Dan Murphy’s is for the first time importing Kanaan wines, a range made by high-profile Chinese winemaker Wang Fang. She has been nicknamed ‘Crazy Wang’ for her innovative winemaking.
The news coincides with the lead-up to the Chinese New Year on Friday 16 February.
Fang’s Cabernet Sauvignon blends Kanaan Pretty Pony 2013 ($59.95) and Kanaan Black Beauty 2012 ($129.99) are now available in the Australian market exclusively through Dan Murphy’s.
“I think Chinese wines are the emerging dark horse of the industry, and we have worked really hard to create these complex and beautiful wines. I can’t wait for Australian wine lovers to try them,” Wang Fang said.
Robert Parker has named one of her wines among “the best Chinese wine I have tasted thus far”.
China is Australia’s most valuable wine export market, but according to Andrew Caillaird MW, China is one to watch when it comes to fine winemaking.
“China is starting to establish itself as a world-class winemaking country,” he said.
“As a frequent visitor to Chinese wine regions over the last ten years, I have seen enormous progress in quality, especially from ambitious boutique wine producers like Kanaan.”
After ten years of living in Germany, Wang returned to her roots and founded Kanaan Winery in 2011.
She was the first winemaker in China to plant Riesling. She has developed a strong affinity with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, which are ideally suited to the dry continental conditions of Ningxia, one of the most exciting wine regions in China.
“These wines represent a new era of Chinese winemaking,” Dan Murphy’s fine wine expert Peter Nixon said.
“Fang’s wines have received all-round praise for their impressive quality, complexity and depth of flavour, so we are excited to have them available for Australian consumers in time for Chinese New Year.”
Fang hails from a family of winemakers. Her father Mr Wangfengyu planted the first vines in Ningxia’s famously beautiful Helan Mountains sub-region, where Kanaan is also located.
“The Helan Mountains has a deep connection with horses, and ‘Helan’ actually means fine horses. I love and admire these beautiful creatures because they are powerful and elegant – qualities I aspire to capture in the wines I create,” she said.
The estate stretches over 20 hectares, and produces 80,000 bottles every year.
China is the sixth largest wine producer in the world, with most of its production consumed domestically.