China

Question 1

How long as China been making wine?

Answer 1

For over 1,000 years, only since late 20th century has western style wine been produced.

Huge potential and rapid expansion

Question 2

How much wine is produced in China?

Answer 2

More than 300,000 tons of grapes grown each year

Question 3

How much of Chinese wine is exported?

Answer 3

Only 1.1% the local market consumes the rest

Question 4

What are the four big wine brands in China?

Answer 4

Changyu
Great Wall
Dynasty
Great Dragon

Question 5

How much of the wine market do the top four brands make up in China?

Answer 5

Up to 60%

Question 6

What has been reduced in China?

Answer 6

The high tax on imported wines, now zero in Hong Kong

Question 7

What has been the impact of the high tax on imported wines being reduced in China? Now zero in Hong Kong?

Answer 7

Opening up to international markets

Question 8

What percentage of total alcohol consumption does wine account for in China?

Answer 8

Only 1%

Question 9

What is causing rapid market growth for wine in China?

Answer 9

Wealth and awareness of Western Culture particularly in big cities

Question 10

Which Chinese wine is one of the top five global best selling expressions?

Answer 10

China’s Changyu Noble Dragon made using Cabernet Gernischt grape

Question 11

What is the first dry red wine brand that is popular with both Chinese and foreign consumers?

Answer 11

Changyu Noble Dragon

It is sold in more than 5,000 stores in Europe including Sainsbury’s in the UK, Schneekloth wines stores in Germany, Soysuper in Spain, Delta Club in Russia and Rutishauser Barossa in Switzerland

Question 12

How much of China’s Cabernet Gernischt goes into making Noble Dragon?

Answer 12

As much as 70%

Question 12

What is China’s largest wine brand?

Answer 12

Noble Dragon, it was launched in 1931 and sells 30 million bottles globally every year

It was the first Chinese wine to be stocked by UK supermarkets Sainsbury’s and Waitrose

Question 13

What does Cabernet Gernischt mean?

Answer 13

It means ‘mixed Cabernet’ but has been genetically proven to be 99.99% Carménère

Question 14

What doubled in China between 1999-2004?

Answer 14

Domestic wine consumption, more than 90% satisfied by domestic production

Question 15

Which Asian country has emerged as a new global wine force in a short period of time?

Answer 15

China

With the fifth largest vineyard area and seventh largest wine production level in 2004

Question 16

What is the country with the world’s fifth largest vineyard area and seventh’s largest wine production level

Answer 16

China

Question 17

What is Rkatsiteli?

Answer 17

A Georgian wine grape varieties, one the most planted variety in the Soviet Union.

Known in China as Baiyu

An important source of neutral white wine in China

Fairly high acidity and good sugar level often used as a base for brandy

Question 18

What is Muscat Hamburg?

Answer 18

The lowest quality of the wine producing Muscat’s

Black skinned, far more common as a table grape

It produces a fair quantity of light grapey red throughout Eastern Europe and in China, crossed with the indigenous Vitis Amurensis it has spawned a generation of varieties adapted for wine production

Question 19

Where are most of China’s vineyards found?

Answer 19

Most of China’s 450,000 ha of vineyards are spread across provinces north of the Yangtze river

From the Xinjiang Uyger in the extreme north west

To the coastal regions of Hebei, Shandong, Henan and Tiajan

And Liaoninh and Jilin in the North East

Question 20

What are the growing conditions in the coastal provinces of Shandong, Hebei and Tianjin?

Answer 20

They lie on the same latitude as California and are general amenable to wine production

Cool Pacific breezes moderate humidity levels and temperares range from 3•C in Winter to 26•C in summer

Monsoons and typhoons that can sweep in from the South China Sea can prove hazardous, although monsoon wind rapidly aerate vines

Springs are generally dry, but summers and Autumns can be muggy and wet promoting fungal diseases and rot

Question 21

What promotes fungal diseases and rot in Chinese’s coastal provinces of Shandong, Hebei and Tianjin?

Answer 21

Muggy and wet summers and autumns promote fungal diseases and rot

Question 22

What moderates humidity levels and temperatures in Chinese coastal provinces of Shandong, Hebei and Tianjin?

Answer 22

Cool Pacific breezes

Question 23

What are average temperature in winter and summer in China’s Coastal provinces of Shandong, Hebei and Tianjin?

Answer 23

Average temperatures in winter are 3•C

Average temperatures in Summer are 26•C

Question 24

What Eastern winemaking region is on the same latitude of California?

Answer 24

The coast provinces of Shandong, Hebei and Tianjin in China

Question 25

Where in China a more suitable climate for advanced viticulture with cooler inland temperatures?

