With the economic development brought about by opening up to the outside world, China has ushered in a consumption upgrade, and although wine is not a necessity for Chinese people, it has also ushered in a big era of consumption. Usually, most of the wines we discuss and buy are foreign countries, in fact, not only wine is produced in China, but also has a long history of winemaking. Today, Wine Encyclopedia takes you to understand the brief history of the development of Chinese wine.
The origin of Chinese wine
Regarding the history of wine, the earliest written record is during the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, according to Sima Qian's "Records of History", in 138 BC, the Han Dynasty envoy Zhang Qian went to the Western Regions (that is, Xinjiang), see "Wan around pu pottery as wine, the rich people hid wine to more than 10,000 stones, and the long-term undefeated tens of years old." (The townspeople made wine from clay pots, and the rich stored tens of thousands of kilograms.) The longest preserved can be decades without bad. ）
The viticulture and winemaking techniques of the Westerners were first acquired from the Persians. Zhang Qian introduced grapes from the Western Regions and wine-making technology to the Central Plains, which promoted the development of viticulture and winemaking technology in the Central Plains. Wine became a treasure enjoyed by relatives of the emperor and the state at that time. However, since grapes are seasonal and cannot be kept fresh for a long time compared to wines made from grains, grapes were not widely used in the Han Dynasty. The development of wine gradually withered with the decline of the Han Dynasty, and it was not until the Wei and Jin Dynasties and the Southern and Northern Dynasties that it was redeveloped.
Zhang Qian went on a mission to the Western Regions
Foreign trade of the Tang Dynasty increased the interaction between Chinese and foreign cultures, and during this period, wine became a precious commodity in the Central Plains, and there were liquor stores selling Western wine in the capital Chang'an. The unprecedented prosperity of the Sheng Tang economy has effectively promoted the development of wine. Winemaking has begun from the court to the folk, there is also a great influence in the interior, from Gaochang viticulture and winemaking methods in the Tang Dynasty may have continued a long historical period, so that in many verses of the Tang Dynasty, the name of wine appeared repeatedly, such as "grape wine luminous cup, want to drink pipa immediately urge" (Wang Han "Liangzhou word") and other popular verses are still circulated to this day.
The Yuan and Ming dynasties reached the peak of wine
During the Yuan Dynasty, Mongolian rulers liked to drink alcohol, and ordered the opening of wine gardens in Taiyuan and Nanjing, and even built a special wine cellar in the imperial palace to store fine wine. In the Yuan Dynasty, the wine industry began to scale During this period, a large number of wines were already sold on the market.
The Ming Dynasty was a new period of great development of the winemaking industry, and the varieties and output of wine greatly exceeded those of the previous dynasty. Although the Ming Dynasty also had a prohibition on alcohol, it was generally allowed to sell private brewing privately, and the government directly levied taxes on brewers and liquor stores. In the Ming Dynasty Li Shizhen's "Compendium of Materia Medica", three methods of winemaking were recorded. The first method is the simplest, fermenting with grape juice without koji. The second is grape juice with koji, which is made like glutinous rice fermentation, and raisins without grape juice. The third method is the grape shochu method, which uses tens of kilograms of grapes, steams them in a large pot with starter culture, and then uses a container to collect the dripping liquor. It's just that the wine made by these methods is certainly not a wine in the modern sense.
China imported wine from the West
In 1892, in order to realize the dream of "industrial rejuvenation", Mr. Zhang Bishi, a famous patriotic overseas Chinese industrialist, invested 3 million taels of silver to establish the "Zhangyu Brewing Company" in Yantai, and the prelude to China's wine industrialization began.
China then imported a number of wine grape varieties and a wide variety of winemaking equipment from Europe, and hired foreign wine experts. Drawing on the viticulture and winemaking techniques of European wineries, China began to produce brandy, red and white wines. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, China imported a number of wine grape varieties from Bulgaria, Hungary and the Soviet Union and cultivated them intensively in China.
