Adventures on the China Wine Trail

How Farmers, Local Governments, Teachers, and Entrepreneurs Are Rocking the Wine World

Cynthia Howson and Pierre Ly

Could China take over the wine world? Cynthia Howson and Pierre Ly explore how Chinese wine went from being ignored and ridiculed to earning gold medals and praise by famous critics in less than a decade.

Wine made in… China? Until recently, for most people, at best, it didn’t exist. Or at worst, as one colorful tasting note described, it evoked: “ash tray, coffee grounds, and urinal crust.” Then, a 2009 Chinese red shocked the world when it won Best Bordeaux Blend at the Decanter World Wine Awards. Could China take over the wine world?

Cynthia Howson and Pierre Ly provide a knowledgeable and exuberant exploration of how Chinese wine went from being ignored and ridiculed to earning gold medals and praise by famous critics in less than a decade. They take the reader along on their adventure on the China wine trail to meet the farmers, entrepreneurs, and teachers who are shaping this new industry. They travel to Chinese wine tourism hotspots, talk to winemakers who struggle to find good wine grapes, and visit lush mountaintops and arid deserts to see what French multinational corporations have in common with small family farms. Then, they visit a Chinese wine school to meet professors and their students eager to join the wine work force. They reveal where they bought the best local wines as they give travelers new insights on China and ideas for Chinese wine tourism. Readers interested in current affairs, economic development, and business in China will find that wine offers a clear lens for understanding the larger issues facing the country.

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 210 • Trim: 6⅜ x 9⅜

978-1-5381-3352-1 • Hardback • February 2020 • $38.00 • (£30.00)

978-1-5381-3353-8 • eBook • February 2020 • $36.00 • (£30.00)

Subjects: Travel / Asia / China, Social Science / Agriculture & Food, Cooking / Beverages / Alcoholic / Wine

Adventures on the China Wine Trail

How Farmers, Local Governments, Teachers, and Entrepreneurs Are Rocking the Wine World

Hardback

eBook

Summary

Could China take over the wine world? Cynthia Howson and Pierre Ly explore how Chinese wine went from being ignored and ridiculed to earning gold medals and praise by famous critics in less than a decade.

Wine made in… China? Until recently, for most people, at best, it didn’t exist. Or at worst, as one colorful tasting note described, it evoked: “ash tray, coffee grounds, and urinal crust.” Then, a 2009 Chinese red shocked the world when it won Best Bordeaux Blend at the Decanter World Wine Awards. Could China take over the wine world?

Cynthia Howson and Pierre Ly provide a knowledgeable and exuberant exploration of how Chinese wine went from being ignored and ridiculed to earning gold medals and praise by famous critics in less than a decade. They take the reader along on their adventure on the China wine trail to meet the farmers, entrepreneurs, and teachers who are shaping this new industry. They travel to Chinese wine tourism hotspots, talk to winemakers who struggle to find good wine grapes, and visit lush mountaintops and arid deserts to see what French multinational corporations have in common with small family farms. Then, they visit a Chinese wine school to meet professors and their students eager to join the wine work force. They reveal where they bought the best local wines as they give travelers new insights on China and ideas for Chinese wine tourism. Readers interested in current affairs, economic development, and business in China will find that wine offers a clear lens for understanding the larger issues facing the country.

Details

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 210 • Trim: 6⅜ x 9⅜

978-1-5381-3352-1 • Hardback • February 2020 • $38.00 • (£30.00)

978-1-5381-3353-8 • eBook • February 2020 • $36.00 • (£30.00)

Subjects: Travel / Asia / China, Social Science / Agriculture & Food, Cooking / Beverages / Alcoholic / Wine

Author

Cynthia Howson is senior lecturer in ethnic, gender, and labor studies at the University of Washington Tacoma.

Pierre Ly is associate professor of international political economy at the University of Puget Sound, where he teaches a popular course about the idea of wine.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

1 From China to Bordeaux . . . and Back

2 Sea, Sand, and Shandong

3 The Revenge of the Xixia

4 Tai Duo Le! Too Many!

5 For Rent

6 Back to School

7 Superpowered Grapes and Superhero Winemakers

8 The Mountain Guide

9 Bubbly on the Rocks

10 Filling Our Wine Suitcase

11 Coming to America

12 What’s Next?

Notes

Bibliography

About the Authors

Reviews

The authors bring readers on a wine-soaked journey through Chinese wine production that educates as well as elucidates. . . The determination of farmers and entrepreneurs to succeed gives this book its overall positive tone. A wonderful read.
— Booklist

. . .a fast-paced journey through the world of Chinese wines that will appeal to readers who love wine, China, travel, or who are just looking for a good adventure yarn. Highly recommended.
— The Wine Economist

This coming-of-age tale of China’s fledgling modern wine industry is unfolding in front of our eyes. Vivid storytelling, laugh-out-loud witticism, intellectual rigor, sharp observations, and thought-provoking questions for the future—it is as if I am with Cynthia and Pierre on their adventure. This book is informative and relevant for the here and now and will become a time capsule of the Chinese wine industry that relates a most fascinating period in its development—let us all bear witness and participate in its growth story!
— Janet Z. Wang, author of The Chinese Wine Renaissance

Written in a smart, conversational style with flashes of humor, Howson and Ly’s intrepid investigation is an excellent primer on the complexities of China’s ambitions in wine.
— Suzanne Mustacich, author of Thirsty Dragon

Features

7/2/20: University of Puget Sound published alumni profile on Pierre Ly, “The Accidental Wine Expert.”
Link: https://www.pugetsound.edu/stories/detail/the-accidental-wine-expert/?fbclid=IwAR2uvcRzV3R4r-jBixRaZNmy8arUYG9H9Sl_QzhpTIkwyrEJm7d9MPGuS3M

9/15/20: The Wine Economist published book excerpt.
Link: https://wineeconomist.com/2020/09/15/book-excerpt/

Awards

• Winner, Gourmand International's Best in the world. Book in Wine and Spirits Tourism (2020)

Adventures on the China Wine Trail

How Farmers, Local Governments, Teachers, and Entrepreneurs Are Rocking the Wine World

Cynthia Howson and Pierre Ly

Adventures on the China Wine Trail

How Farmers, Local Governments, Teachers, and Entrepreneurs Are Rocking the Wine World

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