Business gifts · Chinese New Year, January–February
Giving Bordeaux for Chinese New Year
Lunar New Year falls on 6 February 2027, then on 26 January 2028. For companies that work with China, and for Chinese companies based in France, it is the big gift season, six weeks after Christmas. Red Bordeaux is a classic there. Here is how much to order, for what budget, by what date, and the customs that make a bottle well received.
The numbers
Set for 20 recipients, a pair of bottles at €45 each, delivered to the office. Change the number of bottles: the calculation flags quantities that are best not given.
The customs that matter
Not everyone follows them, but they are widespread enough to be worth taking into account. None of them costs more.
The good numbers
Gifts come in pairs: two bottles rather than one. 8 sounds almost like the word for “prosperity”, 6 suggests things going smoothly. A case of six or two bottles are always right.
The number to avoid
4 sounds like the word for “death”. Four bottles, a box of four: avoid them. The calculation above flags it.
The colour and the case
Red is the colour of luck and celebration; red wine fits naturally. The château's original wooden case, with its branding, counts almost as much as the bottle: keep it closed.
The label
You give a name the recipient recognises: a classified growth, a well-known appellation, a château with its drawing on the label. The clever find from a small estate goes down less well than it would with a French wine lover.
Which vintage
A vintage ending in 8, or the year of the sign of the year that is beginning: a story to tell as you hand over the bottle. In Bordeaux, both land well.
| Vintage | Why | Where it stands in 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | The 8, and a very great year in Bordeaux | Young, will keep twenty years: the gift that lasts |
| 2008 | The 8, a classic year long underrated | Ready to drink, prices still reasonable |
| 2015 | Previous Year of the Goat, the sign for 2027; a very great year | Opening up, to drink or to keep |
| 2016 | Previous Year of the Monkey, the sign for 2028; a very great year | Still young, to keep |
| 1988 | The 8, twice; for a recipient born that year | Ready to drink, for Left Bank classified growths |
Availability depends on stock, by quote. What each vintage is giving today: Bordeaux vintages to drink.
Which names
Pauillac is the best-known appellation in China, and Lafite Rothschild the name that built Bordeaux's reputation there in the 2000s. For an important partner, it is a choice nobody will question. For a longer list, the second wines of the classified growths and the other châteaux of Pauillac keep the appellation's prestige for a fraction of the price.
For recipients who have everything, a magnum makes more of an impression than two bottles, and stays a single piece, in a single case.
The calendar
- Order with the year-end gifts. In December, a single order for Christmas and Chinese New Year: same quote, two deliveries. The year-end client gifts page does the December calculation.
- Three weeks before at the latest. For 2027, before mid-January. Old vintages and wooden cases take some finding: earlier is better.
- Hand it over the week before. The gift is given before the festival, during the visits at the end of the lunar year. The season for New Year wishes then runs until the Lantern Festival, fifteen days later: a late gift is still possible, but not after that.
What is the date of Chinese New Year in 2027?
Saturday 6 February 2027, the start of the Year of the Goat. In 2028, Wednesday 26 January, Year of the Monkey. Vietnamese Tết and Korean Seollal fall on the same day or within a day.
What wine to give a Chinese partner?
A red Bordeaux with a known name, as a pair or a case of six, in its original wooden case. A vintage ending in 8 or the year of the sign adds a story. Avoid quantities of four; red comes before white.
Can the wine be delivered to China?
Not directly: wine enters China through an approved importer. This page covers gifts handed over in France, at the office, at a meeting or over dinner. For shipping abroad, say so in the quote request.
Is the gift tax-deductible for the company?
VAT is recoverable if the gift does not exceed €73 incl. VAT per recipient per year, all gifts combined: a pair at €45 goes over it. The expense is generally still deductible if it serves the business. The details are on the VAT on wine page, to be confirmed with your accountant.