- Title: CHINA: CHINA'S BURGEONING CHARDONNAY WINE PRODUCTION IN QINGDAO
- Date: 10th July 1994
- Summary: QINGDAO, CHINA (RECENT) 1. GVS QINGDAO COASTLINE AND BEACH (2 SHOTS) 0.07 2. GVS SPEED BOAT IN BAY, BOAT IN BAY WITH HOUSES ON SLOPE LEADING TO SHORELINE (2 SHOTS) 0.17 3. GV MOUNTAIN SLOPES 0.19 4. GV HOUSES 0.23 5. GVS VINEYARDS (2 SHOTS) 0.31 6. MV HUADONG WINERY SIGN 0.35 7. GV WINE ESTATE'S MAIN BUILDINGS 0.38 8. MV ROW OF GRAPE VINES 0.42 9. MVS/CUS WORKERS TENDING VINES (5 SHOTS) 1.02 10. MV LIN KE QIANG, GENERAL MANAGER, HUADONG WINERY INSPECTING VINES 1.05 11. CU LIN SAYING "WE SELL WINES IN HOLLAND, ENGLAND AND FRANCE. ALL THESE COUNTRIES BUY OUR PRODUCT." (MANDARIN) 1.14 12. MV GROUP SEATED AT TABLE WITH BOTTLES OF WINE 1.17 13. CU FRAMED CERTIFICATES ON WALL 1.19 14. CU BOTTLES OF HUANDONG WINE 1.22 18. CU WU LIZHU, WINE MAKER FOR HUANDONG WINERY, SMELLING WINE 1.26 19. CU CHEMICAL WINE TESTING PROCESS (2 SHOTS) 1.31 20. CU/MV WU LOOKING ON AND ADJUSTING EQUIPMENT (2 SHOTS) 1.36 21. GVS INTERIOR WINE PRODUCTION ARE, WORKER CHECKING VATS (2 SHOTS) 1.43 22. CU WOODEN WINE BARRELS 1.44 23. CU SIGN ON BARREL STATING 1994 CABERNET 1.47 24. GV WU POINTING TO VATS 1.50 25. GV/CUS WINE BOTTLING PLANT, WORKERS PACKING BOXES OF WINE AND CHECKING LABELS (3 SHOTS) 2.00 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
- Embargoed: 25th July 1994 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: QINGDAO, CHINA
- City:
- Country: China
- Reuters ID: LVA94SGE4WUZIJGOGW1GT8T6KTTV
- Story Text: Qingdao, on China's east coast has a long history of links with Europe - it is a former German enclave where rich merchants lived and exported Chinese products around the world.
But while the city is famous for its German-style beers, a new product is attracting attention: Chardonnay wine.
The resort city, with one of the highest economic growth rates in China, is situated in a dry area with a meditarranean climate, well suited to wine-growing, believes Lin Ke Qiang, general manager of Huadong Winery.
Demonstrating the wine estate's success he points out that his product is now available in Holland, England and France.
Situated on the mountain slopes just inland from Qingdao, the winery was the brainchild of the late Michael Parry, an intrepid Englishman who opened the winery in 1985 as a joint venture with the state wine and spirits monopoly in Qingdao.
Parry put in 1 million U.S. dollars, built a red-roofed chateau, imported French crushers and German presses and flew in 40,000 vine cuttings from France.
The effort bankrupted him, and Hiram Walker Wines and Spirits Ltd of Britain eventually took over his 40 percent stake.
Treating visitors to a tasting, chief winemaker Wu Lizhu swirls Chardonnay around his glass with an expert flick of his wrist and hoists it aloft.
"A melon nose," he declares, inhaling deeply. "Oak matured.
Very well balanced." Wu speaks with authority: his Huadong Tsingtao Chardonnay is arguably the best wine in China, where yuppies have lately acquired a taste for what the Chinese call "grape liquor".
More and more restaurants keep a bottle or two of white wine in the fridge next to the beers.
And red wine has become popular at Chinese weddings, partly because it's a lucky colour.
Wu is the first to admit that when he joined the winery six years ago he didn't know his Muscadet from his Maotai -- China's fiery rice wine.
Now he's experimenting with Alicante, Grenache, Merlot, Cabernet and other varieties to add to the winery's staple of Chardonnay, Riesling and Gamay.
Last year the winery produced 100,000 cases.
And its 1993 Chardonnay made from grapes plucked from the Nine Dragon Slopes of the Laoshan mountains placed second in a field of 20 vintages in a recent blind tasting at Australia's famous Penfolds estate.
These days Huadong can't make enough to meet demand, and the market is getting crowded with exotic-sounding labels such as Dynasty, Dragon Seal and Great Wall.
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