The all-encompassing Wine Museum of Macau has a problem: specifically, what to do about Mark Myrick? Mr Myrick is the young American who started the first brewery in Macau's long history. And while his first two draught beers are gradually becoming successful - already in the Hyatt, Mandarin, Westin and a few pubs, selling the equivalent of 4,000 bottles a month - it does not exactly qualify as a wine.
But Mr Myrick believes his beers should qualify for a wine museum.
'After all,' he says in his 4,000-square-foot micro-brewery, 'Macau has never made its own wine, naturally. So when a beer comes along made 100 per cent in Macau, we should really qualify - even with a special cubicle of our own.' True enough, some decades ago beer could only be made where the water was pure enough and with enough character for the flavour. Macau would hardly have qualified.
'But today,' Mr Myrick says, 'water treatment is so sophisticated that wherever you have the market - and the capital to set up the brewery - you can make a good beer.' Currently, Macau Brewing Company has two beers: Golden Ale and Praia Grande.
The former is light, floral, somewhat fruity, with a colour resembling that of San Miguel. About 60 per cent of Golden Ale is sold in Macau.
The Praia Grande, though, with a slightly higher alcohol content (about 5.5 per cent) sells a bit less. Its coffee colour is not sufficiently attractive to the Chinese market, but its flavour has more personality.