Grape Wine Today in China - Confucius Institute at UC Davis

Grape Wine Today in China
Jiang Lu, Ph.D.
Professor, China Agricultural University
Beijing. P.R. China
UC Davis, 3/26/2015
1. The grape wine production in China
The wine grape being planted: acreage and varieties
The challenge of Wine Grape Production in China
The major wine regions in China
The styles of wines being made
2. wine distributing and consuming in China
The importance and factors influencing grape wine
consumption in China
Imported vs domestic wine consumed in China
3. The future of grape wine production and consumption
Annual production of grapes in China
Production (million tonnes)
Acreage:1,492,250 acres,; Yield: 9,607,500 tons
10
Rank the 1st in the world (OIV
Data)
~ 80% for table
grapes
9.60
9.17
9
8.65
~15% for
wine making
7.94
8
7.15
7
~ 5% for raisins
6
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
Wine Grape Production in China
The wine grapes: ~300,000 acres, ~1,400,000 tons
Top five varieties:
Cabernet Sauvignon 49.6%,Carmenere 9.6%,
Merlot 8.5%, Syrah 1.8%, Chardonnay 1.7%
Other V. vinifera cvs.
Cabernet Franc, Carignane, Pinot Noir, Italian Riesling,
Sauvignon Blanc, Chennin Blanc , Mashelan, Petit Verdot
V. amurensis and hybrids, French hybrids (e.g. Vidal for ice wine)
Wine Production in last 30+ Years
1978~1985:steadily increase: 100,000 to 200,000 tons
1986~1993: stable: ~ 200,000 tons
1994~2000:turbulent:200,000~300,000 tons
2001~2012:rapidly increase: 200,000~ to 1,380,000 tons
10,000 tons
Source: OIV, October 2014
Major Regions of Wine Grape Productions in China
1. North West
Xinjiang, Gansu, Ningxia
2. Loese Plateau
Shannxi and Shanxi
3. Bohai Bay Area
Changli, Huai-Zhu,Tianjin,
4. Jiaodong Peninsula
5. Northeast
6. Old Yellow River
7. Southwest
Non-buried area
-17℃ isotherm
in winter
Buried area
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Two Distinct Areas for Grape Production in China
Grapevines are
buried in the winter
Grapevines are
buried in the
winter
1. The grape wine production in China
The wine grape being planted: acreage and varieties
The challenge of Wine Grape Production in China
The major wine regions in China
The styles of wines being made
2. wine distributing and consuming in China;
The importance and factors influencing grape wine
consumption in China;
Imported vs domestic wine consumed in China;
3. The future of grape wine production and consumption
Continental Monsoon Climate
---featuring cold-dry winter and hot-damp summer
Completely differing from Mediterranean climate,
Climate types are complex and varied in different regions.
Rainfall mm
Huailai
Changli
Bordeaux
Jiaodong
Monthly Rainfall
Monthly Average Temperature
30
泽山2013 Jiaodong 13
泽山往年 Jiaodong Ave.
Bordeaux
Burgundy
Napa (CA)
每月平均温度(℃)
25
20
15
10
5
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
-5
月份
monthly
9
10
11
12
白粉病 (Powdery Mildew)
and 霜霉病(Downy Mildew)
Trellising system
The trunks / canes were dig out in the spring
Blooming
Ripening
1. The grape wine production in China
The wine grape being planted: acreage and varieties
The challenge of Wine Grape Production in China
The major wine regions in China
The styles of wines being made
2. wine distributing and consuming in China;
The importance and factors influencing grape wine
consumption in China;
Imported vs domestic wine consumed in China;
3. The future of grape wine production and consumption
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Northwest Region (Xinjiang, Gansu, Ningxia)
- an arid or semi-arid region
Xinjiang is China's largest administrative area, located in the north-west
corner of the country. A significant wine industry is springing up here in
the dry, desert-like terroir.
Xinjiang covers 640,000 square miles (1.6 million sq km) and is larger
than the US states of Texa and California combined. Much of this area is
either desert or mountain.
Xinjiang is cut neatly in two, North and South Xinjiang, by the Tian Shan mountain range.
