What did Xi Jinping drink in Macau?

To celebrate the handover of Portugal, he tasted a Ningxia wine accompanied by a Portuguese wine.

Two wines have been strategically selected by the Macau government to showcase China's growing winemaking prowess and Macau's colonial past, while welcoming Xi Jinping, the Chinese President.

A white wine from Ningxia and a Portuguese wine from Douro were served to guests on December 19 to mark the 25th anniversary of the handover, as revealed in menu details shared on social media and reported by local newspaper Macao Daily News.

It was Xi's fifth visit to Macau, the third since he became president, and his first reported opportunity to sip local wine in the special administrative region.

During Xi's visit to Macau to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the handover and the inauguration of the sixth term of the Macao SAR government, the local government hosted a welcome dinner on December 19.

The dinner included Legacy Peak Chardonnay 2022 (2022), a white wine from Ningxia, and Quinta dos Muras Reserva 2017, a red wine from the Esporo Estate in the Douro region of Portugal.

The white wine selection is a nod to Ningxia, a region that has gained international fame and which President Xi has personally visited twice in the past two years to support the local wine industry.

Established in 1997, Legacy Peak Estate was located in the Western Xia Mausoleums, the imperial tombs of the Western Xia Dynasty, in the eastern foothills of Helan Mountain in Ningxia. His 2022 vintage of Chardonnay comes from vines over 20 years old in his vineyard.

In its logo, the number 1246 appeared after its Chinese name. This number indicated both the altitude of Legacy Peaks Winery in meters and its distance to Beijing in kilometers.

The other wine served at dinner comes from one of Portugal's oldest wineries, Quinta dos Muras. Dating back to 1714, the winery is located in northern Portugal, in the Cima-Corgo sub-region of the Douro Valley, the oldest DOC region in the world.

The wine itself has a long-standing connection to the Macau handover. In 1999, his Esporo Reserva 1996 served as the official wine for the award ceremony. For the 20th anniversary of the discount, it launched a special edition of its Esporo Reserva Red 2017 to celebrate this milestone.

According to Chinese state media, ten years ago, when Xi first visited Macau as president, the welcome dinner included two Portuguese wines: Conde d'Ervideira Reserva Branco and Marqus from Borba Reserva Tinto.