Chinese wine has made a new inroad in the UK after one of the country's leading supermarkets, Sainsbury's, said it would place a wine made by Changyu Pioneer Wine Co on its shelves. Sainsbury’s has added Changyu’s Noble Dragon Red to its wine range, the supermarket announced this week to coincide with Chinese New Year. Noble Dragon Red is at the value end of the Changyu range, priced at an ‘introductory offer’ of £8 per bottle in Sainsbury’s. It is a ‘Cabernet Gernischt’ with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc blended in, from the Yantai region. Cabernet Gernischt is the name given to Carmenère in China. The move follows the launch of Changyu wines at Berry Bros & Rudd, the London-based independent merchant known to supply the Queen’s wine cellar. ‘We know customers are keen to broaden their repertoire and we’ve been looking to some distinctive regions and countries for new additions to expand our range,’ said Georgina Haughton, Sainsbury’s wine buyer for South Africa, South America and China.

Changyu is known domestically as China’s oldest wine producer, having been founded in 1892. Changyu’s wines have graced the tables of Chinese government banquets and, despite some financial difficulties, the company has been at the forefront of wine’s rising popularity in China. Can this lesser-known French variety win in China? The top three grape supplying Chinese wine regions are currently Xinjiang, Shandong and Hebei, the government report says. Berry Bros and Rudd has announced it is the first major UK retailer to give Chinese wines a permanent place…While already on sale in Britain through Berry Bros & Rudd at around £40 a bottle, Moser is currently in talks with “two major supermarkets” in the UK regarding creating an own-label range exclusively for the chosen supermarket. “We’ve had a very positive response, which is exciting. I think the timing is right – we would never have been able to do this five years ago,” Moser told db.

He revealed that the wines will go on sale for “at least £8-9”, rather than falling prey to deep discounting. “Selling Chinese wine in the UK is never a cheap proposition as they can sell every drop they make in China so don’t need us for business,” he said. In addition to the new range, Château Changyu, based in Ningxia, will be launching a second wine in the Bordeaux model called Moser Family Cabernet 2010 in the UK through Berry Bros next January, priced at around £20 a bottle.best wine bars with food london Having consulted for the winery for seven years, Moser is confident about the potential of the terroir for quality grape growing in Ningxia, where there are currently 100 wineries in existence and a further 50 under construction.best wine of the month club 2015

“Our vines are planted 1,100m above sea level and benefit from warm days and cool nights. It’s very much a continental climate there and is definitely the region to watch for Chinese winemaking,” he said. “I’ve seen a big quality leap in the Château’s wines in the last few years – it’s not rocket science, I just introduced processes like temperature controlled fermentation and lowered the yields from 30 to 10 tonnes per hectare.best wine marketing books “We manage to make reds that come in at just 12% abv but retain all their flavour. top 10 wine cocktailsOur Cabernets are where Bordeaux used to be 20 years ago: lighter in colour with less alcohol and sugar.top ten wines to drink before you die

“They have a lovely pure fruit expression and spicy aromas. There’s a signature spice I’ve found in Chinese wines, which I really like,” he added. While it took five years for Moser to gain the trust of the estate’s head winemaker, he now describes the joint venture as a successful union. “The Chinese are very proud people; they were reading books when Europeans were climbing trees, so it took a while for me to gain the trust of the team.best wine novels “I help make their wine and in return they sell my Grüner Veltliner in China. buy wine gifts ukIt’s been a slow process as 95% of Chinese consumers drink red and no one has heard of Grüner Veltliner, but they’re starting to catch on to our whites.best way to take wine labels off

“I love making wine in China. It’s a challenge but it’s so exciting. It reminds me of where California was 30 years ago – it’s a real land of opportunity,” he told db. Moser thinks the Chinese have got it right thus far by playing it safe with international grape varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Chardonnay. “Unfortunately, I’ve yet to taste a wine made from a native Chinese grape that has the potential to one day be a fine wine,” he admitted.top 10 wine tours in california His next big project is to plant Grüner Veltliner in China: “Everything is in place and we’re currently experimenting with test plantings at Changyu. “Ningxia is ideal for growing Grüner Veltliner: it’s dry with warm summers, cool nights and enough water from the neighbouring Yellow River,” he revealed. But before Moser gets his Grüner project in China off the ground, he will be releasing an example from Cappadocia in Turkey, in addition to a duo made from native Turkish grapes.