The recent TopWine China, 2013, show gave Beijing wine lovers a chance to try wines from just about every growing region in the world. In case your palate isn't quite sophisticated enough to spot the difference between an Old World tempranillo and a New World cab sauv, you could tell where your wine came from by the outfits that helpfully traded in cultural stereotypes: the Germans had girls in dirndls, Italians looked snappy in leather shoes and smart suits and the Australians ... had people dressed as slightly lumpy kangaroos.

While French wine has a strong reputation in China, many other European wine growing regions that are keen to build a profile here were showing off their wares at TopWine.

Spain had a notable presence at the show, with a wide range of wines from the Rioja region, which are becoming increasingly available in China. The Rioja is actually split into three different areas throughout Spain, and produces some fine Old World reds with reasonable price points. Think, big, fruity reds that will cellar well and pair excellently with red meat. The Bodegas Olarra Anares Reserva 2005 was excellent drinking, as was the younger and lighter Bodegas Olarra Cerro Anon 2010.

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