Press article : Moutai, the luxury Chinese brandy - Nice Matin

Kweichow Moutai

On August 13th and 14th, Jean-Pierre Besch's auction house will be auctioning fine wines and rare spirits at the Hôtel Martinez in Cannes. This summer event offers lovers of fine wines the chance to acquire magnificent bottles appraised by Pascal Kuzniewski. Among the must-haves is a rare 50cl bottle of Kweichow Moutai that could fetch 10000€ ! Little-known in the West, this grain brandy (Baijiu) made from sorghum, wheat, maize and glutinous rice is a pure luxury product in China, and a true symbol of economic success. Moutai (or Maotai), whose origins date back to ancient times, has been produced in Maotai, a town in the Guizhou region, for over 300 years. This spirit enjoyed a meteoric rise at the turn of the 20th century. In 1935, generals in the Red Army were said to have discovered its virtues during the Long March, when they disinfected their wounds with an alcohol ranging from 35° to 53°. Mao made it the official spirit of the People's Republic of China on October 1st, 1949, the very day the PRC was founded. Moutai was then served at official banquets, including Nixon's first visit in 1972. "I drank so much Moutai that I was negotiating in Chinese", said his Secretary of State Henry Kissinger.

Kweichow Moutai - 50 cl bottle, "Sun Flower" edition, 1970s

Estimate : 8000 - 10000€

The production process for this Baijiu (brandy) involves no less than 9 steam passages, 8 fermentations and 9 distillations over a period of one year. It is then aged for a minimum of five years in terracotta jars, before being blended into several vintages and bottled. Usually presented in an opaque white glass bottle, this stripping beverage contains over 400 different aromatic substances, and improves with age, keeping for several decades.

Today, Kweichow Moutai remains the benchmark brand for the Chinese elite and the star of business meals. The price of a 50cl bottle is often around 350€, but can quickly reach thousands of euros for vintage Moutai. In 2021, a Chinese buyer paid $1.4 million for a batch of 24 bottles of 1974 vintage Sun Flower! Produced in the 1970s, the bottle presented by Besch Cannes Auction is also part of the 'Sun Flower' edition, and could well spring a surprise when it goes under the hammer on August 14th.

NICE MATIN of august 11th, 2024 - Page Art & Enchères - Laurence Guidicelli