China, Brooklyn, and France: all wine hotspots … [level-members]
China’s Wine Boom
China’s got a quick start on turning water into wine and wine into cash by turning deserts into vineyards. As this article from The Guardian says, “International wine giants and the super-rich are ploughing their fortunes into an arid corner of Ningxia region.” So it’s not just Jack Ma buying up wine properties in France. It’s the world – and wealthy Chinese businesspeople – hoping to cash in on China’s new love for wine. You can read the full article here and place your bets on whether this ends well, and for whom.
Bordeaux’s Bet on a Cultural Center
Back in Bordeaux, we have conjecture on just what the new Cité du Vin cultural wine centre really looks like. I’d say more shoe than snake, but either is a safe bet. Whether it will help lift the surrounding economy is another bet entirely. Read the full article here.
A Grape Grows in Brooklyn
Then, we head back to an area not known particularly for wine, at least beyond consumption: Brooklyn. Not surprising that there would be wine entrepreneurs angling to cash in on the uber-hip thing that Brooklyn has become; every other industry seems to be trying it. Lots of producers, lots of marketing. And a fair amount of wine. None from grapes actually grown in the borough. Most though, do focus on New York State-grown grapes. (Except for one intrepid organization that is growning grapes in containers on a Brooklyn rooftop.) More on them, and the full article, can be found here.
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