On the evening of June 15, Michelle Liang, founder of Furtouner, an international wine import company based in Guangzhou, joined representatives of the Bernard Magrez group to present Chateau Perenne to VIP guests at the Four Seasons Hotel Guangzhou.
Acclaimed by Joël Robuchon, a French chef and restaurateur with 25 Michelin stars (the most of any chef in the world), Chateau Perenne is a versatile red wine from Bordeaux composed of primarily Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Easily paired with a range of international cuisines, it is an excellent choice for wine connoisseurs and entry-level consumers alike.
This month, we chatted with Liang about her import business in China, what makes Chateau Perenne special and the best way to store wine in Guangzhou’s hot, muggy climate.
You studied and lived in England for seven years before returning to China to start your own wine import company. What inspired you to come back?
When I studied in England, I loved it – it’s a great place to study or live when you get older. But I didn’t think it was a great place for living when you’re young. When you are young, you should find ways to challenge yourself, but it was so peaceful there, it was almost too easy. I like to challenge myself, to live more and see more, so that’s why I came back.
Two years after I returned to China, one of my friends opened a wine club in Guangzhou and asked me to join. So I worked there for a little while before starting my own company in 2012 and importing wines [to China] from all over the world.
How has Furtouner developed since 2012?
During the first two to three years, my company focused on the wholesale part. We found a lot of distributors in cities throughout China, but we didn’t source consumers directly. At the end of 2014, we decided to transition to retail and started to set up some shops to sell wine to clients. We also took some brands, like the wine tonight – it’s a famous brand of the Bernard Magrez group in France – and now we are the exclusive distributors of this wine in China.
We have an online shop on WeChat (ID: fuyujiuye), so you can purchase wine and we can ship it to you anywhere in China.
What would you like to highlight about tonight’s wine, Chateau Perenne?
This wine has two spotlights. First, the bottle is signed by Joël Robuchon, the most famous chef in the world. He has 22 different restaurants and has received 25 Michelin stars. He's signed his name on my bottles of Chateau Perenne. Why does he recommend this wine? Because it pairs well with all kinds of food: Chinese, Italian, French, and even spicy food.
The second thing to highlight about this wine is that it belongs to the Bernard Magrez group. Magrez is the most famous person in Bordeaux, France because he’s the only one in the world who owns four prominent Chateau estates, and this is one of them.
Which specific Chinese cuisines does Chateau Perenne pair best with?
It goes perfectly with spicy food. And, surprisingly, it works with Cantonese food, which is usually difficult to pair with wine – especially red, because of its high acidity and dryness, and because French wine is not as sweet as Australian wines. That’s why I spend a lot of time and money to promote this brand because it’s really a versatile wine and is a great value. Robuchon owns a Michelin starred restaurant in Shanghai where Chateau Perenne is sold for RMB368. So it’s also a reasonable price.
Which wines do you recommend for entry-level consumers?
Even though I like French wine the best, I don’t recommend it to people who are just starting to consume wine, because French wine is very acidic. It would be better to start with wine from Chile or Australia, because they are sweeter, less acidic and not too dry. Chilean wine is cheaper than Australian wine, so it’s the best choice for entry-level consumers.
You’re from Guangdong province, where it is always hot and humid. Do you have any advice on how to store wine here?
We all have air conditioning in homes now, so heat is not the major problem in Guangdong – the humidity is the worst part. I think if you want to store wines properly here, you have to buy a wine fridge. If the humidity is too high, the cork will be damaged and bacteria can enter it, because it’s wood. If the cork is damaged, the wine will be damaged. You need a wine fridge (not a normal fridge, which is too cold) that stays at about 16 degrees Celsius.
READ MORE: The Aussie Wine Expert
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