Wine for the gods?
 December 10 2011, 14:30

Click For Large ViewHow many wineries have their own temple? This is RongZi near the village of Xi'an Ning in the Shanxi province. Perched on top of a cold, arid mesa covered in snow, the landscape reminded me a touch of Rioja Alavesa in winter. The brain child of a local businessman, Zhang Wen Quian, who made his money with coal, this is being conceived as a Chinese Opus One, replete with a hotel, restaurant, library, museum and, yes, its own temple (picture). Who else can boast that? The vineyards are spread over the flat tops of a lunar landscape, with steep crevices separating them like wrinkles on an ageing face. Most of the 350 hectares that have already been planted are Cabernet Sauvignon. As the cellar has been constructed to produce at least two million bottles, the last word on vineyards has yet to be spoken. Zhang Huising, the lady hired to run the winemaking operations, is very self-effacing, but all the more serious, and one the two 2009s - their first vintage - was a pleasant surprise. Soon they want to release a Reserve Jean-Claude Berrouet, named after the retired oenologist for Pétrus, who is the consulting winemaker. It will take another three to five years to complete the complex, plant the last vineyards and hit stride, but this will certainly be an estate to watch. Comments

 

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