Today, China is determined to join the ranks of France, Italy, the USA, Chile, Australia and other great winemaking nations.

Five hundred wineries, most of them less than 10 years old, have sprung up around the country.

Forty miles northwest of Beijing, along grasslands within view of the Great Wall, French winemaker Nicolas Billot-Grima oversees the harvest of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and marselan grapes at the Sino-French Demonstration Vineyard. The vineyard, a joint venture of the French and Chinese governments, is intended to build interest in wine and serve as a showcase for traditional French winemaking techniques.

In six years, "we have changed stones into gold," says Billot-Grima, a sixth-generation winemaker who splits his time between China and Laroche Pipeau, the family chateau in Bordeaux, France.

Next year, local authorities plan to market tasting tours along a road that connects Sino-French with others nearby. The idea is to create a Chinese version of California's Napa Valley, where Highway 29 is studded with inns, restaurants and famous wineries such as Mondavi, Sterling and Beringer.

Winning respect for what's in the bottle won't be easy.

Many of the country's vintages are blends of Chinese grapes and bulk wine imported from Australia or Chile. Local importer John Gai of Palette Wines is blunt in describing most Chinese wines. "Undrinkable," he says.

There are other hurdles. The business of matching specific wines with certain foods-"pairing," in wine parlance-has been tricky. "I like Chinese food, but I couldn't find the right wine for the food," Billot -Grima says, adding that his more recent vintages pair well with Chinese dishes.

Another problem: few Chinese have ever tasted wine. Other than beer, the spirit of choice here has been maotai, a fiery, sorghum-based drink high in alcohol.

When Chinese drink wine, They don't get drunk as much (as with) the white poison they've been drinking.

Sales of foreign wine have boomed. St. Pierre founded ASC Wines in 1996 with five employees and $400,000 in sales. Today, the company employs 300 people. Sales for 2006 are forecast to hit $40 million.

Still, wine is beyond the reach of the average Chinese. There's the question of whether China is suitable for making world-class wines. Winemakers here combat frequent hailstorms, a lack of rich soil and winters so severe that vines must be buried to protect them after harvest.

Billot-Grima says Sino-French is situated in the best area China has to offer, one blessed with moderate summer rains and warm, sunny autumn days. He plans to build his own winery, Chateau Tayshi, in the next year.

"China's best wine comes from here," Billot-Grima says.

Bodegas Langes, an Austrian-owned winery near the Bohai Gulf in eastern China, says it's got the best piece of ground.

"The best locations worldwide are all by the sea," says Ren Jing, the general manager. At his winery, visitors can get "vino-therapy" baths in wine and massages in grapeseed oil. Strauss and Mozart are piped into the cellars. "We believe classical music makes the wine more romantic, gives it more harmony and feeling," Ren says.

Judy Leissner, president of Grace Wines, says her family-owned winery is located in central Shanxi for a reason. "We drove across China with experts from France and found the coastal area was too humid and sugar levels (in the wine) to the west are too high," she says.

Suntime Winery in the far west Muslim province of Xinjiang boasts the country's largest vineyard.

"This is the home of Chinese wine," says Robert Wu, Suntime's general manager. "In eastern China, there's too much rain, and the grapes never get ripe enough. We have an even climate with very hot summers. The difference between day and night temperatures is great for the grapes to ripen."

The fact that there's even a debate is a healthy sign.

"China is the market of the future," Billot-Grima says.

Source:佚名