Current status of wine production
Today, vineyards and grape production sites are spread across the country, and wineries are growing by leaps and bounds. In 1975, the North China Viticulture Technical Cooperation Conference decided to produce wine in Shacheng, Hebei Province. Given the international market and local resources, the development of dry white wines has become a top priority. In 1979, China sent its first wine delegation to the International Grape and Wine Organization (OW), the first outreach event of the Chinese wine industry.
In 1998, China published the Chinese edition of the OIV Winemaking Standard, the International Code of Winemaking Practice. Although China has not yet joined the OIV, nearly two-thirds of the Chinese wine marks mark the OIV-compliant winemaking practice on their product packaging and promotion. In 2001, China's wine production, sales, profits and taxes exceeded that of spirits for the first time. With the rapid expansion of China's wine market, from the Coast of the Bohai Sea and the Yellow Sea in the east to Xinjiang in the west, wineries and winemaking facilities have sprung up across the country. Among the many Chinese wine brands, the most popular and famous are Zhangyu wine and Great Wall wine.
Major appellations and well-known wineries
China is vast and the grape-growing region has a variety of climatic topography. Since the 21st century, China's grape cultivation area has been expanding, and the variety has become more and more abundant. China's grape growing region is relatively scattered, mainly can be divided into 8 major appellations: Shandong Peninsula appellation, Hebei appellation, Ningxia Helan Shandong Lu appellation, Xinjiang appellation, Yunnan appellation, northeast appellation, Shanxi Qingxu appellation and Gansu Wuwei appellation, the following brief introduction of several appellations and local well-known wineries.
1. Shandong Peninsula production area
China's largest wine-producing region is the Shandong Peninsula region, accounting for 40% of the country's production. The latitude of Yantai and Penglai is the same as bordeaux, and the climate also has certain similarities, both are close to the sea, which belongs to the typical oceanic climate, and the winter is relatively warm. But on the Shandong Peninsula, the grape growing season faces monsoons and high rainfall, and there is a risk of mold disease in late summer and early autumn. The main varieties here are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Dragon Ball.
Well-known winery: Zhangyu Brewing Company
In 1892, Zhang Bishi founded the Zhangyu Winemaking Company in Yantai, Shandong Province, and China ushered in the industrial production of wine. In 1905, Zhang Yu built the largest underground wine cellar in Asia at that time, and officially opened in 1914. What really made Chinese wines internationally famous was the 1915 Panama International Exposition. At this expo, ZhangYu products won four gold medals in one fell swoop, which was the first time that Chinese wines won the grand prize at an international exhibition.
The founder of Zhangyu is committed to the integration of Chinese and Western winemaking techniques, introducing excellent grape varieties from abroad, transplanting them to Chinese mountain grapes, introducing and successfully cultivating the excellent grape variety Cabernet Gernischt, which is still the only wine grape variety in China that has been internationally recognized. After more than 100 years of development, Zhangyu Wine has developed into the largest wine producer in China and even Asia, and its products are sold to more than 20 countries and regions around the world.
2. Eastern foothills of Helan Mountain, Ningxia
The eastern foothills of Helan Mountain in Ningxia are the second largest wine region in China and are also the gathering places of fine wineries in China. The Ningxia appellation is also dominated by Bordeaux grape varieties, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Dragon Ball. Although Ningxia also has large-scale such as Xige Winery, it is also a place where small boutique wineries gather. Wine guru Jancis Robinson once said: "The future of Chinese wine is in Ningxia." ”
Well-known winery: West Pigeon Winery
Founded in 2017, although it has been established for less than 4 years, West Pigeon Winery has entered the vision of the world's major mainstream media and wine critics, won countless high-scoring gold awards, and become one of the well-deserved "bellwethers" of China's boutique wineries.
