Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 970 Final Draft Begins

Dai Shucheng asked, "What variety of grapes are those over there?"

Chen Hui said, "Pinot Noir."

The third-place winner said, "I only know Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. How about Pinot Noir?"

Dai Shucheng nodded and said, "The mark of a Grand Cru appellation, the top-quality raw material for Champagne. Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier are barely acceptable, but Cabernet Sauvignon cannot be used to make Champagne."

The third-place finisher asked, "Why? Aren't they all grapes? What's wrong with using Cabernet Sauvignon?"

Dai Shucheng shook his head: "The French are very strict about this; it's illegal. Aside from Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay, no other grape variety is allowed to use the word 'Champagne.' You know, France once fought a lawsuit with Switzerland over the name 'Champagne,' paying a huge price, even opening its airspace. Can you imagine how serious that is?"

The third-place winner said, "So that means Champagne is the best of all wines?"

Dai Shucheng said, "That's roughly the idea. The French admire Champagne, and Europeans follow suit. It's actually similar to our Snowflake Champagne, also 12 degrees. I've tasted the original Champagne."

The third-place finisher asked Xiaowei, "Wouldn't that be extremely expensive?"

Xiao Wei said, "Not necessarily. Just because foreigners value or like something doesn't mean it's expensive, but it's not cheap either. The price of wine is determined by its quality, which is decided annually by sommeliers. Besides, wine is a daily necessity there, so how could it really be expensive?"

Dai Shucheng said, "Yes, generally speaking, if you convert it to RMB, a few hundred yuan is considered a pretty good wine. There are also more expensive ones, but they are rare."

Chen Hui said, "Brother Dai, you seem to know a lot about this."

Dai Shucheng said, "This is what I studied, and as a result, I've spent most of my life working in a brewery."

The third-place winner said, "Old Dai graduated from China Agricultural University, majoring in grape cultivation and winemaking."

Xiao Wei said, "There's such a major?"

The third-place winner said, "Yes, many universities have them."

Chen Hui said, "This is perfect timing. Brother Dai's job here is a perfect match for our expertise. If you're interested in this, you can go to a winery."

The third-place finisher asked, "What's the standing of our winery over there? I didn't mean anything by it, just asking casually."

Chen Hui said, "It's alright. None of the top-tier ones are bad. Brother Dai knows about them. The most famous one in that area is Henry Hanno, and then it's us. Henry Hanno is a private estate, not open to the public. Actually, the quality is about the same, each has its own strengths and weaknesses."

Dai Shucheng said, "That's right, the wineries and wines in the Ay region can all be considered top-tier. Can I go?"

Chen Hui said, "Sure. Let's go there together next year. If you like it, you can stay. As long as your wife agrees."

Dai Shucheng thought for a moment and said in a low voice, "I specially learned French for this back then, but I've almost forgotten it all now."

Dean Cheng said from the side, "Are you guys done chatting? We're almost done here, Xiao Ji, come and take a look."

The third-place finisher laughed and said, "We've been so busy talking that we've forgotten about the important matter. Come on, let's get down to business and get things settled quickly so we can start working."

Several people gathered around to look at the design plan created by the German technician. Dean Cheng only dealt with architecture and didn't understand the technical aspects, so he had to rely on the three third-place finishers. Then, the three of them started exchanging ideas with the German guy through a translator—you could call it arguing, but anyway, they went back and forth, making the translator sweat profusely. Luckily, this guy had a solid foundation in the subject and didn't let them down. There were quite a few technical terms involved.

After arguing, oh, debating, uh, and discussing for ages, Dai Shucheng, a true technical expert, made the arrogant German technician blush with embarrassment. The plan was revised again and again, and several hours had passed before it was finally finalized. The third-place finisher whispered to Xiaowei, "Where did this technician come from? He's not our own, is he? He's so pretentious. Following his plan will cost us a lot more money and be completely useless."

Xiao Wei said, "It's from a German equipment manufacturer; the equipment was ordered from Germany."

The third-place finisher said, "Germans are the most pretentious. Our country has suffered a lot at their hands. Back then, with our bottling system, the technicians were incredibly arrogant. They would only work three hours a day. They would either be tired or thirsty, or they would just not do any work. They would move around a bit and then have to rest and take a break."

Chen Hui checked the time and said, "Well, today is alright. It's been quite a while."

The third-place finisher said, "First, he was the only one who came, so he was probably a bit nervous on the first day. Second, Lao Dai was capable and managed to catch him. But wait, how come there was only one person?"

Xiao Wei said, "Also, they'll come back for the installation later. They're building a factory in Ma'en for installation now, so it'll probably be over there."

The third-place winner said, "Build a brewery next to the champagne factory?"

Xiao Wei said, "No, how could that be? They're all in the same area in the city."

With the plan finalized, Dean Cheng could now produce the architectural drawings, and the matter was considered closed. Everyone shook hands and said goodbye, but it was clear that the German boy's attitude towards Dai Shucheng was different from his attitude towards others; even his eyes were different.

Everyone went out and had dinner at Anji Restaurant. This time, the German boy's attitude was different again. He was a little excited and ate with great enthusiasm. You know, in Europe, German food is as famous as its machinery, but in the opposite way. Like Britain, it is known worldwide for its terrible cuisine.

I booked the German kid for the night at the Zhongshan Hotel, but he ran off the next day to go sightseeing. I have to say, foreigners are indeed carefree and live a relaxed life in some ways.

The design institute produced the blueprints, and the artillery division's infrastructure team began leveling the site and laying the foundations. The distillery project commenced.

Although detailed design drawings have not yet been made, the general plan for the more than 2,000 acres of land was quickly completed. The construction team started working according to the plan. The entire plot was divided into six parts plus roads, and the roads were further divided into two parts: driveways and pedestrian walkways.

The walkway runs along the river from one end to the other, so the riverbank needs to be reinforced and a waterfront platform needs to be built. The road is simple: a main road, and then several branch roads connect the six different functional areas, which looks like a European-style vine pattern when viewed from the air.

Commander Hu personally visited the construction site, stood by the river and looked out. He nodded in satisfaction at the busy soldiers, then dragged Xiao Wei and Chen Hui to the Dragon King Temple for a stroll. The Dragon King Temple was a bit dilapidated at the moment, and the three of them were quite disappointed.

Commander Hu pointed out the landscape: "This place needs to be properly repaired and restored to its original state. It's such a pity, such a pity. There aren't many old buildings left these days. Destroying one means one less."

Xiao Wei said, "If it's going to be repaired, it will definitely be repaired exactly as it was, and then opened to the public. They also need to rebuild a Liao Dynasty building over there."

Commander Hu said, "What should we call it after it's been renovated? This used to be the mountain gate of Chang'an Temple. Later, someone built houses here, and the locals call it the Dragon King Temple. This used to be a cargo dock. There were still ships here when I first came here a few years ago."

(End of this chapter)