Over 1,200 wine lovers attend the fifth annual Decanter Shanghai Fine Wine Encounter

· Over 600wines shown from 134 top producers

· Over 1,200 wine lovers attended Shanghai’s flagship fine wine event

· Wines of Chile were this year’s featured region in the Grand Tasting showcasing wines in the ‘Wines of Chile Hall’

· A stellar list of masterclasses took place including Super Tuscan Masseto, leading Bordeaux châteaux, Rioja and Chilean producers

More than 1,200 fine wine lovers and aficionados eagerly attended the fifth annual Decanter Shanghai Fine Wine Encounter which took place at The Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, Pudong on Saturday 17 November.

Once again the event was completely sold-out, proving that the appetite for fine wine amongst Chinese consumers is still impressively high.

The day began with an eight vintage vertical tasting of one of Italy’s most prestigious and collectable wines, Masseto. Decanter’s content director John Stimpfig introduced Axel Heinz (below speaking), estate director and winemaker Elenora Marconi (below middle) who wowed attendees with these exceptional wines.

One of Rioja’s first and most distinguished bodegas Marqués de Riscal shared a selection of special wines with attendees, including its first signature wine, Barón de Chirel, and the 150 Aniversario, which celebrates the producer’s 150th anniversary and a remarkable Añadas Antiguas 1949.

Decanter’s Bordeaux correspondent Jane Anson introduced Saint Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classé A Château Angélus who explored three decades’ of vintages including both Le Carillon d'Angélus and the flagship Château Angélus wines.

‘Super Second’ Château Léoville Las Cases also showcased eight of their lauded and long-lived wines, including the château’s top estate wines; the Grand Vin, Clos du Marquis and the second wine, Petit Lion.

Michel Friou, head winemaker from Almaviva (the legendary joint partnership of Baron Philippe de Rothschild S.A., and Viña Concha y Toro S.A.) presented eight outstanding vintages including the first vintage of 1996, which was the first wine in Chile created under the French château concept.

In addition to these masterclasses, in the Grand Tasting, attendees could taste over 500 wines from 107 top wineries, from 16 different countries including France, Australia, China, the US, Canada, Greece, New Zealand, Chile, Italy, Spain and many more.

There was also the opportunity to taste an array of medal-winning wines from the 2018 Decanter Asia Wine Awards (DAWA).

Wines of Chile were this year’s featured region, where the very best Chilean wines were showcased at the event, and represented by the areas of Costa, Entre Cordilleras and Andes.

A ‘Chilean Wine Wall’ was also showcased, which showed wines from different appellations.

Three wine talks also took place which were hosted by the first Chinese Master Sommelier, Yang Lu, in addition to the following distinguished wine personalities:

- Aurelio Montes (below, right), founder and head winemaker at Montes Wines, who spoke about the extremes of Chile

- Matías Ríos (below, right) chief winemaker at Cono Sur Vineyards & Winery who focused on the cool climates from Chile

- Francisco Baettig (below, right), winemaker and technical director at Viña Errázuriz who presented Chile and its wine-aging potential

Social media presence

Significant social media interaction also took place on the day, as guests shared highlights with many photos and videos.

Live streaming videos shared on DecanterChina.com’s Weibo account from the Grand Tasting and masterclasses also received thousands of views on the day.

‘We were delighted to welcome so many eager wine lovers to the fifth edition of this annual gathering of the world’s greatest wine names in Shanghai,’ commented Decanter managing director Robin McMillan.

‘We were also thrilled and honoured that so many incredible producers travelled so far to be with us today and pour their wines. We very much hope that our guests were inspired and delighted by the wines and producers that came today.’

The next Decanter Shanghai Fine Wine Encounter will take place on 16 November 2019.

Many thanks to our loyal sponsors Acqua Panna and San Pellegrino mineral water for keeping guests hydrated on the day and to Riedel for supplying the glassware and to all Ritz-Carlton staff.

(English version written by: Alex Layton)