China Uncorked

The much-maligned Chinese wine industry is in the process of turning a corner and is readying itself to compete with traditional wine-making powerhouses. Could the Middle Kingdom one day conquer the world of wine?

In 2008 Berry Bros. & Rudd, one of the world’s oldest wine merchants, released the Future of Wine Report. Sensationally, the study claimed that within 50 years China would be the world’s leading producer of wine by volume with upwards of 4,000 vineyards – a quarter of which would be producing fine wine that will “rival the best of Bordeaux.”

Needless to say, these predictions were accompanied by both shock and scepticism from the global wine industry. Despite a history of over 4,500 years, domestically-produced Chinese wine is still battling the perception that it’s poor in quality, aroma and taste – an unholy trinity for a developing market.

“We are finally seeing the first stirrings of a credible wine market and the eyes of the global industry are turning toward China.”

This reputation is a result of the local wine industry’s dominance by five large, state-owned producers who control a 90 per cent market share and sacrifice quality for the sake of industrial-scale quantity. Traditionally, they have been able to bank on brand recognition to retain their controlling interest in the Chinese market, but the winds of change have begun to blow in an ominous fashion for the ‘big five’.

Internationally-renowned British wine critic Jancis Robinson came to China several years ago and declared local wines to be all but undrinkable, but her tune had certainly changed when she recently returned to promote the first simplified Chinese translation of her book, The World Atlas of Wine. “Many more bees are currently buzzing round the honey pot that is the potential for Chinese wine,” she said.

This change has come about as, over the past decade, the birth of a nascent fine wine industry has taken shape, led by small, family-owned wineries, committed to creating top-quality examples of Chinese wine.