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.
Nocera is a native grape from Sicily. It comes from the Messina province which is located in the northeast. Nocera is a quality red wine grape that is most known as a blender in the red wines of the Faro DOC. I had the opportunity to taste some pure versions (which according to Wine Searcher are rare) this week at a trade tasting held at Roma Restaurant in Houston. Wine production in the region dates back to the 14th Century BC, however, phylloxera decimated the vineyard area in 1881 leaving it at a fraction of its original size. The area boasts a Mediterranean climate with sunny days and coastal breezes, moderate rainfall, and mild winters, all ideal for grape growing. The Nocera grape is a bluish/black color and has a thick skin which allows for the production of structured wines with prominent tannins which are balanced by good acidity. High alcohol is common. Red wines produced from the grapes are an intense ruby color with purple highlights and aromas and flavors of dark fruits a
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Thank you for reading Wine Life - Houston.