Emma Graham-Harrison (nzherald.co.nz) writes:
A slice of onion? or lemon?, some ice-cubes or a mixer of lemonade are some of the tricks Chinese wine drinkers use to help a glass of red slip down.
The traditionally spirit- and beer-drinking nation began turning grapes into alcohol? on a large scale only in the past few decades and is still getting used to drinking the results.
...
"China is a new country to wine-making, particularly out west,"said Suntime deputy manager Robert Wu as he leaned over to smell the cabernet sauvignon fermenting? in an oak? barrel?.
"Quality is a problem because the industry is young and the vines are young, but there is some good wine."
...
But Suntime is convinced that with vineyards on a similar latitude to Bordeaux, top equipment and drinkers’ growing sophistication, it can turn a profit by focusing on quality.
Consumption is expected to rise by about a third this year, Wu says, helped by luxury associations and a relatively healthy image.
...
But as quality improves, even the top Chinese winemakers look largely for domestic sales, because despite cheap land and labour, local wines are far more expensive than foreign competitors.
Bottom-end bottles sell for about 20 yuan ($2.50), and while import taxes mean few foreign wines retail for less than 50-60 yuan ($6.20 - $7.40) in China, cheap Spanish wine can sell abroad for the equivalent of 10 to 15 yuan ($1.20 - $1.90) a bottle.
Interesting article, despite being quite lengthy. Goes on to list some of the teething problems China's experiencing in its burgeoning wine sector. I'm really curious to see how things develop in the Chinese wine industry. Personally, I'd love to see them come onto the world stage as a major player, but not before they sort out their domestic issues.