Heard it through the grapevine

Helene Ponty is on a mission to spread the word about her family's wine

People in the China wine trade are surprised to find that Le Ponty wines, one of the Bordeaux region's most esteemed wineries, has a personal presence in the country, in the shape of the owner's daughter, Helene Ponty.

Most winemakers trying to push their products in China content themselves with promotional visits, but Ponty lives and works in Beijing and travels throughout the country to promote Le Ponty wines.

The mission has proved to be an unqualified success: the winery now ships more than 20,000 bottles a year to China, a quarter of its annual production. People in the wine trade are fascinated to discover that Helene Ponty is based in the country, is formidably knowledgeable about Bordeaux wines in particular and French wines in general, and has taken the trouble to learn to speak Chinese.

"I usually describe our vineyard as a boutique traditional family vineyard located on the right bank of Bordeaux, aiming to produce elegant wines with a perfect balance between freshness and intensity," she says. "We have three estates and each is between 3 and 5 hectares, so our production is very limited, but it allows us to be very picky about the quality. We pick by hand and prune carefully.

"In China what I am trying to do is to find good distributors in different provinces. I am working with them and building the story of the wine, which is very important, showing them that if they work with me then they really have a direct relationship with the winery. I go to events and give them the story of the wine."

Initially, Ponty came to China with Hong Kong-born boyfriend Erik Chan, with no immediate plan to enter the wine trade. But the opportunities quickly became apparent, and Chan's family was able to help with contacts and connections.

Her business brain was already honed from studying for an MBA in the United States where she met Chan and later by working for a management consultancy in New York.

"When you are in China it takes a lot of time to set up a company and convince people about what you are doing," she says. "The feedback has been amazing. People love that I am here and can talk to them about the wine and winery and my family history. They love the wine. A lot of people say it is the best they have tried."

Ponty Vineyards was founded more than a century ago by the 26-year-old's great-grandfather in Canon Fronsac, one of the smaller regions of Bordeaux, which has fewer than 50 producers. The current patriarch, Michel Ponty, is president of the local association of winegrowers.