Wine in China: New Chinese label part of push for home-grown production

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Europe

03:07

It's clear - China has a love of wine. While wine consumption is on the decline in Europe, it's soaring in China. Now, the country is trying to meet that demand domestically, and makes its mark as a wine producer. CGTN's Frances Kuo has more.

This area at the foot of the Himalayas is known for its high altitudes and impressive scenery and now, world-class wine.

It all started with Maxence Dulou of the French luxury wine firm Moet Hennessy.

For four years, he and his company searched far and wide in China for an ideal spot for cultivating a first class red grape.

They found it -- here in this remote area in China located in the middle of three rivers -- with moderate temperatures year-round.

MAXENCE DULOU ESTATE MANAGER "Each terroir needs to be treated differently, so this is indeed very complicated, it is unique to our terroir."

And thus, the Chinese label "Ao Yun" was born.

It churns out two-thousand cases a year -- of a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.

LI DEMEI CHINA ALCOHOLIC DRINKS ASSN. "Wine production worldwide is relatively in surplus. Therefore, creating new markets has become a strong desire of wine industries across the world."

Ao Yun is offering a new choice amid China's burgeoning demand for wine. By 2020, China is expected to become the world's second-largest wine consuming country by value - surpassing France and the United Kingdom and finishing just behind the united states.

ELLA ZHONG CO-FOUNDER, WSET APPROVED PROGRAM PROVIDER CHIC CHOC "In China, as people are becoming wealthier, they're focusing more on their spiritual happiness. They want more from life, and they know how to truly appreciate something, instead of just its price tag."

Ao Yun will have the challenge of convincing Chinese consumers to drink wine that's home-grown and sometimes criticized for being inconsistent.

According to research firm Euromonitor, while consumption of imported wine has grown, domestic wine sales plunged for a fifth straight year.

ZI LU WINE LOVER "I drink imported wine more often, because I like the taste of different soils of foreign countries."

MAXENCE DULOU ESTATE MANAGER "Indeed, there is a bad connotation to 'Made in China'. But everything we do, we do with passion to make the best wine possible, and I think that we are one of the companies that are revamping 'Made in China'."

But Ao Yun is making strides.

At 300 dollars a bottle, its wine is sold not just in China but around the world.

PAUL WONG SOMMELIER "A lot of our customers find this wine very interesting. After tasting it, they find that it differs a lot from other Chinese red wine."

FELIX HO SOMMELIER "It's been quite surprising to our customers, because when they tasted this bottle of wine, most of them thought it was a Bordeaux-side wine, but finally they found that the bottle is from China. All of them are quite excited, they are quite surprised by the quality of this bottle."

Putting this remote region on the map for even the most finicky wine connoisseurs. Frances Kuo, CGTN.