Changyu

Modern day Chateau Changyu, Yantai, Shandong Province

Changyu Pioneer Wine Co. Inc., located in Yantai, Shandong Province, is China's oldest and largest winery.

Started in 1892 by Zhang Bishi, the company's name is formed from his surname Zhang (Chang) and the Chinese character which means prosperity. In 2002, the company entered into cooperation with Castel group in France to establish the first professional chateau in China. In 2006, the company cooperated with a Canadian company to build the largest ice wine chateau in the world near Huanlong Lake of Liaoning province. It has also expanded overseas, building Chateau Changyu Kely in New Zealand.

Changyu Pioneer Wine Company is now among the ten largest wine companies in the world, producing more than 90,000 tonnes of wine in 2011.

History

Over two thousand years ago, in the northwest region of Xinjiang there existed grapes, and during the Han Dynasty, Zhang Dian brought back both grape seeds and wine makers from the Middle East. It is known that the Han emperor enjoyed the flavor of these wines, but the plants and techniques were not passed down. When Zhang Bishi decided to build his own winery in Yantai in 1892, there was little to be found there but a few edible grapes.

He first brought 2,000 plants from the United States, but few bore fruit and were not sweet enough. As well, half of the vines rotted away before harvest, so he bought 640,000 more from Europe. Even these plants found difficulty growing in the foreign Chinese soil that only 20 to 30% of them survived.

In order to save the venture, Zhang Bishi sent for and brought back wild plants from northeast China, plants that produced a bitter fruit. They were grafted to the foreign plants and, after three years, they were planted in the Shandong vineyards. The new vines survived, granting fruit rich in sugar with good color and were insect, disease, and cold resistant.

People

Zhang Bishi (1841–1916) - The founder of Changyu Company. He was an important overseas Chinese diplomat, having a high-level position in the Qing Dynasty. He devoted his life to his motherland by developing Chinese industry. In 1892, he invested three million liang of silver to establish Changyu Winemaking Company, which was the beginning of the Chinese wine industry.

Zhang Chengqing (1872–1914) - The First General Manager of Changyu Company. He was the nephew of Zhang Bishi and a fourth rank official of the Qing Dynasty. The Grand Cellar was built, 3,000 hectares of premium vineyards, and dozens of different products were developed during his term.

Mr. Balboa (Belgium) - Changyu's First Winemaker

Zhang Zizhang (China) - Changyu's First Chinese Winemaker

The Grand Cellar

The Grand Cellar was first built in 1894. Although it needed to be rebuilt three times in the first 11 years, it has lasted for more than 100 years. It is considered a great historical landmark in Chinese architecture, with its creative design and construction work praised by both Chinese and foreign engineering experts.

The Grand Cellar is 1,976 square metres in size and 7 metres in depth. The ground of the cellar is 1 metre below sea level and the whole of the cellar is no more than 100 metres away from the sea. It maintains a constant temperature and humidity throughout the year and is ideal for wine maturation. Still in use today, thousands of oak barrels arranged around the cellar, with 3 of them large enough to store 15 tonnes of wine each.

Wine Production

Chateau Changyu-Castel

Located at the Beiyujia Village of the Yantai Economic and Technical Development Zone, Chateau Changyu-Castel has a total are 135 hectares of vineyards and large wine-making chateau. Following the traditional European chateau style, the design of the square, the interior decoration and the wine tasting room was made by Mr. Micel Mirande, a member of the French Architecture Association. The primary grape variety is Cabernet Gernischt, introduced from Europe over 100 years ago.

Chateau Changyu-AFIP

Located just to the northwest of Beijing, Chateau Changyu-AFIP is Changyu's newest chateau and is regarded by the OIV as the 'new model of global chateau'.

Golden Icewine Valley

The area around Hanlong Lake in Liaoning is recognized as "golden ice wine valley" or "eastern Ontario". Currently, there are more than 5,000 hectares of ice wine vineyard at an altitude of 380 meters. The adjacent lake ensures that the weather is cold, but not too dry. The primary grape variety is Vidal, introduced by Aurora, a Canadian wine company.

Changyu Kely

Located in New Zealand.