Traditional viticulture in Xinjiang are famous for table and raisin grape production. It is
along the southern edge of these mountains that most viticulture takes place, particularly
surrounding the cities of Turpan and Yanqi.
The wine grapes industry, developed in recent years, are located in the northern side of
the mountains, where the climate is cooler and slightly more precipitous
Wine Grape Regions in Xinjiang
Yili River Valley
Shihezi
Turpan Shanshan
Yanqi
Kashi
Hetian
Wine Grape Production in Xinjiang
Zhangyu Baron Balboa in Shihezi
A vineyard at foothill of
Tian- Shan Mountain
Harvesting
Gansu, China. Gansu adjoins the Loess Highland, and Inner Mongolia, and
Qinghai-Tibet plateaus, averaging 1,000 - 3,000 meters in elevation.
A natural passage from the heartland of China to Xinjiang and
Central Asia in ancient times.
Although the greater part of the corridor are deserts and semideserts with an arid climate, they have the benefit of the melt-water from the
Qilian Mountains for irrigation
Gansu Hexi Corridor Wine Region
Gansu is a premier wine grape growing province, planting mostly common
varieties. Producers are mainly located in Hexi Corridor
There are eight key producers, including Zixuan, Mogao, Weilong, Qilian,
Guofeng, Huangtai and Dunhuang, makes 46,000 tons of wine per year
Mogao Winery
Mogao Caves with colorful Buddist
Art, Dunhuang
Ningxia Yinchuan Wine Production Region
Ningxia wine region: East Helan Mountain
Located in Helan Mountain East, it is Yellow River
alluvial plain and flood plain from the mountains. There
are 200,000 acres lands suitable for wine grapes
Wine grapes: ~ 30,000 acres
Wine production:~ 50,000 tons
Ningxia
There is increasing consensus in the wine industry
that Ningxia is the place to go for top-quality
Chinese wines
The government ambitious plan is to plant 1
million mu (67,000 hectares) of vineyards in the
Helan Mountain East appellation , building 100
estate wineries in the region by the year of 2020
However, some industry commentators are
worried that this is ‘too much too soon’, due in
part to the general lack of water in the infertile
area, and the general slowing down of the growth
in the Chinese wine market.
Ningxia Beats Bordeaux. Or Does It?
In a blind taste test held in Beijing, a group of 10 experts, half
Chinese and half French, compared wines from China’s remote
inland province of Ningxia with those from France’s famed
Bordeaux region. The judges sipped and swished five wines from
each region for nearly an hour before reaching a verdict: Ningxia
dominated.
Of the top five favored wines, four were from Ningxia, an arid,
landlocked region where some of China’s best wines are emerging.
The top-ranking one was the 2009 Chairman’s Reserve from
China’s Grace winery, a Cabernet Sauvignon with a bold, oaky
flavor. Its retail price is between 450 to 500 yuan, or roughly $70 to
$80. The only Bordeaux was a 2009 Saga Medoc from the Barons
de Rothschild Collection, a lighter, fruitier red
Ningxia Beats Bordeaux. Or Does It?
Agence France-Presse/Getty Images Philip Osenton
samples a glass ahead of the tasting in Beijing.
Loess Plateau
 Part of Shannxi and Shanxi Prov
 There are about 3,400 acres wine
grapes in Shanxi province,
 Total annual wine production is about 6,000 tons.
 Top wineries: 1) Grace(2000 tons); 2) Rongzi (1500 tons); 3)
Geruite(800 tons)
Chateau of Grace
Vineyards in Shanxi
Chateau of Shanxi Rongzi
Large Bohai Bay Region
 An important wine production region
which is accounted for over half of total
wine output of China
 All big four wine companies have their
main operation in this region
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• Bohai BayArea (Hebei and Tianjin)

Semi-arid region;

Rainfall mainly in summer-autumn and rarely in winter-spring;

Annual effective accumulated temperature is 3000 to 3500 oC;

Annual sunshine is 2600 to 2800 hours
Large Changli Region
Centered in Changli County,Located in Northeast
of Hebei Province , Costal areas of the Bohai Bay
Changli(Include Luning, Funing Counties)
• Wine Grape
11,000 acres, produce 98,000 tons of grapes
Red 97%, White 3%
C.S.
