Wine produced in China received an initial boost when prestigious French names brought their expertise and financial clout to the table 40 years ago. Since those early days, winemaking in the mainland has grown considerably; it is now noted for its variety and, increasingly, its quality. 

Crucial backing

Just Wong, Executive Director of Beverage Operations at Wynn Macau, attributes the remarkable growth of the Chinese wine industry over the past decade to central government investment in the major wine regions in the late 1990s. He also highlights an upshot of professional expertise over recent years, such as at universities, enabling new generations of wine-industry professionals with easier access to information, knowledge and expertise. “The market primarily targets mainland Chinese consumers who are adventurous and open to try new products, including a younger consumer group,” he says. 

Award Wynners

Last year, the luxury Macau hotel hosted the inaugural Wynn Signature Chinese Wine Awards, which served as a platform for wine experts from various regions in China to collaborate, exchange knowledge and promote Chinese wines on a larger international stage. Fei Tswei Marselan Reserve 2021 from Ningxia was the competition’s brightest star, garnering the Best Wine of China Trophy. Its quality so impressed during rigorous judging that it was also awarded the titles of Best Red Wine, Best Marselan and Best of Ningxia. 

Xige Estate N28 Chardonnay 2021, also from Ningxia, won two trophies, Best White Wine and Best Value Wine, while Domaine Franco-Chinois Petit Manseng 2018 from Hebei was hailed as Best Sweet Wine, Best Petit Manseng and Best of North China.

Bettering the French

According to Master of Wine Richard Hemming, the quality of wine in China is clearly improving, especially at the top end of the market. “This is thanks to significant investment, plus the increasing experience of producers,” he says. “With every vintage, they are learning more about what works best for their terroir.” 

Like the vast majority of the so-called New World wines, most of the best wines from China are produced according to classic European techniques. “I’ve been in blind tastings where Chinese wines have beaten established French classics, so there is no question that the excellence is already there,” states Hemming, who also serves as Head of Wine for Asia at 67 Pall Mall, a group of private members’ clubs exclusively for wine lovers. This uplift in the quality of Chinese output comes at a time when global wine output is falling and competitive pressures are intensifying – market dynamics which could affect the growth of the industry. “I think growth will continue but at a slower rate,” opines the Singapore-based MW. “Around the world, consumption is falling and global trade outlooks are uncertain, so there is understandable caution about investing in wine production. Even so, the individual passions of producers will ensure that new, exciting wines continue to emerge from China.”

Pick of the crop

Given that so many Chinese growers are making great wines in numerous different styles, Hemming does not have a single favourite wine from the country. “I’ve tasted more wine from Ningxia than anywhere else, which shows that quality can be achieved in everything from classic bottle-fermented sparkling to expressive Pinot Noir to powerful Bordeaux blends,” he says. The superb wines of Ao Yun and Célèbre underscore Yunnan’s reputation as a region of great potential. “The former combines forthright black fruit with impressive earthy complexity as it ages, while the latter offers an orchard-full of fruit as well as a gastronomic chalkiness that bears comparison with some of the best of Burgundy,” says Hemming.