Grape Wall of China

CHINA is tipped to become the world's biggest wine producer.

The Far East giant - better known for its Great Wall than its vineyards - already makes more wine than Spain and Portugal.

And with British supermarkets stocking up, experts predict it will overtake Australia in 2010 and Italy and France within 50 years.

Nine out of ten bottles of Chinese wine are red. Supermarket chain Morrisons has trialled one and now Waitrose plans to sell another.

Waitrose wine buyer Andrew Shaw said: "Chinese wine is the hot new trend. We're hoping to have a quality one in store by the end of the year."

China is currently the world's sixth biggest producer. It has made wine for almost 2,000 years but demand took off in the 1990s when officials ruled that all state banquets should serve it.