China: By Journalists Eye XXVI: Gan Bei Or What to drink in China 2

In China wine has grown almost five thousand years ago, a locals but didn´t have any special taste for it, and came up to during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Then Chinese gave him a name of "exorcist sadness" and "Father of all drugs." According to ancient traditions had to be offered to the heavens, earth, rivers, temples and Gods.

This tradition stayed alive and today there is nothing special to sacrifice a few bottles in the construction of houses, roads or bridges. The wine should the gods cheer and convince them to see to the safety of the building. Does not fit to me with Chinese morals in compliance with safety, which is known to be in many places still in its infancy – that Chinese would be rely on wine?

When I get ready a trip to Asia, my Slovakian friend warned me just against the Chinese wine. Said, it has higher alcohol content than whatever spirit, and even though I would probably beat the Russian in vodka drinking, ask the Chinese to compete in drinking of wine is the battle already won.

Fortunately, I did not have to compete, plus Chinese-made wine I saw only in store shelves. At our table at official dinners was served wine brand French. As I quickly realized, it's a fashion boom, expensive foreign wine belongs to the good image and drinking wine in the Middle Kingdom means elitist affair.

I was wondering why regales us just with bottles of red - answer amused me: white is supposedly really only suitable for women, strong sex wants the red colour. Hmm, probably me and my journalistic colleague are something more than a women – white one they didn’t offer us.

China breaks records in all areas, consumption alcohol of grape wines too. When China started to open west, it means sometimes twenty years ago, it was with everything around. The market was broken with foreign producers of wines, at first it was the French, then the Australians, South Africans and others. And hardworking, agile, adaptable Chinese businessmen set out to build competition.

It was not a bad move at all because smart China repulsed sadness so much, that last year fell about one a bottle per person (from 90% of course drank red) and taste growing rich Chinese for wine, especially good brand is constantly growing.

Evidence of the importance of this drink may be also my personal experience - gift box for wine our guide carried for ministerial official meetings almost always and meet on the street toting dandy in one hand and a leather briefcase that other decorative bag with a bottle in metropolitan is quite common phenomenon.

It's a pity that I could not satisfy my curiosity and I didn’t see what specifically will be gifted business partner. I found out that one of the most popular is the Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1982 of the same name Bordeaux vineyard, which here is the equivalent of 130 thousand crowns for seven decilitre wine.

Text/photo: Andrea Fantová