• Varieties: C.S.93%,Cabernet Franc 1%,
Marselan 1%, ‘Yan73’ 1%, Chardonnay 3%,
Others 1%
• Annual Wine Production 40,000 tons
‘Marselan’
• There are 53 wineries in this region
‘Yan73’
Changli Wine Production Area
Great Wall Wine Company
Tianjin wine region
Dynasty Wine Company
Huizhuo Basin Wine Region
Huizhuo Basin Wine Region
Wine grapes: 15,000 acres
Wine production: 50,000 t
Huilai
Zhuolu
Yan mountain in the North、Taihen Maintai in the south,
a“V”shape valley (basin), with a “Sanyang”river
flow through the middle, North – south = 30 Kilometer
wide,and east – west about 100 Kilometer in length
Huai – Zhu Regions
 Huailai, Zhulu and Xuanhua Counties
 North of Great Wall, cool climate
Long History of Table
Grape Production
Great Wall
长城桑干酒庄
Chateau of Rongchen
China – French Demonstration Winery
Wine Grape Production in Shandong Province
(Jiaodong Peninsula)
Jiaodong Peninsula
Penglai
Trellising Systems in Yantai Area
No need burying in the winter
Too much rainfall in the summer
History of Jiaodong Wine Grape Production
 Yantai is the original place for modern wine production
in China
 In 1892, Mr. Chang brought in 120 varieties from Europe
and established the Changyu Wine Company, which is
the largest wine producer in China today
 There are more than 50 wineries in Yantai area, which
used to produce ¼ Chinese wine
Changyu Pioneer Wine Co Ltd, China's oldest and largest winemaker,
announced recently it will undergo a massive expansion of its existing
\vineyards and build another 20 high-end chateaus across the world's
top grape-growing regions in the next five years.
Chateau Changyu-Castel, China's first
chateau built according to
international standards, was
established in 2002 in Yantai,
Shandong province.
The Changyu Kely Estate of New Zealand
was built in 2006 to increase sales of its highend wines overseas
Northeast Wine Region
Wine grapes:~20,000 acres
Varieties:V. amurensis and hybrids
Produce:Amurensis and
hybrid wine, ice wine
Jilin
Tonghua
Wine produced in the Northeast using V. amurensis and V-A hybrids
V. Amurensis
and hybrids
Zuoshanyi
Zuoshaner
Shuangqing
Shuangyou
Shuangfeng
Southwest Wine Region
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 A high altitude and low latitude region; The average elevation
of vineyard is over 1500 m.
 Annual wine production is about 70 kilo-tons.
 Combination of plateau climate and dry valley climate
characteristics
 No need burial in winter.
V. quinquagularis
5,000 Acres of wild clone selections
are planted
Interspecific hybrids
1. The grape wine production in China
The wine grape being planted: acreage and varieties
The challenge of Wine Grape Production in China
The major wine regions in China
The styles of wines being made in China
2. wine distributing and consuming in China;
The importance and factors influencing grape wine
consumption in China;
Imported vs domestic wine consumed in China;
3. The future of grape wine production and consumption
Most Chinese wineries have been built according to French style
and the wines are made using the French methods
Wines are made with either single variety or mixed ones (blend)
Dry Red: 80%,
Dry white ~ 10%
Others: ~ 10% (semi – dry , sweet, ice wine)
French Oak barrels are commonly used for aging
Some old Bordeaux Varieties are doing well and getting popular
in China (e.g. Carmenere, Mashelan, Petit Verdot)
Several minor French varieties are getting popular in China
Petit Verdot
Petit Verdot is a variety of red wine grape,
principally used in classic Bordeaux
blends. It ripens much later than the
other varieties in Bordeaux
Marselan
A red French wine grape variety
that is a cross between Cabernet
Sauvignon and Grenache.
It was announced that for the first time in the
history of the Decanter World Wine Awards a
Chinese wine won at the highest level. The wine was
the Winery He Lan Qing Xue’s Jia Bei Lan 2009
What is “蛇龙珠”?
