Inside the biggest winery in China

When it comes to wine, China doesn’t have the greatest of reputations.

As consumers, it wasn’t that long ago that many Chinese considered Coca-Cola to be a suitable mixer for red wine. And the reputation of wine being produced in the country has been hindered by counterfeit scandals, as well as barrel-loads of low-quality (to some, undrinkable) plonk being made.

However, in recent years, the Chinese wine market has seen a significant shift in both the consumer and producer. The Chinese middle and upper class is an increasingly massive consumer of fine wine from the world over (this year it was reported that an anonymous bidder dropped half a million US dollars on cases of Chateau Lafite). And on the production side, there’s an increasing (yet relatively niche) buzz growing about a handful of northern wineries that are starting to produce bouquets worthy of the international market.

Grace Vineyard, based just outside the Shanxi province capital, Taiyuan, is one of those vineyards hoping that, in the not too distant future, the French will be spending their euros on bottles of wine from China’s northwest. Named ‘best winery’ 2012 by the Chinese edition of oenophile bible La Revue du Vin de France, the family-owned vineyard in Taigu has only been open for 15 years. Along with smaller operation Silver Heights in Ningxia, it remains one of the only internationally recognised Chinese vineyards. At May’s Decanter World Wine Awards, Grace won five of 18 medals awarded to Chinese wines, with particular distinction given to its Chairman’s Reserve and Deep Blue. Chinese wine may have a long way to go before it is mentioned in the same breath as bottles from Bordeaux or Napa Valley but Grace Vineyard is leading the charge.


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