In 2020, the West Pigeon Winery Helan Red Old Vines Collection N.50 received a super high rating of 17 points from the Jancis Robinson team, which is one of the highest ratings ningxia wines currently receive in the JR system.
In December 2020, Parker's team tasted and scored 112 domestic wines, and West Pigeon Château's Dry Red 2017 vintage scored 94 points, making it one of the highest scoring wines. Of the 9 wines listed at West Pigeon Winery, 7 have a rating of over 90.
Five products from West Pigeon Winery in 2021 received more than 90 points from James Suckling's wine critic team, with Jade Pigeon Single Garden Snake Dragon Ball 2018 receiving a high score of 93 points.
In March 2021, in the WLA World Wine Competition, West Pigeon Winery Single Garden Snake Dragon Ball won the highest score of 95 points on the spot, and was named "China's Top Ten Best Wines"
In July 2021, "Beautiful China" published the article "The Best Wineries in Ningxia", and West Pigeon and four other companies were selected.
As a boutique winery, West Pigeon Winery has created a number of firsts, it is the first boutique winery in China to use the vineyard intelligent agricultural control system, and the first Chinese winery to pass the world's highest standard "BRC International Quality Certification".
3. Hebei production area
The Hebei region is the third largest wine region in China, with 13,000 hectares of vineyards, home to one of the country's largest producers, the Great Wall. The Huailai appellation includes the three counties of Xuanhua, Zhuolu and Huailai in Hebei, which are located in the hilly area north of the Great Wall and northwest of Beijing, which belongs to the inland, and the best vineyards are at higher altitudes. The whole growing season has a dry climate, a large temperature difference between day and night, little rainfall, and the soil is a brown soil with a high sand content, which is very suitable for grape growth. Varieties are mainly Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah.
Well-known winery: Great Wall Sanggan Winery
In 1979, the Great Wall Sanggan Winery was established in Shacheng Town, Hebei Province, known as the "Wine Capital of China", which is a national-level wine research base selected by the five ministries and commissions of the state, and the birthplace of China's first bottle of dry white wine. At present, the wine produced by the Great Wall has many varieties such as dry red, dry white, and sparkling wine. Its products are sold throughout the country and exported to more than 20 countries and regions around the world.
The Great Wall Sanggan Winery is named after the famous Sanggan River, which is also known as the "winery on the dragon vein" because it is in the same vein as the central axis of the Forbidden City. Great Wall Sanggan Winery has been serving as China's highest state banquet for 30 years, and the winery has invited Michel Roland as chief winemaking consultant.
4. Yunnan production area
The Yunnan appellation is known as the Argentine plateau of China. The Shangri-La Mountains in Yunnan are 2,600 meters above sea level, offsetting the effects of latitude. The wine grapes here are also special, with rose nectar and French wilds nearly extinct in Europe, but were preserved in the second half of the 19th century when they were brought to China by French missionaries. Shangri-La's high terrain and huge differences in soil and climate types make it possible to produce different types of wines.
Well-known winery: Tashi Winery
Tashi Winery is a Tibetan-style winery located on the throat of the "Tea Horse Ancient Road" from northwest Yunnan into Tibet or Sichuan - the town of Benzilan in Deqin County. The tashi walnut tree winery has its name closely related to the 700-year-old walnut tree at the entrance. In Tibetan, "Za" is beautiful; "Xi" is the perfect result of goodness. "All things are spiritual, and we use our hands to transmit and connect the energy of nature". The winery has been established for less than 3 years and the entire wine team consists of only 3 people.
At the 2019 WLA World Wine Grand Prix, Tashi's Aged Dried Red received a high score of 92 points, which was tied with the domestic wine top representatives "Que Song of the Silver Highland", "The Pony of canaanite Land" and "Snake Dragon Ball of the West Pigeon". Grand Tashi Cabernet Sauvignon Dried Red also won the "Annual Cabernet Sauvignon Gold Award", in this competition, the winemaker Quan Shiping was also named "International Winemaker of the Year".