Dragon Seal

In 1910 (The second year of Xuantong Emperor, Qing Dynasty), a French friar converted the HeishanhuChurch's graveyard into a wine cave at Fuwai of Beijing. He hired a French oenologist to produce both red and white wines for the mass and daily drinking. The annual capacity then was only 50 to 60 hectoliters. In 1946, the Church officially registered the winery, named it "La Shangyi Cave de Pékin (Shangyi Winery of Beijing)" and began to sell its products in domestic market. This winery was acquired by the state in 1949 with 13 employees and annual capacity less than 100 hectoliters. In February 1959, the Beijing Government changed its name into "Beijing Winery" and moved it to the existing location at No.2 Yuquan Road. At the same time, Beijing Winery launched the "Zhonghua (中华)" brand and began to produce quality wine and spirits such as "Kuei Hua Chen Chiew (桂花陈)", "Lien Hua Pai Chiew (御莲白)" and "Chinese Sweet Red Wine (中国红)". All these products are pioneers in the domestic and international markets, which also met the market demand perfectly. Beijing Winery soon became a renowned producer and the market leader. In March 17th of 1987, Beijing Dragon Seal Winery was established as a subsidiary of Beijing Winery in order to introduce French oenology into its products. The first bottle of Dragon Seal wine was launched in 1988, the year of dragon according to Chinese lunar calendar.

To guarantee wine quality, some French viticulturists made a through study of the soil structure and climate in several vine-growing areas in China to identify the ideal grape source for Dragon Seal. Eventually, Huailai of Hebei Province, a county with over 800 years of viticulture history and 150 km northwest from Beijing, had been selected as the vineyard of Dragon Seal to cultivate more than 10 varieties of royal grapes imported from France. Dragon Seal's pledge is to guarantee each bottle of its wine is made from 100 % quality grapes which are carefully cultivated in China. The production of Dragon Seal is always supervised by a French oenologist and two France-trained Chinese oenologists.

Dragon Seal is a pioneer in the following areas in China:

l One of wineries which have long history of producing varietal wines - the Dragon Seal "Cabernet Sauvignon " and "Chardonnay" are highly regarded by consumers and wine professionals.

l The first sparkling wine producer - Dragon Seal Sparkling Wine is produced under traditional Champagne method.

l The first producer of regional wine - "Dragon Seal Huailai Reserve", a wine made from the red varieties of Huailai Region, was launched in 1996 as its first vintage.

For its outstanding quality, Dragon Seal attained its first wine medal in 1989 (the following year of the establishment of the Winery) in Reims of France. Subsequent to this international recognition, Dragon Seal had been awarded another 27 medals in many important international competitions. To name a few:

l Dragon Seal Chardonnay - Sliver Medal at " Chardonnay du Monde " in Burgundy of France, 1996;

l Dragon Seal Cabernet Sauvignon (Vintage 1997) - " The Best Chinese Red Wine " at "Hong Kong International Wine Competition", 1999;

l Dragon Seal Sparkling Wine - "Medal d'argent" at "Sélection Mondiales 2000" in Montreal, Canada;

l Dragon Seal Huailai Reserve Red (Vintage 1997) - Bronze Medal at "Bordeaux International Wine Competition" in 2000.

DRAGON SEAL HUAILAI RESERVE 2000

Huailai Reserve is the greatest achievement of Dragon Seal wines. It is highly regarded by international wine critics. The grapes are exclusively grown in Huailai Region of HebeiProvince, under a very strict selection. The wine is matured one year in French and American oak barrels, and half a year in bottle before being released. The wine skillfully combines the robustness of Cabernet Sauvignon (50%) and elegance of Syrah (50%). Huailai Reserve possesses a deep ruby colour, with a complex aroma of fruits (raspberry, plum), Spices (pepper), with a hint of mint, and coffee flavours. Palate is full, ripe, soft with a lengthy finish, simply a Chinese fine wine performing at its best.

Dragon Seal Syrah

Notes:Cru de Huailai is the greatest contribution to Chinese wines from Dragon Seal. It is the symbol of best Chinese wine.

First wine made from Syrah grapes in China, its grapes used are exclusively grown in the Donghuayuan, Huailai Region of HebeiProvince under a strict selection. Dragon Seal Wines imported the Syrah vine cuttings in 1987 from Rhone Valley, France.

Beautiful red ruby in colour, Cru de Huailai Syrah red wine has complex aromas of red fruit (raspberry, cherry) and plum. A rounded palate with lengthy and persistent finish shows vanillin oak characters and subtle tannins.

Enjoy it now for its fruity, or cellar for 6-10 years. This wine marries superbly with grilled red meats, roast duck and full flavoured cheeses.