中国葡萄酒信息网

China Wine on Line

Vitienologia 

in Cina 

中国葡萄与葡萄酒

dati generali 

storia del vino

regioni viticole 

varietà d'uva

grape production

ricerca e formazione

i protagnisti

GRAPE PRODUCTION IN CHINA

Li Shao-Hua*

*Professor, Department of Fruit Science, College of Horticulture, Academic Affairs Office, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100094, People’s Republic of China.

This paper is part of the pubblication “Grape Production in Asia-Pacific Region” Edited by Minas K. Papadmetriou and Frank J. Dent, Bangkok, Thailand, July 2001. The pubblication is the result of the Expert Consultation on “Viticulture (Grape Production) in Asia and the Pacific”, held in Bangkonk, Thailand, 2-4 May 2000 and sponsord by FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (Bangkonk, Thailand). 

 1. INTRODUCTION

Grapes (Vitis vinifera L.) have been grown in China for more than 2000 years. However, grape production was negligible until the founding of the People’s Republic of China. The area under cultivation of grapes and their production were only about 3,200 hectares and 39,000 tonnes, respectively. The government paid great attention to improvement of the quality of life of the people after the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Following rapid economic growth, fruit production, including grape production increased rapidly in the country, especially since the 1980’s. The land area under grapes and their production in 1998 were respectively estimated to be 55.6 and 60.5 times greater than in 1949. This paper presents the current status of grape cultivation, the development of the wine industry, advances in cultural techniques, the potential for expansion, and some suggestions for the future development of grape production and the wine industry in China.

2. PRESENT STATUS OF GRAPE CULTIVATION IN CHINA

Following apple, citrus, pear and banana, grape production now ranks fifth in fruit production in the People’s Republic of China. The area under vineyards was estimated to be 178,000 hectares in 1998. To examine the evolution of the area under cultivation of grapes after the founding of the People’s Republic of China, two rapid development periods can be observed during the eighties and last few years of the last century. The land area under cultivation of grapes increased steadily from 31,600 to 146,000 hectares during the first rapid development period from 1980 to 1988, with an average increase of about 14,300 hectares per year. Then the grape extents decreased from 1989 to about 24,000 hectares in the following 3 years. Under the influence of the “red wine rush” in the Asian countries, grape growing again became the focus of people’s attention in China from the early nineties. Thus, the area under cultivation of grapes continued to increase again from 1992 to 20,200 hectares by 1998 (about 15 percent more when compared with that of 1997). The area for the other four main fruit crops, however, decreased by 216,800 hectares for apple, 5,540 hectares for pear and 39,000 hectares for citrus.

The annual grape production has increased steadily for the last 20 years. It attained 2,358200 tonnes in 1998, 18.7 times more than in 1979. Most of this production was for table grapes and only about 10 percent for wine making and another 10 percent for raisins. The main areas of expansion are located in the north. The five leading provinces that contributed more than two thirds of the total grape production in the country in 1998 were Xingjiang, Hebei, Shangdong, Liaoning and Henan (Table 1).

Table 1. Main Grape-Growing Regions and their Production, 1998

Source of Data: China: Yearbook, Agriculture, 1999

Although the Chinese have a tradition of consuming alcoholic beverages, China has been very backward in wine industry development. At the time of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the estimated annual production of wine was about 85 tonnes per year. Although the wine industry has developed rapidly since that time (Table 2), wine production has contributed only a very small fraction towards the total alcoholic beverage production in the country.

Table 2. Development of Wine Production in China from 1949-1997 (the production before 1979 is estimated by converting all alcoholic beverages which are wine or part of which are originating from grape juice).

Following a rapid growth in wine production, most of the provinces are now engaged in the industry. More than 400 wine companies and wineries were established in 26 provinces and municipalities operating directly under the Central Government at the end of 1997. The six leading provinces or municipalities which produced more than 10,000 tonnes of wine in 1997 were Shandong (65,500 t), Hebei (23,600 t), Tianjing (17,000 t), Beijing (16,400 t), Anhui (15,700 t) and Henan (14,600 t). The major areas for growing wine grapes, however, are essentially located in the North of China, such as in the Northeast, including Bohai Bay, Shacheng and Changli (Hebei), Qingxu (Shanxi), Yinchuan (Ningxia), Wuwei (Gansu), Tulufan Basin (Xinjiang), Shihezi (Xinjiang), as well as the ancient course of the Yellow River valley and Yunnan Maitraya.

Among hundreds of grape varieties grown in China, the following are the more important, from an economic point of view: 

Table grapes: Niunai (Cow’s Nipples), Kyoho, Muscat Hamburg, Thompson Seedless, Longyan (Dragon Eyes) Jingxiu, Zana, Rizamat, Fenghuang No 51, Red globe, Jingzhaojing, Jingyu, Italia and Fujiminori. 

Wine Grapes: The main varieties for white wine are Chardonnay, Italian Riesling, Ugni blanc, Chenin blanc, Gewurztraminer, Sauvignon blanc, Semillon, White Riesling and Rkatsiteli. The main varieties for red wine are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet franc, Merlot, French blue, Muscat Hamburg, Pinot noir, Syrah, Carignan and Saperavi.

3. PRODUCTION OF PLANTING MATERIAL

China is fortunate in not having any phylloxera pest problems. Most of the grape planting material used in the country is therefore propagated by cuttings. In some cold areas, however, vines are grafted on cold-resistant rootstocks, such as Beta (a probable hybrid between Vitis riparia and V. labrusca) and lines from Vitis amurensis.

