Grace Vineyard : Taigu : Qingxu Region : China : All Vineyards

Overview

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Region: Qingxu Region
Size: Large
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Grace Vineyard

Dongjia, Rencun
Taigu, Shanxi Province, 030800
China
86﹣354 644 9188

Features: Weddings, Banquets, Store, Restaurant, Family friendly, Busses, Romantic

Types of wine: No wines added.
Website: http://www.grace-vineyard.com
Email: nchan@grace-vineyard.com
Proprietor: Judy Leissner

Description:

Family-owned vineyard in China.

Grace Vineyard is located in Taigu County, 40 km south of the provincial capital Tai Yuan in Shanxi Province. The continental climate here on the yellow plateau is characterized by its distinctive seasons. The dry weather condition brings minimal rainfall over the year. While having abundant sunshine during the day，the nights are long and cold. Famous poet Liu Yuxi of Tang Dynasty once wrote, “I am originally from Jin. Grapes that are made into a wine so fine, parallels to the crops of maize；one can never grow tired of its taste.” This poem indicates that wine-making tradition in Shanxi traced back to as early as 7th century.

Under the professional guidance of wine specialist Denis Boulas, elaborate research was conducted on choosing an ideal location for setting up the vineyard. On August 28th, 1997, our founders Mr. CK Chan and Mr. Sylvain Janvier finally decided on this barren plot of land to lay the foundation of Grace Vineyard. What brought with it was worldwide attention to this region that has long been forgotten.

Our estate originally included a winery and its surrounding 150 hectares of vineyard. Initially, a total of 11 France-imported varieties were planted. After a few years of pilot study, we chose the best lots and downsized to 68.5 hectares. The current vineyard size is 200 hectares. Presently we mainly grow Cabernet Sauvignon (60%), Cabernet Franc (16％), Merlot(13％)， Chardonnay(6%) and a small portion of Riesling, Chenin Blanc and Marselan (Total about 5%). To ensure the quality of our fruit, we have limited the yield of each hectare to 6 tons. Since the planting of the vines 10 years ago, the distinctive results we obtained have strengthened our belief, that China is also capable of producing wines with unique characteristics. We have confidence that in the near future, our grapes will continue to reinforce the terroir in our wines.

Meticulous attention is given to details in all stages of production. From cultivation, grading, inspection, vinification, storage to bottling, we strive to attain the best quality control. Imported Oak barrels are used and we regularly bring in the expertise of overseas wine-makers to supervise and refine our wine-making procedures. After 4 years of methodical cultivation, our first vintage was launched in 2001. In 2002, our 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon was awarded an honorable mention at the Concours Mondial of Brussels. Since then, our wines have received much recognition in various wine competitions at home and abroad.

For a family winery to perfect its wine, Mr. CK Chan believes it is an arduous process that will take generations of effort and devotion. His long term vision led him to recruit his own daughter, Judy, who was still in her mid-twenties at the time, to take over the operations of the vineyard. Judy resigned from Goldman Sachs (HK) and became the president of Shanxi Grace Vineyard in 2002. Her global perspective and passion for wine-making have helped set another milestone for the vineyard by launching Grace’s wines onto the international platform.