China Flashcards
China Grape Varieties
Cabernet Sauvignon
Merlot
Carmenere/Cabernet Gernischt
China wine styles
Mostly red, small amount of rose and white
Zhang Bishi
Businessmann who introduced V vinifera to China
Founded Changyu winery
Foreign Investments
1980’s when China opened to international development
CITIC partnered with French gov’t and REmy Martin
Pernod Ricard forned joint venture with Dragon Seal
Chandon sparkling wine in Ningzia
Cultural attitudes around wine
health campaign to replace cereal-based spirits (Also shortage of grain)
fruit given as premium gift - table grapes more important
Anti-extravagance measures
China climate
Continental climate with very cold & arid winters
Bury vines in November
Heavy summer rains in most regions
Heilongjiang and Jilin
regions in far north-east
extreme winter cold
Beijing and Hebei
Coastal, humid continental with warm humid summers and cold winters
Torrential rain in August and Sept
200-300mm per year
cool Pacific breezes
Poor drainage, fertile soils
Shandong
East coast, warm maritime climate
Shanxi and Shaanxi
inland, central regions
Dry continental
Less than 500mm annual rainfall
Shaanxi more humid
Ningxia
Inland, arid continental climate
200mm rainfall
Monsoon rains
windy
Irrigation from Yellow River
Helan Shan region protected by mountains.
Xinjiang and Gansu
Far northwest
Extremely dry, 80mm rain
Snow in October
Short growing season
Windy, frost
High volume production (dry, low disease because of wind, water from melted snow from Tian Shan range)
Yunnan
far south, sub-tropical & humid
1600-2900m altitude in Himalayan foothills
Vineyard Management
traditionally run, ungrafted, Multi-Cordon Fan System or Single Dragon System
Modern: spur-pruned Chang shape
Multi-Cordon Fan System
multiple cordons grown from a low trunk, popular for table grapes
Single Dragon System
single trunk at a slight angle as a spur pruned cordon
Chang Shape
trunk trained in bended form for easier burial,
Vineyard Hazards
Dense canopies, too much irrigation and fertilisation lead to poor fruit quality
Leaf roll virus
Cab Sauv and Carmenere do not always ripen
Government owns all land, difficult to make site-specific changes ijn vineyards
Vine burial
Usually in November and dug out in March-April
High labour costs
Urbanisation of younger generations
Grape Varieties
v. amurensis, resistent to cold - unusual aromas
Winemaking
Model is Bordeaux
Better canopy management in recent years, leading to better ripeness
Mostly red, won an international award for a Cab Sauv blend
Some Chardonnay and rose
Wine Labelling Requirements
Treated like a food product
Must declare a product as 100% fermented grape juice with an indication of alcoholic strength, production date, shelf-life
Taxed as an industrial product instead of agricultural product (10% more)
Domestic Market
Affluent middle class, increasing wine purchases
70% growth 2007-2017
Wine is expensive in comparison
crackdown on gifting
5th largest consumer of wine in the world, but per capita is small
Online Sales
Large Chinese Wine Companies
Changyu
Great Wall (owned by govt agricultural arm COFCO)
Dynasty
Bulk operations, with premium and super premium products as well
Blending with imported wine, also investing in foreign wineries