Answer 25

The centre of the Shandong peninsula at Pingdu. Here the Dazashen mountains have south east and south west facing slopes with decomposed granite overlying limestone, the soil is low in nutrients with free draining soil.

Question 26

Why is Pingdu in the centre of China’s Shandong peninsula considered a good region for viticulture?

Answer 26

It has a cool climate due to altitude The Dazashen mountains have south east and south west facing slopes with decomposed granite overlying limestone The soil is low in nutrients with free draining soil.

Question 27

Which vineyard region in China has seen the most expansion since the late 1990s?

Answer 27

Xinjiang around the provincial capital Urumqi Natural rainfall is low but vineyards tap the huge alpine water resource from the perennially snow capped Tien Shan (Heavenly Mountains), through natural river systems and man made canals. The soils are sandy loam over granite substructures The region is relatively disease free and only requires minimum spraying Like most Chinese interior regions it needs winter protection

Question 28

What is Winter Protection?

Answer 28

A cumbersome labour intensive viticultural technique aimed at protecting vines in cold continental climates against the affects of winter freeze Vines are buried in autumn to benefit from the fact that winter temperatures below the soil surfaces are never more than a few • C below freezing, whereas air temperatures can be more than 20-30• colder Burying vines is labour intensive and expensive Only in Russia, Ukraine and China where labour is abundant and cheap is it considered viable Although severe winters in Upper New York has caused it to reconsider Vines are regained with several trunks so that those killed in winter can be easily replaced The procedure has been modified so that only those few canes to be used for fruiting the following year are buried

Question 29

What sparked the influx of foreign investment in Chinese wines?

Answer 29

China opening up to the outside world Several moves were made to allow foreign investors to install a modern wine industry in north east China. Rémy Martin set up the first Joint Venture winery in China in 1980 - Dynasty one of the four biggest wine corporations today Pernod Ricard set up Dragon Seal winery in 1987 All ventures relied on European Vinifera vines and foreign Oenologists to produce the first Western style grape wines in China. State wineries Chang Yu and Quingdao followed their lead

Question 30

What motivated the Chinese government to encourage the replacement of cereal based Spirits with fruit based wines in the 1990s?

Answer 30

Health concerns - official recommendation of red wine to reduce risk of cardiovascular disease sparked a wine boom through China And an acute grain shortage

Question 31

What sparked a wine boom in China in the mid-late 1990s?

Answer 31

Official government advice re the health benefits of red wine, to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease Thousand of cases of red wine were shipped in Millions of litres of wine were shipped in bulk for local bottling Distillers of traditional cereal based wine spirits adapted their plants to make or bottle wine More than 100 new wineries opened between 1996 and 2004

Question 32

Who introduced widespread plantings of Muscat Hamburg and Rkatsiteli in China?

Answer 32

Russians

Question 33

What is China’s most popular European Grape variety?

Answer 33

Cabernet Sauvignon it accounts for 40% of Vinifera vines With Merlot and Cabernet Franc about 10% each Of the white varieties Riesling and Welschriesling dominated with 40% and Chardonnay is increasing popular (20% of white Vinifera production)

Question 34

Has Phylloxera hit China?

Answer 34

China has not had any widespread problems with Phylloxera and the majority of vines are ungrafted in China

Question 35

What is the humidity level in China?

Answer 35

Often over 85%

Question 36

What encourages many vine diseases in China?

Answer 36

Strong summer rains Humidity levels over 85% Typically dense canopies

Question 37

What vine diseases are common in China?

Answer 37

``` Anthracnose Powdery Mildew Downy Mildew Dead Arm White rot Bitter rot ```

Question 38

Why is all vineyard work done manually in China?

Answer 38

Due to a cheap and plentiful workforce

Question 39

Why has grape supply been an issue in China?

Answer 39

Because grapes are grown on intensively subdivided land, individual farmers may work in less than an acre each They can choose their own crop and may prefer less viticulturally risky table grapes Traditional fan trellis system, excessive yields, heavy summer irrigation, peanut cover crops, early picking to avoid rot and grape prices determined by weight alone are typical issues

Question 40

Where is Domaines Baron de Rothschild’s Chinese wine estate?

Answer 40

Shandong

Question 41

What has led to grapes arriving at Chinese wineries underripe?

Answer 41

Insufficient rewards to growers for waiting until full ripeness Tendency to pick early to avoid rot

Question 42

What two grapes will make up Domaines Baron de Rothschild’s inaugural vintage in China?

Answer 42

Cabernet Sauvignon & Marselan