2005 Huadong Merlot (Shandong, China)

Huadong is one of the largest and most prominent wineries in Shandong Province.

I bought this bottle while in Qingdao, and consumed it with some good friends we were staying with. It had quite a promising nose of berries and plums that tended towards being a bit jammy, along with a bit of spice and a savoury tobacco leaf note. If the palate could’ve matched the nose it would have easily been the best Chinese wine I had had. Unfortunately the palate was a bit of a let down. It still drank reasonably well, and worked as a serviceable quaffer. Those same fruit flavours were evident, though it lacked length or intensity.

Had it cost half the price I would have thought it to be ok value. As it was I thought it to be a good example of Chinese wine at present - on the improve, but at the present overpriced and lacking complexity.

Rated:


RRP: 180 RMB/$30 AUD
ABV:?
Website: www.huadongwinery.com



Red

RedtoBrown Update - Red is Back!

Reports have surfaced that one half of RedtoBrown has returned from a 3 week wine research trip in China (eg: a holiday). Well, wine wasn't the primary aim of the holiday, but Red has promised RedtoBrown that there will be a few articles posted on the Chinese wine scene and maybe even a few tasting notes on some Chinese wines. I am particularly intrigued to see if any rip-off bottles of Penfolds (Prenfolds/Pennfolds, etc) was consumed and whether it tasted like wine.

As for me, with Red back, I may now have time to expand on some thoughts about the language of wine reviews and why a term like 'barnyard' or forest floor' are acceptable terms for non wine nerds/wankers.
:-)