Poured liberally and shared round the table with friends and family, the nature of wine is, as Jeremy Oliver describes it, one of intelligence, generosity and hospitality. That spirit has drawn the influential author of the Australia Wine Annual to Shanghai for M on the Bund's “Fabulous Weekend of Food and Wine.” Organized by M's well-known wine guru Marcus Ford, this will be a (hopefully annual) series of charity events on Dec. 6-7 that includes a People's Choice wine tasting, gala dinner and book launch and discussion with Australian food writer Maggie Beer.

M's Fabulous Weekend

"I think [charity and wine are] a natural fit,” Oliver explains. “Wine is all about your family, community, sharing and looking after others.” At the event's five-course gala dinner on Dec. 6 (¥14,400 for a table of eight) Oliver will present a selection of seven Australian wines which he awarded extremely high scores in his 2009 Annual. Australian chef and food writer Maggie Beer will also be participating. “It's a high-quality, very exciting selection of wines,” says Marty Campaign, operations manager of The Glamour Bar. “For some, the draw will be the wine, but it doesn't matter. Our goal is to raise money.” All ticket proceeds from the weekend's events go to XinXing Aid for Streetkids, Care for Children, The Village People Project and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra.

People's Choice Awards

The highlight is the People's Choice tasting which gets underway at 5pm sharp on Dec. 6–¥200 gets you a white and red wine voting slip which you'll cast in favor of your favorites after you sip selections from 14 Australian wineries provided by ASC, Hugh Hamilton, The Wine Republic, Torres and Summergate Fine Wines. The winning wines will be featured on M's wine list. For Oliver, this is the fun part. “Sometimes you can predict the way the audience will see something, and sometimes it goes completely the opposite,” he concedes. “When I score a wine I'm giving a professional perspective, but that's very different from someone just having a drink and saying, 'Whoa, do I like this or not?'”

Keeping It Real

Keeping wine accessible is paramount to Oliver who views Shanghai as the “food and wine capital of China” and a particularly important market for Australian wines. Campaign agrees, feeling that a free and fun approach alleviates some of the stuffiness commonly associated with the wine scene. “It's possible to teach people about wine without making them feel intimidated by it,” states Oliver, who will be publishing a book in Chinese next year aiming to do just that. Clearly it's also possible to teach people about wine while teaching them about generosity too.