China’s potential lures an adventurous winemaker from France(3)

“Here the sugar matures first. Then the tannins mature,” he said, adding that if global warming raises the temperature in his region, “it could narrow that gap. We can get some more ripe tannins and color. So more like Chilean wines.”

A glimpse of the future of Chinese wine can be seen in Nauleau’s prized cellar, where he has Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot aging for at least one year in barrels made of French oak and American oak. Some of that wine ends up in France, mostly in Chinese restaurants. When he returns to France for visits, he is proud to offer fellow winemakers some of his creations.

“I buy them a bottle and they are quite surprised,” he said. “They don’t know — nobody knows — about Chinese wine. That it can be good, I mean.”

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