Discovering the optimal terroir for pinot noir in China. The case of Tianshui

oleh: Mihalis Boutaris, Javier Bobo Pinilla, YongPing Yang

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: Université de Bourgogne 2021-12-01

Deskripsi

The experience of the pioneering vineyard venture of M. Boutari & Co Ltd in Gansu Province is presented as supporting evidence to our thesis that Tianshui could be considered as an optimal place to grow Pinot Noir in China. The original investment was based on the idea that Tianshui has an untypically temperate macroclimate extremely rarely encountered in China that could be conducive to high-quality winemaking. Comparative research on the weather conditions of Chinese wine regions was conducted; furthermore, the actual vineyard microclimate was studied based on daily meteorological data. Additional “terroir” parameters (the loess soil, disease, weed & pest control, human & social considerations), as well as grapevine sourcing and varietal adaptation, were assessed since the project onset in 2008. Wine was made and evaluated during three pilot vintages from 2015-2017 with the first vintage release made in 2018. The results themselves, as well as the market acceptance of the wine produced, suggest that our original hypothesis was correct. This work intends to draw more attention to further develop the status of Tianshui as a promising new appellation for Pinot Noir in the wine world.