Not all China is associated with winemaking. Meanwhile, in recent years, Chinese wine producers have been able to achieve great success, and their French colleagues helped them in this.
In 2016, China poured 11.4 million hectoliters of wine, ranking sixth in the world in terms of production. And in terms of the amount of wine consumed, this country does occupy the fifth place, says The Conversation.
Chinese winemakers have already achieved a decent quality of grapes and have adapted to the rise in price of labor. However, now they face new challenges: the country's negative image in the eyes of consumers and the growing competition from foreign producers.
Because of the many scandals associated with the safety of products, and regular accusations of the theft of intellectual property, China's reputation turned out to be pretty damp. Simultaneously, bilateral trade agreements with Australia and Chile lifted many of the customs barriers and placed Chinese winemakers face to face with their more experienced and eminent competitors.
Unlike many industries (for example, the production of cars or computers), in winemaking there are no unique technologies. The quality of the wine depends on the grape itself and the climate in which it grows, and also to a large extent on the experience and diligence of the winemaker. And the most curious thing is that many foreign colleagues were not at all against sharing their experience with the Chinese.
One of the first Western alcohol companies, which established a joint venture with the Chinese, was the French Remy Martin. In 1980, the famous cognac house concluded an agreement with the authorities of the city of Tianjin, organizing production there and thus gaining access to the vast Chinese market. This is how Dynasty Winery was born - now one of the largest wine producers in China.
The partnership with Remy Martin and other Western companies has given China not only knowledge, but also a powerful plus to the reputation. Chinese wine lovers, previously skeptical of the products of local producers, began to change their point of view. And they had every reason to do so. If earlier a good local wine was the exception rather than the rule, but now, thanks to the help of European professionals, the quality of Chinese wine has grown significantly.
Having strengthened their positions in the mass segment, Chinese manufacturers took up premium. So, in 2013, the alliance of the French group LVMH and the state enterprise from the province of Ningxia began the release of the Chinese version of the famous champagne called Chandon China.
Chinese winemakers are beginning to develop and foreign markets. While the volume of wine exports from China is extremely small - in 2016 it was only $ 1.2 million (for comparison, from Argentina - $ 15 million, and from France - $ 3.2 billion). But now it can be bought in many European and American cities, which means that China has already won a well-deserved place on the wine world map.