The winners of the inaugural edition of the Wynn Signature Chinese Wine Awards, the world’s biggest Chinese wine competition of international standard organised by Wynn, were unveiled in Macau on Saturday (April 13). The Fei Tswei Marselan Reserve 2021 from the Chinese northern central region of Ningxia was crowned as the “Best Wine of China.”
This awards initiative underscores Wynn’s commitment to championing Chinese quality wines and wineries while consolidating the city’s reputation as a gastronomic destination and supporting its “tourism +” development, the integrated operator said.
The awards ceremony took place at the Wynn Palace on Saturday night, with 500 international and regional industry experts and media representatives in attendance. A total of 23 awards were presented among over 700 submissions from about 200 premium wineries in China.
“The newly launched Wynn Signature Chinese Wine Awards aims to promote outstanding Chinese wines and showcase Macau and Wynn’s world-class hospitality,” Linda Chen, President, Vice Chairman and Executive Director of Wynn Macau, said in her remarks during the ceremony.
“We have created the much-anticipated awards ceremony to serve as a global platform to allow wine experts from various regions in China to collaborate, exchange knowledge, and promote Chinese wines on a larger international stage,” she continued. “Through leveraging Macau’s strong position as the Creative City of Gastronomy and capitalising on the city’s role as the World Centre of Tourism and Leisure, we gather the top Chinese wineries and quality wine industry stakeholders to showcase the edge of the Chinese brand.”
In view of Macau’s ongoing efforts to explore more tourism and leisure offerings and attract more international visitors, the local authorities are delighted to see initiatives like the Wynn Signature Chinese Wine Awards.
“MGTO [Macao Government Tourism Office] is pleased to see that Macau’s integrated tourism and leisure enterprises are proactively organising a wide range of events and activities together with their industry peers,” Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Director of MGTO, said in the ceremony.
“This strengthens Macau’s position as the City of Gastronomy and enriches its offerings as a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure, thereby promoting the sustainable development of Macau’s tourism industry and related industries,” the official added.
Gathering industry experts
In the evaluation of over 700 submissions from about 200 Chinese wineries, a panel of 27 internationally acclaimed wine judges was formed, including seven Masters of Wine, three Master Sommeliers, winemakers, educators, journalists, hoteliers, and wine buyers. The Masters of Wine, such as Fongyee Walker, Gus Zhu, Andrew Caillard, and award-winning winemaker Eddie McDougall, were among the panel.
Prior to the ceremony held on Saturday, the 27 judges were invited to Macau in early March to taste, assess, and rank the submissions for 23 trophies in three major categories: “Wynn Signature Trophies,” “Varietals Champion Trophies,” and “Regional Champion Trophies.” These divisions aim to honour China’s most talented winemakers while recognising the breadth of major varietal expressions and regional diversity in China, according to the organiser.
“It’s unprecedented to have such a large-scale and high-standard contest of Chinese wines on a global stage,” said Wynn Macau’s Chen in an interview with the media on the sidelines of the ceremony.
“Leveraging Macau as a platform, we hope more consumers and wine enthusiasts, whether they are Mainland Chinese or international tourists, can recognise and understand the robust development of the Chinese wine industry and the quality of Chinese wine,” she added.
The awards initiative is just one part of Wynn’s efforts to advocate Chinese wines on a global stage. “This competition gives a huge boost to the promotion of Chinese wine on an international scale. Following the competition, we will also promote the award-winning wines in our international hotels and host more wine-related activities,” Chen explained.
More post-awards activities
Alongside the ceremony, Wynn organised a wide array of Chinese wine pairing tasting events and masterclasses over the weekend. These included a Chinese Wine Forum, where experts discussed the development of the Chinese wine industry.
Furthermore, Wynn will host the Wynn Signature Chinese Wine Month promotion in May. During this month, guests can indulge in specially curated wine pairing tasting menus at Wynn’s dining venues, such as Chef Tam’s Seasons, Lakeview Palace, SW Steakhouse, and Mizumi at Wynn Palace, as well as Golden Flower, Wing Lei, Lakeside Trattoria, and Mizumi at Wynn Macau.
Visitors will also have the opportunity to taste the award-winning wines at various bars of Wynn including Palace Reserve Club, Cinnebar, Bar Cristal, and Wing Lei Bar.
The award-winning wines will also receive the “Wynn Signature Award” label and be invited to participate in national masterclasses, hospitality and consumer events, media tastings, and major banquets, Wynn added.
These initiatives and events highlight Macau’s strengths as the Creative City of Gastronomy, a world centre of tourism and leisure, and a Chinese-meets-West hub, remarked Chen. “These initiatives bring together the cultures of gastronomy and wine, the Chinese and Western cultures, and the resources between Mainland China and Macau,” she added.
Following the success of the inaugural edition, Wynn also announced that registration for the Wynn Signature Chinese Wine Awards 2025 will commence on May 1, 2024.
*This article is part of the MNA Wynn Macau Tourism Plus Partnership Series
