated two other legendary wines: one bottle of Novy Swet, a winery founded by Lev Golitsyn himself, earning the official name of “Champagne” for his wine. Novy Swet is the first “Champagne” wine of Russian origin. The second bottle kindly donated is a famous Pink Muscat from the winery Makarach. This is the first winery of Russian origin, founded in 1828.

Donation

Thank you very much to Legenda Kryma for its donation of legendary Russian wines!

Donated Wines:

Novy Swet (AKA the first Russian Champagne), 750ml

A pink Muscat from the famous Makarach winery (First winery of Russian origin), 750ml

The ‘Black Colonel’ from Solnichnaya Dolina Winery, 750ml

Next News: Passengers on the Trans-Siberian Express!

January 2010

Welcome again to the World Wine Tour fundraising project! As we continue on our quest, we would like to invite you to partake in our experience in Moscow, its culture, and how this has influence on wine trends there.Join us for our next blogs too, as we taste and collect wines and stories with Legenda Kryma in Moscow, and further explore the wine culture as we travel through Siberia and Mongolia on our way to China!

We also can give you a sneak peak of some of our press releases:

This time: new Brix Magazine- combining wine and travel :brixmag.com

Thanks and all best wishes,
Anja and Georges

TWO ADVENTUROUS WINE LOVERS ANNOUNCE WORLD WINE TOUR 2010
Pair collecting wine for charity auction benefiting Lao Rehabilitation Foundation, Inc.

Beginning January 2010, 23-year-old Anja Cheriakova of the Netherlands and 24-year old Georges Janssens of the United States will embark on World Wine Tour 2010 (www.worldwinetour2010.com), a humanitarian 12-month worldwide search for wine donations on behalf of the Lao Rehabilitation Foundation, Inc.  The pair will attempt to visit at least 17 countries and over 300 wineries in hopes of acquiring a donation of one bottle of wine from each to include in an auction gala event scheduled at the completion of the tour in 2011. One hundred percent of all proceeds from the auction will be donated to the Lao Rehabilitation Foundation, Inc. (www.laofoundation.com), founded by Dr. Luc Janssens, co-founder of Portfolio Winery in Napa Valley, CA.

A devastating flood in 2008 destroyed 140 schools along the Mekong River in Laos. The Lao Rehabilitation Foundation, Inc. will use the funds raised at the 2010 World Wine Tour auction to rebuild schools in the Laos village of Simmano.

“I admire Georges’ and Anja’s endeavor to travel the world for wine which will later be auctioned benefitting the Lao Rehabilitation Foundation Inc.” said Margrit Biever Mondavi, wife of the late Robert Mondavi, a champion of such charitable endeavors.  “It is such a needed benefit for children and adults requiring healthcare.  I wish Georges and Anja much success and hope to be at the final auction of the prestigious wines.

The World Wine tour concept began in 2004 when a similar tour called Vignes Sans Frontières visited 12 countries resulting in a 330 bottle collection auctioned to raise money for their charity, Partage, providing aid to Vietnamese victims of the Vietnam War. Since 2004, similar annual World Wine Tour trips have resulted in thousands of winery visits and more than 2,500 bottles of wine collected on behalf of various charitable causes.

All the couples who accomplished the previous World Wine Tours have been French.  This is the first time an American and Dutch couple endeavor to do so. In addition, the duo will be volunteering their time with the Foundation while in Laos and aiming to conduct surveys at the hundreds of wineries they will visit. The couple plan to document their story through a book and film, to be released following completion of the project.

Cheriakova and Janssens’ trip is being made possible through generous sponsorships and donations including those from JF Hillebrand, Seguin Moreau, Saury, Canton, Wente Vineyards, South American Wine Tourism, , Wines from Brazil, Riedel, Amy Gallaher, Global Wine & Spirit  and Robert Mondavi Winery. Media partners include Jancis Robinson, Ambrosia and About Harvest .Additional sponsors and donations to make the project possible are welcome.
To follow Cheriakova and Janssens’ journey starting in January 2010 or to find out how you can help, visit http://www.worldwinetour2010.com. The website includes information, videos, photos, and blogs which will be updated throughout their journey.

About the Lao Rehabilitation Foundation, Inc.
The Lao Rehabilitation Foundation Inc. (LRF) dedicates itself to providing medical services to Laotians, with a greater emphasis on children. Duly incorporated in the State of California as a non-profit organization in 2002, it has been a charity with a ‘get-things-done’ attitude. Personally supervised by its president, each mission has proven to be extremely successful in the past, with future projects looking ever more promising.
The foundation’s scope of involvement ranges from such activities as building health care clinics in remote areas of Laos, to performing medical missions diagnosing and treating hundreds of patients, to improving sanitation conditions at centers for handicapped children. Each mission is followed up with the foundation’s local coordinator in Vientiane, ensuring the continuation of each project’s success. For a comprehensive list of the many projects the LRF involves itself with, you are welcomed to visit their website, www.laofoundation.com, and appreciate it for yourself.

The Charity Wine Tour Sponsors:
Shipping Logistics: JF Hillebrand, Diamond Sponsor: Seguin Moreau, Gold Sponsors: Saury, Lafitte Cork & Capsule, Silver Sponsors: Canton, Wente, South American Wine Tourism, International Media Partners: Mutineer Magazine, Jancis Robinson, Brix Magazine, Terre de Vins, About Harvest Magazine, Ambrosia Magazine, Service Sponsors: Robert Mondavi Winery, Portfolio, Wine Travel Guides, Wines From Brazil, Riedel, Spindreamer Music, Wine & Co, Global Wine & Spirits, Amy Gallaher Design.

Media Contact:
Anja Cheriakova, +31(0) 0624641048, anja.cheriakova@worldwinetour2010.com

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