July 28, 2016:  Belgium-based Vinopres, which has been organizing the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles wine and spirits competition annually since 1994 in Europe, is holding the first-ever Forum-Tasting event titled Asian Wine & Spirits – The Silk Route, in the Fangshan district of Beijing on October 10-12, 2016. It promises to be a ground-breaking event allowing the spotlight to be turned on the Asian wine and spirits industry.

Baudouin Havaux, Chairman of the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles and General Manager of Vinopres, and Thierry Heins, Coordinator of the Asian Wine & Spirits event, travelled to Fangshan this week to check on progress and finalize details of this first event.

The development of the Fangshan wine region is the district’s priority and hosting the 1st Asian Wine and Spirits forum and competition is a perfect opportunity to emphasize the progress made in less than a decade and to promote in-depth international dialogue within the wine industry.

To date, 22 chateaux covering 1,200 hectares of vines have harvested at least one crop of grapes. The aim is to set up 60 chateaux over the next 10 years. To distance itself from other regions, the local government has introduced an extremely strict winemaking policy: a ban on buying grapes elsewhere, use of estate-grown grapes only, ageing and bottling on site and yields set at 7,500 kg of grapes/ha. Permitted grape varieties, vine density and winemaking techniques are defined by the region. Clones are supplied by a state laboratory with a production capacity of 40,000 vines/year, which has so far restricted vineyard development. Organic certification for wine growing and winemaking is also being examined.

The Qinglong Lake International Wine Town will host the event.  The town is expected to fuel the development of Fanshan’s high-end wine industry, promote industrial transformation and become an important tourist destination in Beijing. The location features modern business facilities and resorts that include a golf course. The new Xihai Healing Resort on Qianlong lake is mostly completed and will allow trade members and guests/VIPs to enjoy comfortable, tranquil surroundings in which to become familiar with all the products at the event and the tasting competition. Just next to the hotel, a luxury villa will host the conferences and masterclasses. A very short distance from the hotel, a brand new exhibition centre dedicated to wine trade fairs will welcome the opening and awards ceremonies. A baijiu event will be held in the amazing, brand new “Museum of International Brewmaster Art – MIBA” in Beijing founded by the artist and photographer Tiger Ning in the ancient cellars of Dragon Seal.

 

The comprehensive programme includes a wide range of conferences, masterclasses, a free-pour grand tasting of Asian wine and spirits brands, a competition dedicated to wines and spirits from Asia, cultural activities and visits of Fangshan wineries.

The 1st Asian Wine and Spirits forum and competition promises to be extremely interesting.

 

Thierry Heins