My local supermarket has a team of highly trained oenophiles who scout the vineyards of the entire known universe, dedicated to sourcing the worst wines in the world. Then they inflate the prices to the point where I could fly to Europe and pick up a bottle cheaper than they sell it.
Let me be clear. 99% of Chinese wine drinkers haven't a clue what wine should taste like. It's merely a status flaunting gesture. Legends abound of people buying bottles of Chateau Lafite and mixing it with Coca Cola - they are true.
The most popular domestic wine is Dynasty. Skip the first two letters.
Nasty Wine
I dropped by today in search of anything but wine, but noticed this:
A German sparkler, not of the highest quality, but a decent everyday bubbler on special offer. Instead of ¥129 (USD $19.50) a bottle, they are offering two for ¥150 (USD $11.30 each ). I bought four. So that's what I'm drinking, while reserving my last bottle of the real thing - Champagne until Christmas day.
I should point out that China does produce some excellent wines, but in very limited quantities. Their day is coming.
