China Uncorked
Shanxi province’s Grace Vineyard is China’s original fine wine success story. Co-founded by Hong Kong billionaire CK Chan and Frenchman Sylvain Janvier, Grace was established in 1997 and is currently operated by Chan's daughter, Judy Leissner. Grace’s popularity has spread throughout China and even made its way overseas, with international critics singing the praises of its Bordeaux-like vintages.
Located in the northern Ningxia region, Silver Heights is China's first garage-winery. Winemaker Emma Gao, 33, is one of only a handful of Chinese women to have studied oenology in France and then gone on to become a winemaker in her homeland. Her first several thousand bottles of Cabernet blends have been creating a lot of buzz at home and abroad and while they are very much in the beginning stages of development, it’s hoped their success will inspire others to follow the approach of quality over quantity.
Industry-wide, optimism reigns due to an attitude that although success may seem distant, it is inevitable. While many challenges remain before the domestic product is seen as a genuine global competitor, the vast potential of China’s wine market is finally coming into focus.
The inception of China’s modern wine industry dates back to the founding of the Changyu vineyard on Shandong’s Penglai peninsula more than a century ago. Today, according to the International Organisation of Vine and Wine, the Middle Kingdom is the world’s sixth-largest producer and fifth-biggest consumer of wine. With nearly 500 vineyards, China’s primary growing region stretches from coastal Shandong westward to the steppes of Xinjiang. Over the past 15 years, production output has steadily increased at approximately ten to 15 per cent per annum. Ronald Brown, a 26 year veteran of the wine import market, says that China’s time to shine on the world wine stage is nigh. “We are finally seeing the first stirrings of a credible wine market and the eyes of the global industry are turning toward China,” he says. “It’s the only market to experience growth in production and consumption over the last few years.”
While the increasing productivity of the country's vineyards is impressive, fine wine production still accounts for less than one per cent of total output. Arguably the biggest hurdle is land management and viticulture issues – wine is only as good as the grapes that go into it. Current government regulations mean that many small vineyards do not have direct control over a large majority of their grape-growing vines. Instead these plots are owned by different families, each with their own ideas about which grape varietals to plant, how to nurture their growth and when to harvest. Vineyards are thus forced to expend large amounts of time and energy educating these farmers and enforcing stringent vinicultural practices in order to obtain the best yield of fruit.
