Just a few decades ago drinking grape wines grown and produced in China would have been unimaginable. Which isn't logical considering China has a history of grape planting and winemaking stretching back to the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220).
Although history states modern winemaking started in 1892, it came to notice in 1980 from a joint venture between Remy Martin and Dynasty Wine Ltd. First reports were mixed, a tasting of the wines left me unimpressed.
One of my more memorable experiences of Chinese grape wine came from Huadong winery close to central Qingdao, when it was established by Michael Parry and Gabriel Tan.
Read more...
Monday, November 1, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
China Wine Tours recommended on Simonseeks.com
China Wine Tours has recently been recommended on travel website Simonseeks! In her blog 'Wine tourism around the world' Helen Cross explored some of the more unusual wine tourism destinations including Austria and British Columbia. Helen said ‘I chose to include China in my blog as it’s a destination that I don’t think it’s a destination that people typically associate with wine tourism: I know I didn’t before I started researching for the article. What appealed to me about China Wine Tours was the mix between taking in the rich culture of China and experiencing its unique and varied wine scene.’ Head over to Simonseeks.com to read the post!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
2000 years of China wine history gone?
Monday, October 4, 2010
From what I can tell, wine was first recorded in China's northwest region of Xinjiang Province during the Han Dynasty, beginning about 200BC. That's when one of the emperors brought back both grape seeds and wine makers from the Middle East. While the Han emperor enjoyed the flavor of these wines, somehow the plants and techniques were not passed down.
Read more...
From what I can tell, wine was first recorded in China's northwest region of Xinjiang Province during the Han Dynasty, beginning about 200BC. That's when one of the emperors brought back both grape seeds and wine makers from the Middle East. While the Han emperor enjoyed the flavor of these wines, somehow the plants and techniques were not passed down.
Read more...
Thursday, July 15, 2010
China's first micro-winery wins plaudits
AFP - In a country where the wine industry is dominated by mass-production vineyards producing mediocre wine, the Silver Heights winery perched at 1,200 metres (about 4,000 feet) is creating a buzz.
Located on the eastern slopes of Mount Helan in the northern Ningxia region, China's first garage wine, or micro-winery, has won applause from wine lovers and support from the trade.
Read more here...
Located on the eastern slopes of Mount Helan in the northern Ningxia region, China's first garage wine, or micro-winery, has won applause from wine lovers and support from the trade.
Read more here...
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Will Shanxi Become the Next Napa?
Wine Country Minute..
Before Hong Kong returned to China, expats there debated whether the 21st century would be a Chinese or an American one. Winemaking wasn't part of the conversation then, but might be today.
About the time that terracotta warriors were being cast in Xian, the first grape seeds were being planted at the Imperial Palace (~130 BC). Today there are thousands of grape varieties in China, including high yielding ones, like Dragon's Eye, used to make sweet table wine.
Read more...
Before Hong Kong returned to China, expats there debated whether the 21st century would be a Chinese or an American one. Winemaking wasn't part of the conversation then, but might be today.
About the time that terracotta warriors were being cast in Xian, the first grape seeds were being planted at the Imperial Palace (~130 BC). Today there are thousands of grape varieties in China, including high yielding ones, like Dragon's Eye, used to make sweet table wine.
Read more...
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Giddy Times for Chinese Wines
From the Wall Street Journal March 20, 2010
By Stan Sesser
Open the suede-covered case and there's another box inside, this one made of cork. That second box contains a black silk bag with gold decorations. Alongside is a rolled-up scroll, with the signature of the chairman of the board, telling you in both English and Chinese that the $586 you've just spent has bought you a "miracle."
After all this, the bottle of wine inside the silk bag could only be an anticlimax. The label just says that it's a Merlot from Dynasty, one of China's three giant wine producers. There's no information on the vineyard or its location. There's no vintage date on the bottle. Asked about the pricing, He Rujun, Dynasty's East China general manager, said: "Merlot is so hard to grow in China. Dynasty spent 20 years to successfully grow it. Also, it was personally developed by our chairman and the quantity is limited."
...more
By Stan Sesser
Open the suede-covered case and there's another box inside, this one made of cork. That second box contains a black silk bag with gold decorations. Alongside is a rolled-up scroll, with the signature of the chairman of the board, telling you in both English and Chinese that the $586 you've just spent has bought you a "miracle."
After all this, the bottle of wine inside the silk bag could only be an anticlimax. The label just says that it's a Merlot from Dynasty, one of China's three giant wine producers. There's no information on the vineyard or its location. There's no vintage date on the bottle. Asked about the pricing, He Rujun, Dynasty's East China general manager, said: "Merlot is so hard to grow in China. Dynasty spent 20 years to successfully grow it. Also, it was personally developed by our chairman and the quantity is limited."
...more
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
China's wine industry in pictures
The BBC recently posted an article that showed some photos of wineries in China. But the better photos are at Janis Miglav's blog! Janis will be accompanying Chine Wine Tours for the Photographer's Tour of China in September.
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