Wines in China: Domestic and Foreign

choi

The following appeared in Los Angeles Times, Jan 15, 2012 (Travel section; Sunday).

(1) Mike Ives, A Domestic Wine Industry Starts to Take Root.
http://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-chinawine-20120115,0,390696.story

Quote:

A Beijing-based wine experts Fongyee Walker "said China's nascent wine industry is constrained by both physical and bureaucratic climates: Wine-growing areas are either too cold or receive too much rain, and because the Chinese government owns agricultural land, winemakers don't have much incentive to invest in infrastructure.

"A four-hour flight brought me to Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, which Walker and Ragg say is more climatically 'promising' for wine-grape growing than other parts of the country.

Note:
(a) torpid (adj; Latin torpidus, from torpēre to be sluggish or numb):
"1b : sluggish in functioning or acting <a torpid frog> <a torpid mind>
2: lacking in energy or vigor : APATHETIC, DULL"
www.m-w.com
(b)
(i) The "nose" in the sentence "The wine in question had a nose of expired grape juice" is a noun that means:
"AROMA, BOUQUET"
(ii) bouquet (n):
"1a : flowers picked and fastened together in a bunch
* * *
3a : a distinctive and characteristic fragrance (as of wine)
b : a subtle aroma or quality (as of an artistic performance)"

(2) David Pierson, Pricey Counterfeit Labels Proliferate as China Wine Market Booms.
http://www.latimes.com/business/ ... rfeit-wine-20120115,0,3384950.story

Three consecutive paragraphs:

"At a wholesale alcohol market in the northern Beijing suburb of Huilongguan, buyers can easily find sellers of purported Chateau Lafite Rothschild. The real deal can cost $8,000 a bottle, but even fakes aren't cheap.

"'A good one can cost [$160] because they use an original bottle,' said a storekeeper who gave only his surname, Zhou.

"Indeed, a cottage industry of bottle scavengers has sprung up to serve the trade. One broker solicits online as a 'professional bottle recycler,' offering up to $320 for an empty Lafite bottle, depending on the vintage.

Note:
(a) pièce de résistance (n; French, literally, piece of resistance):
"1: the chief dish of a meal
2: an outstanding item or event : SHOWPIECE"
(b) For "the iconic Lafite Rothschild logo with its five arrows," see its website
http://www.lafite.com/eng

(3) If You Go: China Wineries, Vineyards.  
http://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-chinawinebox-20120115,0,1372717.story