China•Hexi Corridor Organic Wine Festival opens, world focusing on Wuwei

 

China•Hexi Corridor Organic Wine Festival has drawn extensive attention and unanimous praise from various circles of society. In Wuwei of Gansu Province, the world witnessed an exciting and dynamic wine event with a distinctive Chinese style and gave a positive feedback. It is a brainstorming, highly valuable and successful festival.

 

The 2014 China Hexi Corridor Organic Wine Festival was held on August 15-18. This event is hosted by Gansu Wine Industry Development Leading Group, Gansu Wine Industry Association and Wuwei Municipal People's Government and China Wine News. It aims to explore China style of the wine regions, inspire Chinese characteristics of wines, and improve Wuwei’s  reputation and influence as “China’s Wine City”, and create a benchmark of wine industry festival, establish a model of excellent wine region.

 

With the theme of “Meet in Hexi Corridor, Enchanted in China Wine City”, the festival highlighted the progress of Wuwei wine industry. “My father Mr Guo Qichang came to the Northwest in 1981 after China’s first bottle of dry white and red wine was successful made, then planted the first vineyard of Gansu in Huangyanghe Farm and established the province's first winery.” Said Guo Songquan, renowned wine expert, “ Today, Wuwei’s wine industry has made remarkable development, I hope in the long run, Wuwei will show respect for the natural laws of grape and wine production, focuse on development of sustainable viticulture and winemaking projects, and finally promote the development of urban industrial upgrading.

 

The Wine Festival is an international event, attracting wine professionals from around the world. It not only effectively enhance the international image of Wuwei wines, but also played a substantial role in giving impetus to local wine industry as for integration into global wine industry and acceleration of development.

 

Mr Andreas Pierotic, Counsellor of Economic and Commercial Counsellor’ Office of Chile’s Embassy in China highly commended the wine event. Take advantage of this opportunity, he fully understand the local wine industry’s development situation and characteristics, "Wuwei has a long wine history and great heritage, and this makes me very surprised."

 

Mr Adonis Kuluris, Cultural Advisor of Greek Agricultural Extension Center, also expressed his admiration for the achievements of Wuwei’s wine industry. He believes the development of the wine industry in China's western region has extraordinary significance. It will improve the ecological, turn the desert into an oasis; On the other hand, it will be able to give full play to the local terroir and produce high-quality wines. Adonis expect Wuwei wine industry will excelerate local economy, and make Hexi Corridor regain its role as an important bridge for communication of Eastern and Western civilizations."

 

Mr David Furer, Professional wine writer, Board of Directors of the France-based wine journalist organization FIJEV, shows strong interest in the development prospects of organic wine in Wuwei. He suggested Wuwei to introduce an international third-party certification structure as soon as possible, so as to improve local organic wine recognition in the global market, enhance consumer confidence in the safety of organic wines.

　

Taken the current situation of China into consideration, experts to 4th Hexi Corridor Organic Wine Festival gave numerous proposals for the future development of Wuwei wine. It also could be an important reference for the entire domestic wine industry.

 

According to Mr Zhou Zejiang, Senior Consultant, Researcher of Organic Food Development Center, Wuwei organic wine has good prospects for development. The government should make a centralized management, thus providing long-term protection for the organic wine industry.

 

Mr Wang Zhongyue,, Ph.D. Supervisor of Chinese Academy of Agricultureal Scicences conducted in-depth exchanges with Wuwei viticulture members during the wine festival. He believes that Wuwei has great advantages in all aspects of wine, including history, winemaking technology and equipments, the key is to find the most suitable grape varieties,”shape wine styles of Wuwei region by planting the most suitable grape varieties representing local characteristics.”

 

Mr Huang Yutong, vice president of China National Research Institute of Food & Fermentation Industries believes that the wine festival brought wine industry into the “New Silk Road economic belt”, “Western Development”and other national strategies, and give the wine industry an opportunity to develop with a more macro perspective. He suggested Wuwei wine be promoted along with special local product and food habits, as well as cultivating wine drinking atmosphere. We can learn from the Italy, Georgia and other European countries, promote local bulk wines to stimulate consumption, highlight the value of local wines, so that more people make wine their everyday drink.”