About the China Wine Industry…
In Western books, journals, and reports very little information can be found on Chinese wine and other alcoholic drinks. That is strange because China has a cultural history that extends for thousands of years. China’s culture was and still is highly interesting in many respects. During that history, alcoholic drinks played an important role, and also in our days this is still the case.
It is worth noting that China has good capabilities for vine growing and for winemaking: it has a wide variety of soils, many different climates, and micro-climates, indigenous and imported grapes, as well as a huge population that constitutes a tremendous potential market.
China Wine Tours is the first travel organization focusing on an exciting new way to visit China. We introduce you to the history and culture of China and what promises to be the talk of the world for those who enjoy a unique wine-travel experience. Join us!
“Although wine drinking is a common cultural heritage enjoyed by various peoples worldwide, the wine-drinking culture of each people is different. The origins of fermenting and drinking wine in China go far back in time. The Chinese either used wine as a libation to their forefathers to express reverence or enjoyed it by themselves while writing poetry or prose or to toast their relatives and friends during a feast. Without a doubt, wine occupies an important place in the culture and life of the Chinese people. Wine was intimately connected with most Chinese men of letters. It was also an inseparable part of the life of ordinary Chinese people. It was a must for the banquets of ancient emperors and kings. Every sort of wine vessel thus became an important kind of sacrificial object.”
China has an uninterrupted cultural development for over 5,000 years. Just like in other cultures, in the Chinese one, it is not possible to trace the earliest discovery and the regular use of alcohol. In written sources, it is mentioned “that about 5000 years ago the history of Chinese alcoholic liquor began when people began to make wine. The Chinese people have long had the habit of drinking.”
For an in-depth look at the history of Chinese Wine, please visit “WINE in CHINA, its History and Contemporary Developments” written by Pieter Eijkhoff. You may download at no cost a 200-page manuscript developed by Mr. Eijkhoff. Some portions of ChinaWineTours.com are used with the permission of the Eykhoff family.
