Taste test

Chinese universities set to appear in the finals of a global wine competition in France, Cao Chen reports in Shanghai

Chinese universities are increasingly organizing wine events, illustrating how the appreciation of this alcoholic beverage is not just limited to the elite in society.

A team from Sichuan International Studies University has advanced to the finals of this year's Left Bank Bordeaux Cup, a wine contest for college students across the globe, which will be held in France on June 15. The China qualifying round was in Shanghai on March 15, when Fudan University was placed second while Tsinghua University came third.

This year, 17 teams from different schools took part in the qualifying rounds of the contest that has two components-a theoretical test consisting multiplechoice questions about Bordeaux's history and culture and a blind wine-tasting test where participants have to identify the grape varieties, and the age and names of the wines.

"The objective of this competition is to prepare the next generation of wine lovers because all contestants are from top universities and will be potential consumers of wines," says Emmanuel Cruse, grandmaster of the Commanderie du Bontemps, one of the oldest wine appreciation associations in France.

Cruse says Chinese students have greatly improved their wine knowledge and tasting ability through the competition that has been held annually over the past few years.

"Today, students no longer drink wine just for leisure-it has become a part of social life and can be a part of their passion and business aspirations," he says.