Chinese Wine Culture(s): Part I(2)

By 2009-3-10 9:07:03

Grace Vineyards grapes

Patrice Noyelle, now head of Pol Roger Champagne, was among the first, who, marrying into the Mommessin family of Burgundy fame, brought Chardonnay cuttings to the Huadong winery of Qingdao.

However, China has great problems producing healthy grapes, at least for wine production. Rain at harvest, rot and mildew – brought on by

excessive humidity and poor vine ventilation – as well as too fertile soils all gravitate against quality wine production; not to mention a complex agricultural system unused to viticulture and the hassle of having to bury most vines manually during winter. Against this background, it’s impressive what Grace Vineyard (Shanxi Province) has achieved in particular; which, along with Dragon Seal, is among the few wineries producing drinkable wines

Grace Vineyards "Deep Blue"

made from exclusively Chinese grapes. But how do these domestic wines stack up against foreign imports? What are these two wine markets like? And what wine drinking cultures seem to be evolving in the modern PRC?

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From enobytes.org