“Grape Press” is a regular magazine column in which we recommend wines to suit various occasions and price points.

In this month of literary festivals, let us take a moment to consider how literature and wine are oft intertwined.

In Vino Veritas — Writing Wine Blurbs with Lindsay Carroll / 14:00 12th Mar / Lindsay Carroll
The secret to writing is rewriting. The secret to writing wine blurbs is typing whatever pops into your head. Learn the ins and outs of penning great wine label copy with vaunted oenophile Lindsay Carroll, head blurb writer for Great Wall Wine. She’ll teach us the secrets of selling even the worst-tasting fermented grape juice, regardless of whether it comes in a bottle, box or homemade jug, and what to do when we can’t actually taste the difference between two vintages. (Hint: Keep drinking until more adjectives come to mind.) This is sure to be a delicately layered event with hints of citrus and a woody, nuanced finish.100 rmb (includes all-you-can-drink Great Wall wine)

Lindsay Carroll is the head blurb writer for Great Wall and the founder of Stemware, an online communityof lushes. Her work has also appeared in Lonely Housewife and Inebriated magazine.
 

The Bookworm Literary Festival finally kicks off tonight with an opening talk by author Lionel Shriver. Shriver, who’s pretty much branded herself as a difficult interview, was kind enough to answer a few questions for the Beijinger. You can read her thoughts on being an expat writer here. We’re also excited about Anne Witchard’s discussion on Lao She in London tomorrow night. That will be followed by the one act play, Ding, written for the stage by Paul French. Read our interview with Witchard to get some background on Chinese author Lao She and his time in London during the early 20th century.

Nice work, Uncle Hu. Now that you’re officially focused on building soft power, we’re busier than ever trying to cover everything that’s going on, from stage productions to films and animation to art market issues and of course the ever-developing art exhibits our galleries have to offer. The weather’s cooling down but culturally, things in this city are definitely heating up.

Enjoy a bike ride away from traffic and pollution this Saturday. Serk is hosting a car-free ride around Tongzhou Canal Park and the Tongzhou government is chipping in with free transportation to the waterway. Suggested rides will be divided into 20 kilometer and 60 kilometer routes to accommodate different levels, but participants are free to roam the park at their pleasure. The municipality of Tongzhou opened the park's 60 kilometer Grand Canal green road last year, fully equipped for cyclists. More info and registration details for the event are available on Serk’s website.