Bin 389 ‘most auspicious’ CNY wine

Penfolds’ Bin 389 Cabernet/Shiraz blend has been hailed by TWE as the most auspicious wine due to its lucky Bin number according to Chinese tradition.

Despite being dubbed as “Baby Grange” or “the poor man’s Grange,” Penfolds’ Bin 389 has found a serendipitous niche for this year’s Year of the Monkey due to its Bin number of 389 where all the digits mean something fortuitous in Chinese tradition.

Numbers which sound similar to fortunate words in Chinese are regarded as auspicious, so in this case, three sounds close to the word meaning birth (new beginnings); eight sounds similar to prosperity or wealth and the number nine is a homophone of the word for “long lasting or to have enough”.

Robert Foye, President of Asia and EMEA for TWE, said: “Penfolds Bin 389 is one of my favourites. It’s perfect for a CNY dinner with pork, beef or even pan-fried dumplings. It’s an amazing Cabernet Shiraz and is also perfect for the Year of the Monkey. Three stands for three wise monkeys, eight is his lucky number and he is ninth in the Chinese zodiac!

“The monkey’s traits are confident, dignified and sociable – all reflective of the status of Bin 389.”

For the truly curious (just like a monkey) the numbers and their associated lucky words in Mandarin are below:

Three = sān sounds similar to the character for birth, shēng. Three is also significant since there are three stages in a man’s (and woman’s) life” – birth, marriage and death.

Eight = bā sounds similar to the word meaning prosper or wealth but can also mean luck or success – fā.

Nine = jiŭ was traditionally associated with the Emperor of China and symbolises harmony. The number nine is also a homophone for the words “to have enough” and “to save”.

Penfolds is famed for being one of the first western wine brands to crack the China market since its adopted name, ‘Ben Fu’, means “chasing prosperity”.

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

(Wishing you to be prosperous in the coming year)