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...

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.

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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

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.

Friday, January 29, 2010

China's wine industry sees opportunity amid global downturn

From People's Daily Online

China's wine industry is having a golden opportunity to boost export as consumers worldwide are seeking wine that tastes fine but costs less, Chinese wine expert said Friday.

"The year 2010 can be a golden opportunity for China's wine export as less expensive wine products are becoming more favored by the international consumers as a result of the global economic downturn," said Wang Yancai, president of China Alcoholic Drinks Industry Association (CADIA).

Winery is a sunrise industry in China with steadily rising domestic and world demand, Wang added. China's wine production in the first 11 months of 2009 grew to 812,200 kiloliters, a year-on-year rise of 21.8 percent.

more...

Friday, December 25, 2009

China's Wine Market

Heard on the Street: China's Wine Market
Is it time to pair your Dim Sum with Bordeaux? Heard on the Street Asia editor Mohammed Hadi talks to China columnist Andrew Peaple about opportunities in China's thriving wine market.
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