Hong Kong, — Wynn is pleased to welcome the world’s foremost authorities and judges in Old and New world wines to Macau from March 1 – 5, 2024 for the inaugural Wynn Signature Chinese Wine Awards, which is slated to become the world’s biggest Chinese wine competition of international standard.
A total of 27 internationally acclaimed judges including seven Masters of Wine will conduct blind tastings during the event at Wynn Palace and Wynn Macau where the top-tier wines of nearly 200 wineries from China’s most established wine regions will compete.
This new signature Chinese wine awards platform established by Wynn, celebrates the excellence of Chinese fine wines and aims to showcase the highest quality wines from China on a global stage.
Wineries will compete for the Wynn Signature Best Wine of China Trophy and 29 more category trophies which champion the excellence of major varietal expressions and regionality. Throughout the 5-day event in early March, Wynn will host Wine Masterclass sessions led by China’s most influential wine experts and renowned wine authors, as well as exclusive gastronomic experiences with world-renowned judges and leading experts in wine.
Ms. Linda Chen, President, Vice Chairman and Executive Director of Wynn Macau, Limited said of the event: “It is truly an honor for us to welcome an experienced group of globally renowned wine judges to participate in the “Wynn Signature Chinese Wine Awards”, where we will host a top-tier awards event in celebration of the finest Chinese wines. We hope to create an exclusive stage where premium Chinese wines are showcased internationally and continue to build on Macau’s status as a UNESCO-designated Creative City of Gastronomy.”
The prestigious panel of judges include Masters of Wines, Master Sommeliers, winemakers, educators, journalists, hoteliers, and wine buyers. Eddie McDougall, Chair of Judges; Chris Ashton, Chief of Stewards and three Vice Chairs who are highly accredited Master of Wines: Fongyee Walker MW, Gus Zhu MW and Andrew Caillard MW will lead an impressive line-up of judges which include Kenichi Ohashi MW; Julien Boulard MW; Tim Triptree MW; Jane Anson (Inside Bordeaux author); Ronny Lau (Chairman, Greater China Wine Critics Association); Simon
Tam (Commentator and former Christie’s Head of Wine, Asia); Erin Larkin (Wine Advocate Editor); Reeze Choi (World No. 3 Sommelier); Xiao Pi (China’s leading Wine KOL); David Xing (China’s leading Wine KOL), Della Tang (Best Sommelier of Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2023), Janet Wang (The Chinese Wine Renaissance author) and many more. The judging process will be conducted blind, under the international 100-point system whereby medals will be allocated to wines based on a tiered scoring system. To protect the integrity of the awards, Wynn has appointed a professional external auditing firm to conduct random background inspections of wineries who have submitted their wines, whilst also qualifying the accuracy of the judges’ scores.
Four insightful Masterclass sessions will be conducted by two of China’s leading wine experts and two highly respected wine authors. The first Masterclass on March 2 will be hosted by Xiao Pi, who will present: “Surprising the World with the Fine Wines of China”. Then on March 3, two Masterclass sessions will be held. David Xing Wei will share his insights on “The Trends of Chinese Wine”, while Janet Wang, author of The Chinese Wine Renaissance will present “Journey to the West: Chinese Wine’s Global Footprint, Impact & Potential”, while also taking participants on a guided tasting of 12 Chinese wines. On March 4, Jane Anson, author of Inside Bordeaux, will present: “Inside Bordeaux 2014 Vintage: 10 Years On”, taking participants on a tasting journey of eight vintage Bordeaux wines from 2014.
Guests will have an opportunity to experience exclusive gastronomic dinners with world-renowned wine experts throughout the event in early March.
On the evening of March 2, Julien Boulard MW will host a “Spring Blossoms Dinner”, where he will pair fine Chinese wines with signature Jiangnan dishes at Lakeview Palace. Following on from the dinner, an afterparty will be held at the brand new Palace Reserve Club at Wynn Palace. On the same evening, Xiao Pi will lead a very special wine journey at the Ningxia Wine Dinner in the Grand Ballroom of Wynn Macau.
