Chinese Wine

The production of turning grape juice into Wine in the powerhouse of China dates back to at least the Han Dynasty which lasted from 206 BC to 220 AD, an imperial envoy led by Zhang Qian opened diplomatic relations with a number of Central Asian kingdoms, that at the time, did produce Wine from Grapes.

Further evidence points to the possibility that Winemaking dates back as far as 9,000 years in China (7000 BC), Scientists believe that the Chinese consumed fermented beverages during this time, it’s just not confirmed whether this was actually Wine.

The production methods for producing Wine in ancient China did vary, you could have fermented a mixture of molded and steam cooked grains in a container of water for multiple days together or you could have fermented steamed rice and germinated grain.

Those methods don’t include grapes, so that’s why we can’t confirm whether the evidence from 9000 years ago was wine or not.

China is home to around 450 wineries that produce over 1.2 billion litres of wine per year.

There are 12 main wine regions of China, including the following:

• Xinjiang
• Ningxia
• Shanxi
• Shandong
• Yunnan
• Hebei
• Liaoning
• Heilongjiang
• Tianjin
• Jilin
• Gansu
• Henan

Some of the grapes used in Chinese wine production:

• Cabernet Gernischt
• Vitis amurensis
• Welschriesling
• Vidal Blanc
• Marselan
• Merlot
• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Syrah
• Carménère
• Cabernet Franc
• Chardonnay
• Riesling