The history of wine in China has been thousands of years. According to records, grape cultivation and wine production first began when Zhang Qian returned from the Western Regions in the Han Dynasty. It was further developed and promoted in the Tang Dynasty. With these accumulations, wine and wine culture reached its peak in the Yuan Dynasty. During the Ming Dynasty, winemaking industry in our country was greatly developed, which seriously threatened the status of wine. In the late Qing Dynasty, the development of wine finally improved a little. The patriotic overseas Chinese Zhang Bishi established Changyu Wine Company. This was also the beginning of the redevelopment of modern wine in my country. After liberation, in order to prevent wind and sand and increase people's income, the country planted a large number of grapes in the area along the old path of the Yellow River (Cao County, Shandong Province). In the late 1950s, a number of wineries were established, thus opening a new chapter in the development of Chinese wine. Now, China has developed into the sixth largest wine producer in the world.

Since 1978, the wine of China has experienced rapid development, both in terms of output, sales volume and quality, as well as Chinese people’s awareness of wine. In this stage of rapid development, there are inevitably many problems. The blind pursuit of output has resulted in the failure to produce a highly competitive brand. With the influx of foreign wines in the later period, the disadvantages of Chinese local wines gradually became highlighted. However, the dilemma of Chinese wine cannot be solved instantly. We must face our own problems honestly.

The rapid development of wine industry in China is attributed to the vast territory of Shenzhou, with a large span of north and south latitudes, and the diversity of terrain is also conducive to grape cultivation. Among the wine grapes widely planted in China, varieties of red grape are the main ones, accounting for about 79%. Cabernet Sauvignon ranks first with more than 23,000 hectares. The rest are Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir and Marselan. White grape varieties include Longan, Guirenxiang, Chardonnay, White Riesling, Ugni Blanc, etc.

Today, there are eight main wine producing areas in China, namely the Jiaodong Peninsula producing area, Changli, Huailai, Northeast, Ningxia, Xinjiang, Gansu Weiwu, Southwest producing area and Shanxi Qingdao producing area. Geographically, these eight major production areas can be roughly divided into three major areas: eastern, central and western. There are own own merits and characteristics in each of these three major wine-producing areas. Here we also sincerely hope that Chinese wine will do better and better.

Lydia Zhao POINT PLUME