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Yantai Changyu

In 1892, the businessman and Chinese consul in Singapore Cheong Fatt Tze vulgo Chang Bishi (1840-1916) founded a winery called "Chang Yu" in Yantai in the Chinese province of Shandong. The name is formed from his family name and the Chinese characters for "prosperity". The founding of the company is equated with the beginning of China's modern wine history. Chang Bishi bought 67 hectares of land and introduced 150 European Vitis vinifera varieties for cultivation trials. He was aware that modern viticulture would only be possible with the support of European experts. The Austro-Hungarian consul Baron Max von Babo (1862-1933), the son of August-Wilhelm von Babo (1827-1894), head of the Klosterneuburger Weinbauinstitut), was hired as advisor and cellar master.

Yantai Changyu - Chang Bishi / Etikett Noble Dragon / Château Tinlot

Max von Babo subsequently introduced barrels, presses and 400,000 Welschriesling seedlings of various clones from Austria and brought the winery to international renown with modern methods. Under Chang Chengquing (1872-1914), the founding nephew and first general manager, the Great Cellar was completed, over 3,000 hectares of vines were planted and many products were developed. In 1992, the "Changyu Wine Culture Museum" was opened in the Zhifu district, showing the long history of the winery with many artefacts, but also of other Chinese wine producers.

Yantai Changyu Pioneer Wine Company

Today, "Yantai Changyu Pioneer Wine Company" is a multi with international shareholders. It operates seven wineries in China, most of them imitations of French châteaux, and others abroad. The headquarters are in Yantai (Shandong). The market share in China is about 25%. Zhou Hongjiang is the general manager of the multinational. The over 3,000 m² seven-metre-deep "Great Cellar" is located one metre below sea level, only 800 metres from the sea. The wide range of products includes red and white wines as well as sparkling wine, brandy, Vermouth and cider. The absolute hit is the branded wine "Noble Dragon"(Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Gernischt). Around 25 million bottles of the wine, which has been produced since 1937, are marketed annually and also exported to Europe. In 2017, the 80th anniversary of the registration of the brand celebrated the sale of a total of 460 million bottles. The holdings:

Château Changyu AFIP

Located 70 km northeast of Beijing, the winery was built in 2007 with a team of investors from China, as well as America, France, Italy and Portugal (hence AFIP) with an investment of around €80 million on an area of 1,000 hectares in the hills. More than 1,000 barrels are stored in the barrique cellar. An entire French wine village was built on the model of the village of Bages (Pauillac) with a restaurant, cafés and shops and even a church and town hall.

Château Changyu Baron Balboa

The winery is located in the town of Shihezy in the northwestern region of Xinjiang and is named after the first winemaker from Belgium. The climate (lots of sun) and soil conditions (gravel) are similar to those in Bordeaux. In addition to viticulture, cultural communication and wine tourism are also marketed at the château.

Château Changyu Castel

Located in Beiyujia (near Yantai), the winery was established in 2002 through a joint venture with the French company Castel Frères. The vineyards cover 135 hectares.

Golden Icewine Valley

Located near Hanlong Lake in Liaoning, this winery was established in 2006 and is also known as the "Ontario of the East". It is a jount venture with the Canadian company Aurora for the production of ice wine. The vineyards, mainly planted with Vidal Blanc, cover over 5,000 hectares of vines at an altitude of 380 metres above sea level. Influenced by the lake, the climate is cold but not too dry.

Yantai Changyu - Château Chanyu AFIP und Château Changyu Moser XV

Château Changyu Moser XV

Located near Yinchuan in Ningxia province, the winery was opened in 2013 and is named after the Austrian winemaker Laurenz Moser V, who advised on its construction (XV refers to the fact that the Moser family is already the 15th generation of winegrowers). 70 million were invested in the château and cellar with 800 barriques. The Grand Vin is a cuvée of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah.

Château Changyu Rena

Located in the Weicheng district of Xiangyang in Shaanxi province, the winery is named after the Italian winemaker and investor who worked here. The wines, made from 20 different origins and aged differently in barriques, are cuvéed using a special changing-barrel technology.

Château Changyu Tinlot

The winery is located in Yantai and named after Robert Tinlot (1931-2017), the long-time president of the OIV. It is a national research institute for grapes, wine and winemaking with two luxurious châteaux and organically cultivated vineyards. Top segment wines are produced. The building complex is only part of a planned large international "wine city" on the outskirts of Yantai.

Foreign joint ventures

There are further holdings and shares in France-Bordeaux (Château Mirefleurs and Château Techeney), Spain-Rioja (Marqués del Atrio), New Zealand (Château Changyu Kely), Australia-ClareValley (Kilikanoon) and Chile (Viña Indómita). It also includes the Roullet-Fransac cognac brand.

The total vineyard area of all the wineries is about 14,000 hectares, the annual production 150 to 200 million bottles of wine, the turnover about 1 billion euros. The listed company is worth around 5.5 billion euros (status 2016). Yantai Changyu Pioneer Wine Company is among the five largest wine companies in the world with a declared goal and also on its way to becoming number 1.

Images: Changyu - Since 1892

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Thomas Götz

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Thomas Götz
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