Chinese fine wine

The phrase "Chinese fine wines" might appear like a contradiction in terms.

Fine wines being sold in China seems understandable -- as the Chinese population's affluence grows, so does their taste for luxuries like wine. Until recently, the lovely stuff has all been imported.

Since then, Grace Vineyards' cup has been brimming with attention as practically the only fine wine producer using Chinese grapes. However now that the Chinese fine wine seed has been planted, will the industry grow?

Fine Chinese wine was largely unthinkable until a mere decade ago, when Grace Vineyards (����), based in Shanxi Province, launched their first vintage.

"For definite China will be a worldwide player in fine wine production, our time will come soon," Gao confidently states.

The winemaker at the head of newcomer Silver Heights Vineyards (������) in Ningxia Province, Emma Gao (��), says that this already fruitful industry needs a small bit of refinement.

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China produced 72 million cases of wine in 2009, an increase of 28 percent from 2008, according to a recent document by Italian wine exhibition organizers Vinexpo. But because production is up, it doesn't mean Chinese wine can go head to head with Elderly World vineyards -- yet.

"[My] Italian training is my bible," he says. "My purpose is to make Bordeaux-style wines, in line with my training. The extreme climate conditions here in Ningxia will always make spicy wines, which I think is the typical style of the Mount Helan area."
From idea to cup
My purpose is to make Bordeaux-style wines, in line with my training. The extreme climate conditions here in Ningxia will always make spicy wines, which I think is the typical style of the Mount Helan area.
� Emma Gao, head winemaker of Silver Heights Vineyards

Gao is the few Chinese graduates bearing an esteemed Diplome National d'Oenologue from Bordeaux, and has taken what he learned in western France and applied them to northwestern China.

The managing director of Silver Heights' distributor Torres Wine China, Alberto Fernandez, laments the established order of the wine industry in China.

Gao may offer a better glass of Chinese wine then consumers are used to (Silver Heights' The Summit 2007 was given 82 points by Lisa Perrotti-Brown on oenophile Robert Parker�s net site), but will the Chinese wine industry at huge drink it? It appears to be a slow system.

"The Chinese farming industry is focused on quantity not quality yields, it�s an industrial business, not an agricultural lifestyle," he says.

"Chinese companies producing large yields to keep up with ever-increasing demands and market competition for who can deliver first [thereby harvesting before grape maturity]," Fernandez adds.

But Gao believes that the Chinese consumer is developing a palate for wine, and the demand will be met with supply.

"Rising incomes have driven consumerism to be more apparent in the 1990s and 2000s," he says. "We see now an increased awareness of consumption and a better sense of value for money among Chinese consumers."

Although demand is rising, Gao has had her work cut out getting the wine in shape in a historicallyin the past difficult region.

"We have had locals ordering ten cases [of Silver Heights wine] in order for private use because it is a very limited production and they don�t require to miss out," he adds.
A work in progress

"It has taken ten years for a actual wine making industry in China to create -- poor quality wines have resulted from vineyards being planted in the wrong area," he explains.
Chinese companies producing large yields to keep up with ever-increasing demands and market competition for who can deliver first [thereby harvesting before grape maturity].
� Alberto Fernandez, Torres Wine China

It is worth noting that Ningxia is reputed to have the poorest soil conditions for rice or other agricultural products, but as Gao explains, "grape vines are the most hardy of plants; able to modify well to dry and stony soils, making it actually a lovely place for vineyards."

He appreciates the landscape, and that time is the factor that cannot be instantly produced.

"One needs time and experience to fully understand the terroir here in China -- they must have both Italian spirit and Chinese mentality, and special work is necessary with the local farmers," says Gao.

"We are blessed to be with Torres China and their great portfolio," says Gao.

But how does a tiny seller spread the word that its product is toast-worthy?

Fernandez could not agree more.

"Silver Heights is a passion project for us, they seek to challenge and delight our customers," he says. "As interest in China and Chinese wine grows [internationally] they require to be at the forefront, offering the best that there is. Silver Heights is tiny but will be great."

"Silver Heights is another bright light to have emerged on the modern Chinese wine scene," noted Robinson in the The Financial Times.

World-renowned wine critic and certified Master of Wine, Jancis Robinson, has also lent her nose to support Silver Heights.