Chinese wine brands raise global profile

Although for most Chinese winemakers, the domestic market is still young, some of them are already trying to raise their profile on the global stage.

Industry insiders say it is not an easy task but Chinese wines have a good chance of having a larger presence on the global market.

Of course it is still not realistic to anticipate bottles of Chinese wine to flood Australian or European supermarket shelves anytime soon.

But some of the attendees at a recent international grape conference in Beijing say they have tasted some fine Chinese wines in recent years - some of them are fully capable to stand up to European, Australian or American standards.

"I like them more and more, actually. And those at the beginning when I started coming were not that good, today they are much better. I think the Chinese wine will jump up high quite soon."

"I think if Chinese winemakers can make some improvements in details, they can win a place at the high-end market pretty soon. We probably will import wines from China in five to ten years."

China is now the eighth largest wine producer and the fifth largest wine market in the world, but some insiders believe the country has a shortage of quality wine grapes and also lack proper soil, which means a lot of Chinese wine contains low-end grapes that aren't sweet enough to produce interesting wine flavors.

Even so, some of the ambitious domestic brands have already made their first move to see how far they can go in other countries.

Jean Marie Aurand is the director General of the International Organization of Vine and Wine.

"Presently, most wines produced in China are more or less consumed here in China, so it is difficult. Chinese wines are not well-known worldwide for this reason. What I know is some Chinese wines won medals on international competitions in the last few years. It is very encouraging."

Li Changzheng, deputy manager of Chateau SunGod with leading domestic brand GreatWall, says they have made some achievements on an international scale in recent years.

"For example at the liquor and wine tasting competition in Brussels, we are among the 80 brands picked up from a pool of over 8,000. You can imagine its significance for us. We also entered the top ten global wine brands on a French wine magazine in 2013. I think that is partly due to the good performances of the GreatWall on international competitions."

However, industry insiders like Simon Gilber, owner of Millon Estate, say there is still a long way to go for Chinese wine makers if they are really considering going overseas.

"I often thought for the Chinese wine industry - bear in mind the Chinese wine industry is the fifth biggest in the world and it is bigger than we are in Australia. And what they lack are - I say this with respect - guidance, knowledge, experience and expertise. So maybe they need to import some of that intellectual property or expertise overseas."

Founder and president of the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards Edouard Cointreau comes from a family that has had vineyards since 1270.

Mr. Cointreau says what Chinese winemakers particularly need is patience.

"It is a long-term business. You have to be patient. I think governments here and people investing into the wine have to understand that it is a long-term thing. My family has been in the wine industry for 800 years. We know it goes up and down and you have to wait."