If you were asked which country was the largest producer of grapes, you might have answered Italy, France, or Spain. In fact, for the last decade, Chinese grape production was easily the highest in the world, and almost double that of Italy, the second highest. You’d be right to immediately protest that most of these are not wine grapes, but planting of wine grapes in China grew dramatically from 2000-2015 before tapering off, and in 2020 China ranked third in the world for vineyard area after Spain and France. Chinese viticulture actually dates back to at least 3rd Century BCE but wine production was rare. The modern Chinese wine industry originated in the 19th century with Catholic missionary influences and underwent expansion during the early Communist years. It was only from the 1980s that modern winemaking techniques and more extensive planting of wine grapes really took off. Today vineyards are established in Xinjiang (the largest), Ningxia, Gansu, Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong, Yunan and Liaoning. In most of these regions the vines are buried during winter to protect them from harsh winter conditions and many, even newly planted vineyards are on their own roots as phylloxera is not widespread. In 2021 the Chinese government announced plans to increase the area under vines in Ningxia threefold and to increase the value of wine production there seven times.
If you were asked about the quality of wine produced in China my guess is that you would be dubious. Indeed, the wineries expanded under early communist rule often produced “wine” made from blending of grape juice with other fruit juices, fermented cereals, water and flavourings. I recall trying a glass of “Riesling” at an airline business lounge in Shanghai produced by the Chinese wine-making behemoth Great Wall as recently as 2015 and struggling to identify any varietal character. It was at best a barely acceptable quaffer. But I was astonished on visiting the restaurant in the famed Bordeaux Cites du Vin in 2018 to find a Chinese Nine Peaks Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 on the international wine list. Intrigued, I tried it and was pleasantly surprised at the quality: unmistakenly Cabernet, adequately ripe, medium-bodied, tasted blind I might have mistaken it for an entry level Margaret River Cabernet.
The last twenty years has seen a dramatic quality improvement in Chinese wine production, spurred by massive investment of multinationals such as LVMH, Lafite, Pernod Ricard and others and increasing numbers of overseas-trained Chinese winemakers returning with expertise to complement the large numbers of globetrotting French winemakers working there. As early as 2011 Helanqinqxue Winery’s Jiabei 2009 Grand Reserve achieved a Decanter Trophy, in the last decade, Decanter Silver, Gold and Platinum Awards for Chinese wines are commonplace. In September 2023 Jancis reporting on a blind tasting of top Chinese Cabernets noted the Chateau Changyu Moser XV 2016 was very good and she “might have confused it with Figeac” until she tasted that later on. The eye-wateringly expensive LVMH owned Ao Yun from Yunan regularly achieves 16.5-17.5 scores in the Jancis tasting notes.
In November 2024 China became a member of the International Organisation of Wine and Wine (OIV) which represents 51 countries, 85% of the world’s planted vineyard area and sets internationally accepted standards for viticulture and vinification.
Whilst both wine production and consumption boomed after 2000 along with middle-class affluence, since the latter part of last decade, both have been in decline. Various factors have contributed – increasing production costs squeezing margins, poor economic growth, Covid disruption and trade wars. However, there are increasing signs that the move to quality in production is now influencing popular consumption.
Finally, if I asked you about Chinese wine preferences, you’d almost certainly say red wines particularly Bordeaux varietals – and you would be right, with a caveat.
Black grape varieties do account for over 80% of vines planted, and Cabernet Sauvignon is clearly in front. Wine consumption was not a traditional part of Chinese cuisine and consumption has mainly adapted to Chinese culture and values. Whilst to the outside observer, Chinese cuisine would in the main seem to better suit white wine, red wine consumption has been the norm, owing to its auspicious colour, Bordeaux (and Burgundy) brand desirability and gifting habits followed by the perception of red wine health benefits. After anti-corruption measures banned gifting practices, red wine consumption became more established as a mainstream rather than elitist practice.
Wine consumption patterns in China are frequently different from what we may be used to in the West. For example, at a Chinese banquet the most expensive dish might be served with the most expensive wine rather than a wine that will best complement the flavours of the dish. Frequently on such occasions, rather than being sipped with food, wine is “sculled” in ganbei toasts.
There are signs however that things are changing. Ch’ng Poh Tiong last year wrote in Decanter about the increasing diversity of Chinese wine production (along with increasing quality), noting the production of a Blanc de Noir Cabernet Sauvignon by Changyu’s Longyu Estate DWWA 2019 Gold!), the fresher styles of Chardonnay, and “salivating tingling Rieslings” that are “a natural pairing for Chinese seafood dishes”.
This may reflect a growing sophistication in Chinese wine consumption, at least partly influenced by a strong uptake in wine education as well as by the return of Chinese winemakers with overseas experience. Throughout the previous decade, China was one of the WSET’s strongest markets and in the 2017-18 academic year alone WSET had almost 22,000 students in China. WSET was forced to suspend its activity in China in January 2021 because of new laws impacting its overseas NGO status, but this was resolved successfully by the beginning of 2022.
Just last week, Samantha Cole-Johnston wrote in Jancis about “China’s white-wine boom”. In 2023 while red wine still accounted for 60% of sales in Chinese supermarkets white wine accounted for 25%, and most importantly grew at a rate of 8.5%. This growth was led by Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc. Whilst expectations of future wine export opportunities in China have been depressed by lower Chinese growth, flattening overall wine consumption and the trade measures against Australia, the future for premium white wines looks ever brighter. While Australia has successfully regained its share of the Chinese wine market since the devastating tariffs, that future looks uncertain. Bad news for Australia might however be very good news for New Zealand, particularly against the backdrop of Trumpian US tariffs.
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Please note I am travelling for the next two weeks and the next blog will not be published until 30 April 2025.
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