On the night of March 3, Fongyee Walker MW, Gus Zhu MW and Julien Boulard MW will select top-tier Chinese wines to pair with refined Cantonese dishes prepared by renowned Executive Chef Tam Kwok Fung of Chef Tam’s Seasons at Wynn Palace.
On March 4, Janet Wang and Jane Anson will team up to host a Chinese and Bordeaux Wine Dinner to showcase the best wines of East and West, pairing them with delicacies crafted by Chef Helder Amaral of SW Steakhouse.
Wynn will ensure the competition adopts an authoritative and professional Chinese wine evaluation system, establishing an unparalleled international exchange event for participating wines. The aim of these awards is to elevate the global recognition of Chinese wines and enhance the understanding and appreciation of Chinese wines worldwide through Wynn’s rigorous commitment to quality and taste. The awards event will also strengthen partnerships with China’s top wineries to promote fine wines and expand the international market, while driving the development and innovation of the Chinese wine industry.
Event | Dates | Venue |
Xiao Pi Masterclass “Surprising the World with the Fine Wines of China” | March 2 4:30pm | Mizumi, Wynn Palace |
Spring Blossoms Dinner with Julian Boulard MW and Extravaganza of Blossoms party | March 2 7pm | Lakeview Palace and Palace Reserve Club, Wynn Palace |
Ningxia Wine Dinner with Xiao Pi | March 2 7pm | Grand Ballroom, Wynn Macau |
David Xing Wei Masterclass “The Trends of Chinese Wine” | March 3 4:30pm | Mizumi, Wynn Palace |
Janet Wang Masterclass “Journey to the West: Chinese Wine’s Global Footprint, Impact & Potential” | March 3 4:30pm | Meeting Room, Wynn Palace |
Exclusive Gastronomic Experience with World-renowned Wine Experts – Fongyee Walker MW, Gus Zhu MW and Julien Boulard MW | March 3 7pm | Chef Tam’s Seasons, Wynn Palace |
Jane Anson Masterclass “Inside Bordeaux 2014 Vintage: 10 Years On” | March 4 4:30pm | Meeting Room, Wynn Palace |
Chinese and Bordeaux Wine Dinner with Janet Wang and Jane Anson | March 4 7pm | SW Steakhouse, Wynn Palace |
Highlights of the Judging Panel:
— END —
Wynn Macau is a luxury hotel and casino resort in the Macau Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China with two iconic towers featuring a total of 1,010 spacious rooms and suites, approximately 294,000 square feet of casino space, approximately 64,300 square feet of retail space, 14 food and beverage outlets, two spas, a salon and a pool. The resort proudly boasts three distinct entertainment experiences, including Macau’s only choreographed
Performance Lake, blending lofty plumes of water, gracefully choreographed music from Broadway tunes to renowned Chinese songs, powerful LED lights and fire effects.
Wynn Macau is operated by international resort developer Wynn Resorts, recipient of more Forbes Travel Guide Five Star Awards than any other independent hotel company in the world. Wynn Macau continues to hold the distinct honor of being the only resort in the world with 8 Forbes Five-Star Awards for eight consecutive years. Wynn Macau opened on September 6, 2006 and its second tower – Encore opened on April 21, 2010. For more information on Wynn Macau, visit press.wynnmacau.com.
Wynn Palace is the second luxury integrated resort from international resort developer Wynn Resorts in the Macau Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, following the launch of Wynn Macau. Located in the Cotai area, it features a 28-storey hotel with 1,706 exquisitely furnished rooms, suites and villas, versatile meeting facilities, approximately 107,000 square feet of renowned luxury retail, 14 food and beverage outlets, Macau’s largest spa, a salon, a pool and approximately 468,000 square feet of casino space. The resort also features a variety of entertainment experiences, including the dazzling 8-acre Performance Lake that mesmerizes guests with a choreographed display of water, music and light, the unique SkyCab, spectacular, large-scale floral displays and an extensive collection of art works by some of the world’s leading artists. Wynn Resorts is the recipient of more Forbes Travel Guide Five Star Awards than any other independent hotel company in the world. Wynn Palace is the first and only resort in the world with more than one thousand rooms to receive Forbes Travel Guide Five Star Awards. Wynn Palace opened on August 22, 2016. For more information on Wynn Palace, visit press.wynnpalace.com