Press

  • Wine Business International

    “China Explores White Wines”, Jim Boyce

    The rise of red wine, and particularly French red wine, is due primarily to its role as a status symbol. It is often seen as a safe choice for gifting and entertaining and is used to denote sophistication in everything from movie scenes to bank card ads. But this rise of red wine was not always a given, says David Henderson, who founded Beijing-based importer Montrose in the late 1980s. “China had more white wine in the beginning,” he says. “Everyone, including me, thought consumers would start the way they did in the rest of the world, with white wines, sweeter wines.” But while taste tests showed Chinese consumers did prefer white, it was not enough, he says. “Due to its image, people drank red wine.”

  • Financial Times

    Financial Times | “A good nose is needed for the grape haul of China”, Chris Newlands

    "Jim Boyce, a Beijing-based wine consultant and founder of the blog Grape Wall of China, says: “If you have consumers who buy simply because of a label, with little knowledge or appreciation of the wine behind it, you open the door for abuse of that ignorance. “But the good news in China is that we are seeing a shift toward a more taste-based market, with new waves of consumers going beyond Bordeaux, beyond France, and beyond the red wines consumers are convinced they like.”"

  • China Daily

    “Grapes Worth Their Weight in Gold”, Dong Fangyu

    Boyce says he often gets people e-mailing or calling him from Yinchuan, saying, "Hey, I am here. How do I get to the winery?" "Usually I have to call the winemaker, the winery owner, to see if it's OK and they have to find some transport." By contrast, it is simple to get around the wineries of California, especially in Napa, he says. "In terms of California winery tours, one of the benefits is you are so close to San Francisco, which is a great cultural city. That makes going to Napa, Sonoma, Lodi and other regions just much more attractive because you can send a few days at San Francisco as well."

  • China Daily

    “Ningxia uncorks unprecedented wine contest”, Mike Peters

    Virtually unknown five years ago, Boyce adds, Ningxia has emerged as one of the planet's most intriguing wine regions. Its wines have won accolades at home and abroad, including from critics such as Jancis Robinson, Michel Bettane, Thierry Dessauve and Jeremy Oliver and publications such as Decanter and La Revue du Vin de France.

  • China Daily

    “Ningxia uncorks unprecedented wine contest”, Mike Peters

    Grape Wall has no sponsors of advertisers: if you find the content and projects like World Marselan Day worthwhile, please help cover the costs via ...

  • Decanter China

    “宁夏酿酒师挑战赛规模扩大，加速国际技术交流”, Ian Dai

    与第一届比赛不同的是，48名参与者“以抽签方式”一一同当地酒庄配对，酿造地点分散到了各个酒庄，而不是在同一酒庄酿酒，项目顾问、博客葡萄酒围城（Grape Wall of China）创始人Jim Boyce介绍称。

  • Decanter China

    “Ningxia expands international winemakers competition”, Ian Dai

    Grape Wall has no sponsors of advertisers: if you find the content and projects like World Marselan Day worthwhile, please help cover the costs via ...

  • CCTV Crossover

    “Chinese Bordeaux: the business of wine in China”

    Grape Wall has no sponsors of advertisers: if you find the content and projects like World Marselan Day worthwhile, please help cover the costs via ...

  • California Sunday Magazine

    “Breaking Ground”, Amy Qin

    Somewhere between the mislabeled junk and the thousand-dollar bottles is an underdeveloped midrange market, one that Jade Valley is targeting. “I think the biggest change in the industry right now is we are going from status-based buying to taste-based buying,” says Jim Boyce, who blogs about the Chinese wine industry. “It’s always been about the brand — how much it costs, does it impress my boss, can I use it for a business dinner — and now I think we’re getting more and more people who actually like wine and who drink it for enjoyment.”

  • South China Morning Post

    “Ningxia Winemaker’s Contest to shine spotlight on rising Chinese region”, Mischa Moselle

    Grape Wall has no sponsors of advertisers: if you find the content and projects like World Marselan Day worthwhile, please help cover the costs via ...

  • International Business Times

    “China’s Wine Industry Explodes, But Not Yet On The World Stage”, Michelle Flor-Cruz

    “While there are several dozen producers making decent wines now, the prices are quite high by international standards,” Boyce said. This is why China is unlikely to become a major exporter anytime soon.

  • 红酒世界网 (Wine World)

    好酒层出：中国不再是葡萄酒世界的”路人乙”

    常驻北京的葡萄酒博主吉姆·博伊斯（Jim Boyce）指出，中国葡萄酒在国际大奖赛上的表现非常突出，不少专家也对中国葡萄酒的品质表示肯定。英国顶级葡萄酒评论家杰西丝·罗宾逊（Jancis Robinson）也在其2014年版的《世界葡萄酒地图》（The World Atlas of Wine）中将中国产区加入进去了。

  • The Conversation

    “Chinese vintners are winning renown as wine industry soars”, Pierre Ly, Cynthia Howson

    Grape Wall has no sponsors of advertisers: if you find the content and projects like World Marselan Day worthwhile, please help cover the costs via ...

  • South China Morning Post

    “China loves red wine, but white may become more popular”, Jim Boyce

    "Those who plant vines in China tend to be risk-averse and use what sells now - so expect even more cabernet sauvignon. Similarly, a good slice of the vintelligentsia project a China wine future based more on current import and production statistics, rather than conversations with consumers. "But don't underestimate the speed of change. Two years ago, few predicted that the austerity programme would last this long, and undermine high-end wine sales to such a degree. "That redirected the market towards mainland consumers, and as they increasingly buy based on taste, it bodes well for white. The gains might initially be modest, but that could still add up to hundreds of millions of bottles."

  • AFP

    “Moet bets on bubbly in China with sparkling winery”, Helene Franchineau

    Grape Wall has no sponsors of advertisers: if you find the content and projects like World Marselan Day worthwhile, please help cover the costs via ...

Previous Next

Grape Wall has no sponsors of advertisers: if you find the content and projects like World Marselan Day worthwhile, please help cover the costs via PayPal, WeChat or Alipay.

Sign up for the free Grape Wall newsletter here. Follow Grape Wall on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. And contact Grape Wall via grapewallofchina (at) gmail.com.