Following the interaction with Zhao Fengyi and Zhu Jian, two world wine masters, Meihe Estate held a master class with Liu Lin, the only Chinese female world wine master, on December 26. In this master class, what kind of wonderful sparks will the Chinese masters living abroad collide with the style of the eastern foothills of Helan Mountain?WBO is on hand to decrypt it for you!
Liu Lin MW: The wines of Meihe Estate have the style of international wines
On December 26th, Meihe Manor held a 1968 dry red master class from the Meihe Manor Family Collection called "Solo Dialogue Masters of Terroir" at Junlan Heyue Club, exploring the mysteries of Meihe Manor with world wine master Liu Lin MW, and having a dialogue with her about nature, terroir, and the connection between art and life.
In this master class, Liu Lin first introduced her ten-year love affair with Ningxia production area and Meihe Manor. She said: "I got acquainted with Meihe in 2013, when there were not many wineries in Ningxia, and I tasted the wines of Meihe Estate a few years ago, and I thought it was of international quality, the texture of the wine in the bottle was deep, and the style of foreign wines could be found in Meihe's wines." ”
This year's harvest, I came to Miga Estate again and had a more in-depth understanding, and I felt that the progress made in the past 10 years was very great, and many of the details of Miga Estate were shocking, and some of the practices were also precedent. Wine is the product of accumulation, and I think China has excellent works that can stand up in the international arena. Liu Lin said.
In this master class, a total of 4 wines from Miga Estate were tasted, namely Meihe Manor Viognier Dry White Wine, Meihe Estate Reserve Dry Red 2020, Meihe Estate 2020 Enli Limited Edition Dry Red, and Family Reserve 1968 Dry Red Wine. Liu Lin introduced the characteristics of these 3 red wines and 1 white wine, and also took care of different audiences in terms of professionalism, and added some of her own experience from time to time, which made the whole master class lively and interesting. One of the guests who attended the meeting said: "I didn't know much about wine before, and sometimes I felt that many wines were the same taste, but through the guidance of the master, I feel that I have been able to experience the different characteristics of these four wines on the spot." ”
Liu Lin is the only Chinese female wine master in the world, and she is committed to a wide range of wine research, including winemaking, tasting, judging, writing and education, etc., with rich experience in tasting, winemaking and planting. At the same time, she has another identity - "independent wine critic", and her ratings for wine are included in Wine Searcher and Liv-Ex.
Her continuous affirmation of Miga Estate in this master class undoubtedly shows from one side that Miga Manor has quietly made its wines among the world's strongest through hard work and perseverance rooted in this land for several years.
Wine is a vivid expression of Miga Estate's philosophy of "life is art".
Although a number of wines from Miga Estate were unveiled in this master class, the 2021 vintage of the Family Collection 1968 dry red wine, which was the finale, received the most praise and became the protagonist of the event. In the product range of Miga Estate, this is also the flagship product of the winery.
Liu Lin said when introducing this wine: "This wine is made of 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, the aroma structure is more concentrated, the tannins and acidity are very good, the taste is silky and penetrating, and there is no sourness and astringency that is thousands of miles away." 1968 has a long aging potential and can bring more flavors in the future. ”
It is understood that although the 2021 vintage of the 1968 dry red wine of the family collection is made of a single variety of Cabernet Sauvignon, it actually integrates the small terroir of 8 plots of the winery's vineyard, and each grape is screened by experienced and skilled workers through three layers of picking, screening, ear sorting, and fruit sorting, which not only brings high quality to the wine, but also brings richness different from ordinary single variety.
During the fermentation period, a 24-hour intelligent temperature control system is used, a low-temperature maceration treatment, a gentle fermentation at 24-26°C, an 8-day maceration at 25°C separates the artesian juice ** barrels, and is aged in oak barrels for 16 months, giving the wine an elegant note.
Since its launch, the 1968 Dry Red Wine Collection has been praised by industry insiders for its quality, with a score of 93 by renowned wine critic James Zacklin. In addition, the product has also won 7 awards, including the Grand Gold Medal at the 2023 FIWA French International Wine Awards (Autumn), the 2023 Gold Bottle Gold Bottle Grand Prize, and the 2022 Asian Wine Grand Prix Gold Medal.
A good bottle of wine comes from three parts of craftsmanship and seven parts of terroir, and the excellence of the family's 1968 dry red wine is undoubtedly closely related to the land where Miga Estate is located.
Helan Mountain is located at an altitude of 1178 meters above sea level in the south of the Yangtze River, bathed in the sunshine and rain of 38 ° north latitude, the sunshine temperature difference is large, the annual rainfall is small, the majestic Helan Mountain gives the grapes a comfortable harbor, and the Yellow River carries the fertile irrigation silt deposited for hundreds of millions of years, nourishing the grapes day and night.
In the vineyards of Miga Estate, the soil contains gravel, which is aerated and permeable, and the soil structure is rich and diverse, giving the grapes a unique flavor.
Brewing this bottle of wine with the most rigorous craftsmanship is the greatest respect for the terroir of the eastern foothills of Helan Mountain by this art-themed winery. As a person in charge of Meihe Manor said: "We hope to pay tribute to every founder who keeps walking for his dreams through a bottle of fine wine, just as the family collection of 1968 dry red wine condenses the wind, frost, rain and snow of 12 months in the eastern foothills of Helan Mountain in Ningxia with the spring and autumn fruits - when respecting the sky, keeping the covenant of the earth, melting the essence of the sun and the moon, and making it the terroir of Chinese wine Huangzhong Dalu solo." Intercept a paragraph casually and expand it, all of which are the ingenuity and sincerity hidden in time. ”
Such a concept also reflects the philosophy of "art, that is, life" of Miga Manor.
Why is Meihe Manor so favored by big names in the industry?
In recent years, Miga Manor has sprung up and has been well received by many top wine critics at home and abroad.
In June this year, Zhao Fengyi, the world's first master of wine based in Chinese mainland, visited Meihe Estate to inspect the vineyard and taste a variety of Meihe Estate wines. Zhao Fengyi gave a very high evaluation to Meihe Manor.
She pointed out: "It is rare that Miga Manor still retains the traditional organic cultivation and combines scientific and technological innovation, which is both inherited and innovative. I appreciate the attitude of Miga Estate when it comes to growing grapes. In terms of brewing methods, Meihe Estate adopts advanced brewing technology and world-class brewing equipment to produce very high-quality Chinese wines. I especially liked their wines, there was no bitterness at all. ”
In August, Zhu Jian, the first Chinese world wine master, also visited Meihe Estate and tasted the 2020 vintage of the family's 1968 dry red wine, which had just been launched, and experienced the artistic charm of Meihe Estate in an all-round way.
These accolades, as well as the increasingly excellent performance of Miga Estate's wines in the market, are obviously the greatest affirmation of Meihe Estate's commitment to quality and belief over the years. It is worth noting that the above-mentioned big coffee has a great voice in the entire wine industry, when a wine gets their praise and high scores at the same time, a good reputation will gradually spread in the industry, which not only allows the wine of Meihe Manor to be distributed, but also effectively reduces the communication cost, so that more practitioners and consumers are willing to try, and the high-end positioning of Meihe Manor has also been quietly established in this series of industry events.