[Photo by Mike Peters/China Daily]

Vinexpo 2014 will feature a central display area for imported spirits, a category that has been a fringe presence in the past. That, too, reflects a recent trend: Consumption of imported spirits in China has nearly doubled in five years, climbing from 639.74 million cases in 2008 to 1,201.49 million cases in 2013. While vodka is number one in the world (after China's white spirit baijiu), in China the import of choice is cognac/armagnac.

There's no stopping those French.

Some Italian wines will be showing their muscle this weekend, at a blind-tasting challenge on March 2 at Beijing's Pinotage restaurant in Sanlitun. It's the fourth Taste of Nations face-off at the South African eatery, which has hosted similar tasting "battles" between its own vintages and those of New Zealand, Chile and China in the past few months. For 150 yuan ($24) per person, says sommelier Johnson Guo, guests will sample six or seven bottles from each country (hidden within cloth bags) and guess their origin and price point.

3 pm March 2 at Pinotage, Bldg 2, 2-105, 1/F Sanlitun SOHO, 8 Gongti Beilu (North Road), 010-5785-3538. RSVP at Johnson@pinotage.me.

Temple Restaurant Beijing hosted a "Greek Wine Renaissance" last weekend with winemaker Mihalis Boutaris, whose family produces boutique vintages from vineyards on Santorini and elsewhere in Greece. A Saturday night wine-pairing dinner featured two assyrtiko vintages - the second 2010 "barrel" label with lots of nice minerality from Domaine Sigalas. But the winners of the night may have been sisters: two roses from Kir-Yianni, a semi-sparkling version as an aperitif and a still version served with a diverse cheese course. If you missed the dinner and the follow-up tasting party on Sunday afternoon, don't despair: The wines are available through Temple's trb-wine.com, joining a select group of French and Spanish (so far) wines the restaurant makes available online. Free delivery for customers within the 5th Ring Road.