The Yantai region in Shandong Province on the Yellow Sea is unlike anywhere else in China. Here you can visit the fairyland Penglai Pavilion or the immense Nanshan Grand Buddha Statue; partake of amazing fresh seafood dishes; or tour the chateaus and vineyards of China’s burgeoning wine industry. Surprisingly, the country has begun an exciting love affair with wine, and vineyards are springing up as European investors have poured more than 150 million Euros into the effort.

The Chinese are now the largest consumers of wine, and the winemakers here are the world’s 7th largest producer of grape wines. Yantai’s wine region is known as Nava Valley. There are several large wineries open for visitors, with cellar tours and tasting rooms; it’s an extremely interesting and unexpected side trip to take them in. They strive hard to offer expected Western amenities such as golf, spa services, five-star gourmet dining and chateau lodging. The result is a strangely charming, and often amusing, near-miss hybrid of Eastern traditions and a clearly Chinese interpretation of Western tourism.

Check out Chateau Junding, clearly modeled after the French tradition and employing a combination of Old World methods, with French Oak aging barrels, and New World, with the stainless steel vats used to crush the grapes. In a gorgeous setting they produce four varieties of red wine, two of white, as well as brandy and their newest endeavor, champagne.

Nearby is Changyu Winery, the first Asian vineyard to make it onto the Top Ten Global Wineries list, in 2007. It was also the first winery in China, established in 1892 and winning gold medals by the 1915 World Expo for their red rosewine and reisling. Their Great Cellar building, the largest wine cellar in Asia, was completed in 1905 and makes for an interesting tour not just for the winemaking, but the historic value as well. Some of the original barrels, over one hundred years old, are still used in Changyu’s production, which puts out a million and a half bottles of wine annually.

Some of the wines are quite good, particularly the reds; others have a long way to go, but the fun of the Chinese wine scene is that it is still taking baby steps. The excitement lies in seeing the birth of New World wines, much as if we could go back in time thirty years to the Napa Valley or several hundred to France or Italy. A great time to visit Yantai is in September for the International Wine Festival; but there are so many other things to enjoy in this coastal region as well, with its thousands of kilometers of sandy beaches ringed by cliffs and mountains.

If You Go:
Visit the China Tourism Office for more information - http://www.cnto.org/

East Tours specializes in custom, private tours that open the door to the world's most culturally rich destinations - http://east-tours.com/

Wine Portfolio is a television series showcasing wine producing regions, with an upcoming show on China - http://www.wineportfolio.com/

Air China can get you there - http://www.air-china.us/