4. ESTABLISHMENT OF ORCHARDS

Thorough preparation of the land is essential for successful establishment and good vine growth during the first two to three years because of poor organic matter status in the soil. The land is trenched to a width of 0.6 to 1 m and a depth of 0.8 to 1 m. The distance between the trenches depends on the distance between rows. The soil is mixed with organic matter or other fertilizer and filled back into the trenches before planting.

Young plants are set out in the vineyard in late autumn or early spring before growth begins. The planting season of vines depends upon the climate of the region. To reduce the risk of frost, vines have to be planted in early spring in most areas of north China where it is very cold in winter, while they may be planted in late autumn in the Valley of Yangtze River. The plant spacings used for grapes vary depending on the regions and the training systems. Table 3 presents the general information on the spacing and density used for establishing a new vineyard. Planting density varies from about 1,000 to 5,000 vines per hectare.

Table 3. General Suggestions for Plant Densities to be used for the Establishment of New Vineyards

 
5. CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF VINEYARDS

Pergola and vertical trellis are the more popular forms of training used for grape growing in China. The popular training systems in the north are the multi-arm fan system with no trunk used for vertical trellis and the dragon system with a strong permanent cordon where grapevines usually need to be ‘heeled’ in winter. In south China or in the regions where grapevines need not be heeled in winter, the vertical trellis is frequently used. The multi-arm fan system with a strong trunk, the bilateral cordon system with two strong horizontal cordons, the standard T bar system and the umbrella system are the most commonly used training systems.

Pruning is one of the important aspects of vine management to obtain consistently good yields and fruit quality each growing season. Dormant pruning is done in late autumn or winter before the growth begins. The one-year-old hardwood cuttings can be left as fruiting canes and are cut back to 5 to 9 buds, and sometimes to more than 10 buds if the “cane pruning” technique is used. For the hardwood cuttings to obtain renewal shoots, they have to be cut back to 2 to 4 buds. Summer pruning is done during early growing season by thinning and pinching.

Several fertilizer applications are usually carried per year in most vineyards. In general, three or four applications of chemical fertilizers are applied after bud break, at flowering, during rapid growth of young fruit, and during the maturation of grape berries. Nitrogenous and phosphorous fertilizer are usually supplied for the first two or three applications while only potash fertilizer is used during the maturation of berries. Moreover, a high quantity of manure (more than 30 t) is often applied after harvest or in late autumn. The last manure application is very important for obtaining a high grape quality because of the rather low content of organic matter in the soil.

China’s continental climate produces hot, usually rainy summers, and very dry and cold winters. It is therefore necessary to supply supplementary irrigation for growing grapes in most regions. Two supplies of irrigation, one before the vines are heeled and the other one after bud break are obligatory to have a normal growth of the vines and to obtain a good yield. Irrigation is not recommended one to two months before harvest, especially for wine grapes. The climatic conditions are very variable in China. For example, it is very hot and humid in summer in the Yangtze valley, but very dry in the region of Xingjiang. Diseases are therefore, found to be different from one region to another. The main grape diseases in China are given in Table 4 according to their incidence in the various regions.

A few insects can endanger grape production in commercial vineyards. Main grape insects are the comstock mealy bug (Pseudococcus comstocki Kuwanna), scale (Parthenolecanium cormi Borchs), grape leafhopper (Erythroneura apicalis Nawa), grape horn worn (Ampelophaga rubiginosa Bremer et Grey), boston ivy tiger-moth (Seudyra subflava Moore), grape leaf beetle (Oides decempunctata Bilberg), grape erinose mite (Colomerus vitis Pagenstecher), grape bunch mite (Brevipalpus lewisi McGregor), grape clear wing moth (Paranthrene regalis Butler) and grape borer (Xylotrechus pyrrhoderus Bates).

   Table 4. Main Grape Diseases Occurring on a Region-Wise Basis

6. HARVESTING AND YIELDS

Only several years ago, grape yields were very high in China, especially in the case of table grapes. Many growers obtained very high yields, as much as 40 to 60 t/ha, and sometimes up to 100 t/ha, but obviously at the expense of grape quality. Consequently, sugar content in the grapes was too low to be used for wine making and table grapes were non-marketable or sold at very low prices. In recent years, growers paid more attention to grape quality than to yield. The productivity is now severely controlled in most vineyards. The grapevines usually enter into bearing in the second or third year after planting and mature vines may produce 20 to 30 tonnes per hectare in irrigated vineyards in order to obtain a higher quality of grapes. The general information is given in Table 5 with respect to the date of harvest and the quality characteristics of wine grapes produced in North China (in Pindu, Shandong province).

Table 5. Harvest Date and General Quality of some Wine Grapes Produced in Pindu (Shandong Province)

Source: Zhusheng Dong, 1992

 7. MARKETING

Most fruits produced in China are traded in the national marketing system. The volume of exported fruits is very small, averaging about 600,000 tonnes per year or 1.2 percent of total national production (Table 6). The situation with regard to grape marketing is the same as for other fruits. 650 tonnes of grapes and 1,100 tonnes of raisins were exported in 1997. This volume of grape exports ranks sixth in fruit exports of the People’s Republic of China following apples, citrus, pears, bananas and peaches (nectarines included). However, the volume of grapes imported is much more significant if compared with that exported. Nearly 4800 tones of grapes were imported in 1997, some 7.4 times more than that exported. This import was essentially from USA and most of these grapes imported were the Red globe variety. With regard to raisins imported into China, the volume is less than that exported. Nearly 460 tonnes of raisins were imported in 1997, which amounted to about half of that exported.

Table 6. Fruit Exports and Imports in China (1997)