DNA finger printing revealed that “蛇龙珠”is a
Bordeaux variety ‘Carmenère’, the same one that has
also been widely planted in Chile
( 14 Sep 2012 by Jancis Robinson
http://www.jancisrobinson.com/)
The Carménère grape is a wine grape variety originally
planted in the Médoc region of Bordeaux, France,
where it was used to produce deep red wines and
occasionally used for blending purposes in the same
manner as Petit Verdot.
Wine bottles are placed inside beautiful boxes
Grape Wine Distribution and Consumption in China
Where can someone buy wines?
Most of the medium to larger restaurants will sell wine by
the bottle
Small retail outlets
Specialty wine shops
Major supermarkets
Online sell is getting more and more popular
Wine Consumption in China
China, drinking 181 million cases of wine in 2013, is the fifth
largest wine- consumed country in the world, behind US,
France, Italy and the U.K
And most of them (155 million cases,1.87 billion bottles) are dry
red, more than France’s 150 million and Italy’s 141 million, as
the world’s largest consumer of red wine
However, on a per capita basis, wine consumption in China
remains far lower than the others. E.g. China drank 1.5 liters per
person in 2013, far less than the 51.9-liter average in France
Domestic vs imported wine
The vast majority of wine consumed in China – 83%, is produced
domestically.
The country is now the world’s sixth-largest wine producer, with
Shandong, Hebei, Xinjiang and Ningxia provinces developing as
the country’s main areas for viticulture.
The Chinese market for imported wine is worth some $1.6bn a
year, according to the UN’s Comtrade database.
Wine volume (million litres)
Wine imported and exported volume in China
500
400
300
388.14
Import
Export
0
368.14
283.34
171.22
163.17
147.00
200
100
361.62
114.65
41.17
53.05
43.75
30.03
2.08 1.77 1.96 2.50 3.73 9.13 5.03 1.40 1.36 1.82 1.92 1.82
02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13
20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20
(Data from China Customs)
Wine production in China is far from enough to satisfy domestic demand. In
2013, the production was about 1.17 billion litres, and the consumption
added up to 1.3 billion litres.
A winery is being built
In China by
Château Lafite
The consumers
There are now 19m drinkers of imported wine in China’s major
urban areas alone, according to data from specialist research
firm Wine Intelligence. That’s more than the entire population
of the Netherlands.
China’s fixation on wine remains squarely focused on one
type: red. Chinese drinkers have long believed red wine aids
their health, and also associate it with good fortune since red
is considered a lucky color.
In recent years, red wine has emerged as a popular alternative
to baijiu
Who are the wine consumers?
Two main types of Chinese buyer. “The first is the traditional consumer,
who is purchasing very high end / expensive wine, especially foreign wine
for show face,”
These consumers have historically dominated the market and still account
for the lion’s share of spending on imported wine – nearly half. They often
choose well-known French bottles such as top-end Bordeaux…
Who are the wine consumers?
The second category that is really driving import growth volumes – the
emerging young middle class. They’re 20 to 30-somethings and are
starting to feel their way into wine because it’s part of being an
international, modern Chinese person.”
A quarter of all Chinese imported wine drinkers now fall into this
category. They choose cheaper bottles and are more adventurous about
origin, branching out into Italian and Spanish brands but also developing a
taste for New World products. As a result, Australian wines are now the
second-biggest imports by volume.
Wine consumed in China is still small portion of
total alcohol consumption in China
The economic value reaches about 40+ billion (RMB).
However it is just about equivalent to one large
Chinese liquor (Bai Jiu) producer
Chinese people enjoy drinking Chinese liquor, and
drinking plays an important part in Chinese social
events
Wine still small
portion of overall
alcohol consumption
in China
The Future
The wine market is getting more mature, and the consumer
base has been established, will continue to grow
Domestic production and importation will co-exist
Wine other than dry red will be expanded
The domestic wine production will continue facing the
challenge of natural climate conditions (Continental
Monsoon Climate): cold and dry winter, and hot and wet
summer
Driven by consumers, the grape wine industry will pay
more attention to quality rather than quantity, which
means small chateau style production will be increased
Great Wall
Great Wall
Wine of Sangen Chateau (Great Wall) was served in the “National Banquet”
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