In her book, Thirsty Dragon, Suzanne Mustacich tells the overlapping stories of an interesting group of players as they join China on its 20 year journey into the world of wine. This well-documented saga of China's race to build the infrastructure needed to become one of the superpowers of the wine world collides with Bordeaux's need for buyers in 2009. China's willingness to speculate on wine as an investment combined with their gift giving culture leads to mini-skirted translators facilitating sales in Bordeaux and millions of dollars of classified growths sitting in Chinese warehouses. The tale continues with high level corruption in the Chinese government, counterfeiting and fraud. A brief lesson on the economy and the wine regions of China add more background to this story of the "largest government funded drinks tab in history." An interesting and well-researched read for any winelover that should be enjoyed with a generous pour of Bordeaux.
Last year, I had the opportunity to travel to Italy to taste the wines of Oltrepò Pavese. I discovered that these sparkling wines are based on Pinot Noir, they are made in the traditional method, like Champagne, and most importantly, they are an Italian hidden gem that bubble lovers across the world need to put on their radar. In the August issue of Galveston Monthly magazine, I introduce these wines to my readers.
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Thank you for reading Wine Life - Houston.