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 ——— — —— ———— — — — —— —— —— ———— — — — —— —— —— ———— — — — —— —— —— ———— — — — —— —— —— ———— — — — —— —— —— ———— — — — —— —— —— ———— — — — —— —— —— ———— — — — —— —— —— ———— — — — —— — ———— —— — — —— — — — — — — — — — — 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 ——— — —— ———— — — — —— —— —— ———— — — — —— —— —— ———— — — — —— —— —— ———— — — — —— —— —— ———— — — — —— —— —— ———— — — — —— —— —— ———— — — — —— —— —— ———— — — — —— —— —— ———— — — — —— — ———— —— — — —— — — — — — — — — — — 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 — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — • 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 — —— ——— — — — ——— — — — — — — — — — — —— — — — — ——— — — — — ——— — — —— ——— — — — —— — — — — ——— — — — — —— — — — — ——— — — — — ——— — — — — — — — — — — —— — — — — ——— — — — — —— — — — —— ——— — — — —— — — — — ——— — — — —— — — — 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” Thank you for your Attention!
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