His company, Montrose, now sells more than 1, 000 cases a month and expects sales to double this year, despite taxes and duties which add 121% to the price of imported wines.

ECONOMIST: China��s new tipple

The dollar rose, making imported wines cheaper.

ECONOMIST: Why a cult $2 plonk has America's wine industry in a spin

It lets wines made with up to 70% imported grapes be sold as Canadian.

ECONOMIST: Blended deceit from the nanny state

In China, where the style of mixing red wine with Coke has only recently fallen out of favor, counterfeiters usually go even cheaper, adding loads of sugar to domestic wines or, in some cases, adding sugar to grape juice imported in bulk.

FORBES: Magazine Article

But wine imported into China came predominantly from France, and he spotted a market opportunity for Californian wines.

WSJ: Yao Ming Takes Aim at China Wine Boom

The two white grapes, Chenin Blanc and Pinot Gris, went well with almost everything the pork, the chicken, the pasta and the salmon all fit, and the wines were rich and viscous but also minerally and clean. (I tasted both domestic and imported examples of each grape.) The only sticking point was, unsurprisingly, the steak.

WSJ: Wine and Food: Pairing Without Overthinking | On Wine by Lettie Teague