Technological Innovation Helps Chinese Wine Fragrance World Wine | Grapes | Technology
Beijing, June 9th (Xinhua) - "Grape wine in the night glass, if you want to drink the pipa, hurry up immediately.". Thousands of years ago, wine and winemaking techniques were introduced from the Western Regions to the Central Plains, becoming not only popular wines for people to taste and purchase, but also favored by ancient poets.
In the year 2000, Chinese wine underwent transformation and development in a unique terroir environment. "At present, China's wine industry is ushering in the best development opportunity period in history," said Duan Changqing, Director of the Key Laboratory of Wine Processing of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and Professor of China Agricultural University. Through strengthening technological innovation, the research team is striving to establish the flag of Chinese wine in the world's wine industry.
On September 16, 2022, workers picked wine grapes at the Wulfeng Winery on the eastern foot of Helan Mountain in Yinchuan City, Ningxia. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Wang Peng
China has a vast territory, with regions suitable for growing wine grapes in Xinjiang, Gansu, Ningxia, Jilin, Heilongjiang, and other regions. Different natural endowments such as climate, light, precipitation, and soil make the wine rich and diverse. However, the ever-changing climate and other unstable factors also constrain the wine making process.
Starting from 2009, Duan Changqing led a team to delve into the fields of the Manas production area at the northern foot of the Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang, comprehensively studying topics such as grape variety introduction, tree shape improvement, flavor substance changes, wine fermentation and aging techniques, and analyzing the local soil conditions with scientific data.
On the basis of theoretical research, the team also collaborated with wine companies to establish comprehensive management standards in the local area, improve supporting equipment, and standardize a series of supporting technologies and processes such as irrigation, fertilization, and brewing processes.
"It can be said that throughout the entire process from grapes entering the factory to wine bottling, including the type of barrels used for aging, we have defined technical parameters in order to solidify the style of the product and achieve stable performance in each batch." Duan Changqing introduced that this planting and brewing method, known as "precise regulation and directional brewing," was later applied to the product development of multiple wine enterprises in Xinjiang, Ningxia, and other regions, and achieved good results.
"The independently developed flavor oriented intelligent wine blending technology is a leading approach in China's world," said Duan Changqing.
On September 7, 2022, guests tasted wine at the Helan Mountain Wine Exhibition. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Feng Kaihua
Blending is the process of making different types of base wines from grapes grown on different plots using different techniques, and then blending them to create a unique flavor. "In Europe and America, winemakers usually mix multiple grape varieties based on their sensory experiences and experiences. However, we make this process scientific and intelligent, and can predict the different flavors produced by grape combinations from different regions through computers." said Duan Changqing.
At present, the technology is still being continuously optimized. "The advantage of mixed brewing is to fill the gaps and maximize the characteristics of each variety." Duan Changqing said that this year, the team will also assist the eastern foothills of Helan in Ningxia to upgrade and establish an intelligent brewing system, making it easier for enterprises to apply this technology more widely.
Chinese wines using this blending technology won gold and silver awards at the 2023 Brussels International Wine Grand Prix in Belgium.
From June 9th to 10th, the International Grape and Wine Industry Conference and the 3rd China International Wine Culture and Tourism Expo will be held in Yinchuan, Ningxia. Representatives from major grape producing regions around the world, domestic and foreign experts, scholars, and business professionals gathered together to discuss the cooperative development of the wine industry.
"This is a great opportunity for our wine industry and production areas to align with international standards and integrate with the world." Duan Changqing hopes that the domestic industry can learn from advanced foreign technologies and experiences through this exhibition and apply them to their own industries and products.
"The unique production conditions determine the uniqueness of Chinese wine." He said that Chinese wine needs to leverage its own advantages and walk its own path. "The most important thing is to form core competitiveness and core industry chain through independent technological innovation, so that Chinese wine can fragrance the world."
