400 Wineries in China

Although China does not have an international reputation for producing wine, wine-making has a long tradition in the country. Archaeological digs have uncovered evidence the Chinese were making wine in 212 BC.

Wine production in China is concentrated in the north, in Shanxi, Hebei and Shandong provinces in the north-east, in Xinjiang province in the north-west and Yunnan province in the south. 

There are around 400 wineries. The three big domestic producers are Great Wall, Dynasty and Changyu Winery. 

While most grape varieties are derived from wild species, foreign investors have planted many western red varietals. Of those, Cabernet Sauvignon accounts for 40 per cent and Merlot and Cabernet france for 10 per cent, according to the Oxford Companion to Wine. 

China's wine production stood at 960,000 tons in 2009, up 27 per cent on the previous year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.