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Five minutes with Arthur Ng, Vinum Eurus

I went to Edinburgh Uni and led the blind-tasting team for a long time, but I also worked in on-trade and off-trade in Edinburgh; Majestic, some wine bars and wine shops. We set up Vinum Eurus, from the Greek word for the east winds, last December, looking to change perception of Chinese wines.

Many people have questioned the quality of Chinese wine, so we want to become the experts for Chinese wine representation in the UK. At the moment we have seven wineries from all six major wine regions, and we hope to show people the diversity as well as the varietals – new approaches, new styles, not just Cabernet and Chardonnay.

I’ve been blown away by some of the wines we’ve tried, often from high-altitude and far-flung provinces, so we decided the time was right. Before, as with many other people, tasting Chinese wine, it didn’t feel good enough to take on to the world stage. But that has changed. The producers have more experience, more expertise, more focus. Visiting China, talking to people on the local scene, with the consumption of wine declining in China, we thought we can help with export. We also have the backing of government support to help with exports.

We are focused on the UK, because it is such a mature and fiercely competitive market, and we now have wines we are proud to show as Chinese wines. We want to show these wines can compete here. If successful, it will give us the confidence to look at other markets.

• China
• Chinese Wine
• Arthur Ng
• Vinum Eurus