Raising a glass to an unfamiliar vintner

A wine company has been dedicated to promoting Argentine wine culture, taking an intoxicating approach to enable people to better understand the Latin American country.

Uniwines International, in Fuzhou, capital of Fujian province, has been hosting a series of wine-tasting events since the end of last year.

The company organized its first wine tasting in December in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, inviting about 30 key figures in the country's wine industry, ranging from vintners to wine connoisseurs.

The event, named Tango on the Tongue, featured a wide selection from Argentina's prestigious wineries, such as Luigi Bosca and Santa Julia, a live tango performance and a PowerPoint presentation on the history of wine drinking and the wine-growing regions in Argentina.

Chen Yiran, a staff member of the company's Guangzhou branch who was in charge of organizing the tasting, said the company is in a good position to hold such activity.

Its founders are Chinese businessmen who have been living in Argentina for a long time, and they know about Argentine wine and have connections with Argentine wineries, Chen said.

"The thing is, when Chinese people talk about Argentina, which is one of the five largest wine producers in the world, they always think simply of the land of the tango, beef and soccer," Chen said.

"Wines are also an important treasure Argentina boasts, but our people know little about it, so the company wants to hold a wine tasting to introduce the wine culture," Chen added.

Chen said the reason Guangzhou was the chosen location is because the bosses have plenty of resources there and gained full support from the Consulate General of the Argentine Republic in the city.

"The company won't hold a tasting along the lines of 'I like it-I don't like it'. Rather, it wanted to build a bridge to fill the gap in familiarity with Argentina's wines," Chen said.

So another highlight of the first tasting was the discussion about the establishment of a China-Argentina Wine Culture Association.

Chen said the outline of the establishment has been completed, but its exact date requires further discussion.

She said such activity could help the business, but she insisted the cultural exchange prioritizes the agenda and all the events are free of charge.

The company later contributed to the Guangzhou leg of Malbec World Day, an international celebration dedicated entirely to one of Argentina's most emblematic grapes on April 17.

Huang Yiran, a wine critic, said the activities created a vivid picture of Argentine wine for wine buffs and ordinary people alike.

Uniwines' Chen said the company will hold similar events later this year.

"Currently, the participants are mainly those who are in the wine industry and wine lovers. In the future, we hope to extend the event to a larger scale by attracting a lot more wine people," Chen said.

The company will also consider inviting Argentine wine producers and holding wine-tasting events in other metropolises such as Beijing and Shanghai, she said.

Contact the writer at sunli@chinadaily.com.cn

Special coverage: Wen visits Latin American