China Flashcards
Chinese Grapes?
Cabernet Sauviginon, Cabernet Gernischt (aka Carménère), Merlot, and Marselan are the primary grapes in Chinese wine production.
Shandong Province subs
Yantai, Penglai, and Qingdao
Ningxia terroir
low foothills of Helan Mountain. Gets compared to Bordeaux
Long Dai is located in
Penglai, Shandong
What region surrounds Beijing
Hebei
Shandong - This is the largest producing region and is considered a Bordeaux-like area, having a similar latitude and maritime influence. This is where Rothschild’s Long Dai is located.
Ningxia - The other Bordeaux-like region. Ningxia has its take on the 1855 Classification with 35 local producers named. This high-elevation region is on the edge of the Gobi desert.
Hebei - This area surrounds Beijing and is home to many of China’s mass wine producers.
Xinjiang - Bordering Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Afghanistan, this region is hot and dry. High-quality wine could be produced in the future, but transport issues due to the remote location force producers to focus on bulk wine.
Yunnan - Yunnan borders Laos and Myanmar. The top vineyard sites are on Shangri-La Mountain. This is where Moët Hennessy has invested.
Also worth noting, China produces a lot of high-quality dessert wine. The two best areas are Tianjin, for Black Muscat, and Liaoning, for Vidal Ice wine.