Beijing may be better known for its pollution than its bucolic charms. But that isn’t stopping the government from trying to develop a rural region northwest of the city into a Napa Valley-style attraction.
Last month, the government hosted the 11th International Conference on Grapevine Breeding and Genetics in Beijing’s Yanqing county, a five-day affair involving wine tasting competitions and networking among grape breeders and geneticists from around the world.
In addition to hosting such a conference, the government also recently finished the construction of a so-called “International Grape Exhibition Garden,” which will consist of vineyards that they hope will attract an increasingly wine-loving public.
“We want to build our own Bordeaux in China,” said Pang Rongnian, the International Grape Exhibition Garden’s deputy director. He declined to comment on how much the government has invested in the garden’s creation.
The garden is home to 750,000 square meters of vineyards, along with a 2,500 square-meter greenhouse that will help nurture more than 1,000 kinds of grapes from more than 40 countries.
According to Vinexpo, which hosts regular wine and spirits exhibitions, China consumes more wine than any other country in the world. Last year, China consumed more than 1.9 billion bottles of red wine in 2013, up 136% compared to 2008.
Also last year, auction house Christie’s set up the world’s first estate agency for wealthy Chinese to buy vineyards.
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