33. China

Question 1

What is the most planted variety?

Answer 1

Cabernet Sauvignon - ripeness can be an issue due to the cold

Question 2

What is China’s general climate?

Answer 2

Continental - very cold, arid winters with humidity as low as 10%

Question 3

How are winter conditions combatted?

Answer 3

Vines are buried from November to survive winter and retain more water

Question 4

Why is burying vines beneficial in China? (2)

Answer 4

1) To prevent the vines from freezing - snow acts as an insulator
2) To permit moisture retention underground

Question 5

What are China’s seven regions?

Answer 5

1) Heilonjiang & Jilin - far north east Russian border
2) Beijing & Hebei - east coastal
3) Shandong - east coast
4) Shanxi & Shaanxi - inland
5) Ningxia - inland
6) Xinjiang & Gansu - far north/north west
7) Yunnan - far south

Question 6

Describe Heilonjiang & Jilin

Answer 6

Extreme winter cold - burial essential

Question 7

Describe Beijing & Hebei

Answer 7

Humid continental with cool pacific breezes reducing humidity and moderating temperatures

Question 8

Describe Shandong

Answer 8

Warm maritime with rot a problem due to high rainfall (monsoons)

Question 9

Of China’s seven regions which is the climatic exception?

Answer 9

Shandong (maritime rather than continental)

Question 10

Describe Shanxi & Shaanxi (2)

Answer 10

1) Dry continental
2) Humid

Question 11

Describe Ningxia (3)

Answer 11

1) Arid continental
2) Windy
3) Irrigation available from the Yellow River

Question 12

What is Ningxia’s best region and why?

Answer 12

Helan Shan (mountains) - protected from desert winds by mountains

Question 13

Describe Xinjiang and Gansu (4)

Answer 13

1) Extremely dry
2) Snow as as early as October (short growing season)
3) Windy
4) Frost in spring and autumn

Question 14

How is high volume possible in Xinjiang? (3)

Answer 14

Dry (low disease pressure)
Snow water for irrigation
Warm

Question 15

Describe Yunnan (2)

Answer 15

1) Sub-topical, humid
2) Vines at altitude (1,600-2,900) in Himalayan footballs

(Marijuana grows as a weed here!)

Question 16

What makes Yunnan unusual for inland China?

Answer 16

It experiences a long frost free winter meaning vines don’t require burying

Question 17

What is the common vine training method?

Answer 17

Chang - spur pruned

The trunk is trained in a bended, horizontal shape to allow burial creating less stress on the vine as lower to the ground

Question 18

What three vine training issues contribute to poor fruit quality?

Answer 18

1) Dense canopies
2) Extensive irrigation
3) Excessive fertilisation

Question 19

What is China’s main virus?

Answer 19

Leaf roll

Question 20

Why is vineyard improvement difficult?

Answer 20

The government owns all land and determines agricultural practices meaning improvements can be slow/impossible.

Question 21

Describe the labour scenario is China

Answer 21

Advanced skills are required to bury the vines. Younger people do not want to do it. Older workers are declined and/or demanding higher pay due to the experience required, which adds to cost

Question 22

What is China’s main indigenous species? Name one advantage and one disadvantage

Answer 22

1) V. amurensis
2) It’s adapted to the cold
3) It can produce unusual aromas (like American hybrids)

Question 23

Winemaking is akin to which famous region and how?

Answer 23

1) Bordeaux
2) Prolonged maturation, French oak

Question 24

How do producers of volume wine meet demand?

Answer 24

Blending with imported product

Question 25

Name three boutique Chinese producers

Answer 25

1) Grace
2) Silver Heights
3) Ao Yun

Question 26

Where is most Chinese wine sold/consumed?

Answer 26

Domestic; at home

Question 27

Where are the strong winds from?

Answer 27

Siberia - central Eurasian plains

Question 28

Why are old vines uncommon in China and why are they unlikely to be common in most regions?

Answer 28

The thick old wood is difficult to bury

Question 29

What is an advantage of China’s wine legislation?

Answer 29

Licensing is more fluid than in many countries i.e. wine can be purchased at any time of the day in retail locations including convenience shops and supermarkets

Question 30

What is a disadvantage of China’s wine legislation?

Answer 30

It is taxed as an industrial product, which adds 10% to the price

Question 31

What is the local name for Carmenere?

Answer 31

Cabernet Gernischt

Question 32

Name two producers in China that dominate domestic production

Answer 32

Great Wall and Changyu