China: In the Dragon’s Throat

Presumably even Confucius drank wine, but it was actually only about a hundred years ago that fermented grape juice gained a foothold in China. Since the end of the Cultural Revolution, the erstwhile slow growth has gained momentum. While all that glitters is not gold, there is a glimmer of hope on the horizon.

Seven tasters were sitting in the private dining room of a small restaurant in eastern Beijing. Li Demei, professor of enology at the agricultural university in the Chinese capital, presented several wines that he had produced as a consultant. Among them was a 2005 Marselan from an experimental farm in Hebei, the province that stretches northwest from the Gulf of Bohai and encircles Beijing. With its scent of blackberry, mint and litchi, the Marselan - a French cross of Grenache and Cabernet created in 1961 - was reminiscent of Fleurie.

With a production of 12,000 bottles, Li Demei’s Marselan can’t be described as an experimental wine, but this sample did not even have a label. It was simply identified by a yellowing shred of paper that looked like a fig leaf. On it were some handwritten Chinese characters that I could not decipher. “In 2006, they used different grapes for another project,” lamented Li Demei. "It is a pity that some of our finest wines never made it to the market." That was in 2008. Times are now changing!

An Overview

If in fact Confucius drank wine, it probably came from Shandong, Li Demei’s home region. Shandong, which is loosely translated as  “Eastern Mountain,” is located southeast of Hebei in the hilly landscape around the coastal cities of Yantai and Penglai. This is the traditional heart of Chinese wine production, where some 140 wineries crush more than 40% of all Chinese grapes.

Domestic wineries produce about 85% of all wines consumed in China today. Imports ranging from Jacob’s Creek to Château Latour account for the rest. There were, in addition, roughly 120 million liters of bulk wine registered by customs last year and at least part of the local wines seen on the supermarket shelves are certainly made from this stock, either blended with Chinese must or bottled unadulterated with a Chinese label. Such blends could soon have a quick end, though, as the law states that Chinese wine must be made from domestically grown grapes. For the moment, however, where there is no plaintiff, no one is judged.

To meet rising demand, Chinese farmers create vineyards quickly, much like those contractors who build skyscrapers in the cities in the blink of an eye—and both are in a way supported by the government. The party admittedly wants to reach a level of self-sufficiency in every line of business. However, beyond its desire to become a world wine power that does not need to rely on imports, another positive aspect for the policymakers is the fact that vines generally grow only in those areas where, because of lack of water, no rice will. Further, wine is a vital weapon in the war against alcohol abuse. With an average content of just 13% by volume, it is “light” and “healthy” when compared to the dangerous moonshine still popular in the countryside that kills hundreds of citizens a year.

When the Chinese diplomat Zhang Bishi founded his winery in Yantai in 1892, there was no rootstock available locally, so he imported cuttings from Europe. With that step, the Changyu Pioneer Winery was born, making it the oldest and largest in China. Though not very well known abroad, it is currently, with annual sales surpassing $800 million, not only one of the ten largest wineries in the world, but it has built seven châteaux across the country, including the nearby Changyu Castel with the eponymous French group in 2002 to the Changyu Moser in Ningxia with the Austrian wine consultant Lenz Moser. In 2016, Changyu Pioneer Winery will open its massive City of Wine, which will encompass over 400 hectares of vineyards near the company headquarters.

Chateau Changyu Moser in Ningxia

Foreign Investment Arrives

Not far from Penglai is where Eric de Rothschild of the Bordeaux legend Château Lafite-Rothschild leased 27 hectares of farm land with the help of the state investment fund CITIC to form one of the youngest wineries in China. “First we will drill some holes, create a ground map and then decide what kind of grapes to plant," reported Christophe Salin, president of the Domaines Barones de Rothschild, in 2011. The first grapes have been harvested, but no wine released yet. The market, though, waits anxiously.