Chinese wine industry to improve its national standards

China’s emerging wine industry is set to get new winemaking rules, to be drawn up by an expert committee established by government officials as the country seeks to meet international standards.

The 27-member committee was summoned by the China National Wine Quality Supervision and Inspection Centre late last month to refine and upgrade existing winemaking rules in the country. The committee will be affiliated to the Standardization Administration of China (SAC)*, according to a government statement.

Winemaking is a comparatively young industry in China and, according to DecanterChina.com columnist Li Demei, the country still lacks some of the quality control standards in place in other major wine producing countries, even though big strides have been made. The international body for winemaking standards, the Paris-based OIV, said China was keen to become a full member, and the OIV’s director general, Jean-Marie Aurand, visited officials in Beijing and Xi’an last April.

New standards in China will ‘vigorously refer to the international standard, while adapt to local conditions’, said Ma Peixuan, secretary-general of the new committee and vice-chair of the National Wine Quality Supervision and Inspection Centre.

‘The key purposes of establishing and refining the industry standards are to regulate the production process, to raise product quality, and to protect the legitimate interest of both producers and consumers,’ Ma told DecanterChina.com. ‘It is certain the consumers will benefit [from a more regulated industry].’

It’s not clear at the current stage whether the committee will also set standards on wine grape growing, as well as what happens inside the winery, said Ma.

The new committee, which is mostly formed of oenologists, wine educators, and owners of wine businesses, will also advise the industry on how to implement these standards, and analyse on the outcome, according to the secretariat of the new committee.

*Official English name: SAC/TC471/SC2, Subcommittee 2 on Wine of National Technical Committee 471 on Brewing of Standardization Administration of China, reported Wine-info.com.