China’s premium wine industry fermenting a ‘buzz and energy’, and it’s ‘only going up’
- Chinese premium wineries are edging into the domestic market despite a limited presence at Vinexpo Asia in Hong Kong last week
- Premium wine sector in China has spawned several hundred operators over the past decade, with vineyard coverage the third largest in the world by area
The two brothers who run Qingdao Lilong Winery of China quietly served samples of their bubbly Sancaro brand to a trickle of people in a corner of the vast Vinexpo Asia in Hong Kong last week, tucked behind festive and crowded displays from Australia, France and California.
Overall, just 10 of the 1,030 producers and distillers who exhibited over the three days at the end of May came from mainland China.
But Lilong has built a following in China for its sparkling wines since 2012, hitting a peak in 2020 with 30 million bottles sold.
“We’re not so interested in surpassing imports – not thinking that way,” Lilong representative Yu Zhiyong said.
“I think premium wine can represent a region’s local resources. We have created our own consumer base by promoting the wine itself.”
The winery sits on 53,300 square metres (573,716 sq ft) of land, and obtains its grapes from a vineyard north of the coastal city Qingdao.
I’ve had quite a few of them [to drink] that are at international standards
