Sales of Changyu Jiebaina surpassed 400 million bottles, making it the world's largest single wine product in terms of sales, said the company last month.

Changyu Pioneer Wine Co Ltd, a 123-year-old wine producer, released the information at the 2015 China National Sugar and Alcoholic Commodities Fair held in Chengdu from March 26 to 28. "Changyu Jiebaina is six years older than me," said John Salvi, chief winemaker and honorary owner of Chateau Changyu Baron Balboa Xinjiang.

The 78-year-old said the cabernet gernischt cultivated by the Chinese gives Jiebaina a unique aroma and enriched the world's vine and wine profile.

In 1892, when Changyu's founder Zhang Bishi, an overseas Chinese in Indonesia, brought about 120 vine varieties from Europe to Yantai, where Changyu is headquartered, Changyu started to cultivate its own grape varieties for high-end wines.

After numerous field trials, the company finally cultivated a new variety of cabernet gernischt by grafting, or combining, an imported vine with a vine growing wild. The grape it yielded is rich in sugar and has high resistance to pests and diseases. In 1931, Changyu Jiebaina, a dry red wine, was made from the grape. Salvi said Changyu Jiebaina has world-class quality and is endowed with Chinese culture.

"With generations of effort, we have formed unique wine production techniques and viniculture to produce Changyu Jiebaina," said Zhou Hongjiang, general manager of the company.

Changyu Jiebaina was awarded a gold medal at a quality products selection held in Brussels in 1987 and was the only Asian wine to be honored as one of the world's top 30 wine brands at the Salon International de l'Alimentation, an international food and drink expo held in Paris in 2008. Wine critic Jancis Robinson gave Jiebaina a "distinguished" 16 out of 20 score after tasting the wine in 2012.

"Changyu's incredible chateaus, wine quality as well as wine culture-related tourism convinced me of China's future in the wine market," said Frank Kammer MS, a German sommelier who now works as the chief sommelier for Changyu.

"Changyu Jiebaina is not only enjoyed by Chinese consumers but recognized by overseas consumers," said Zhou.

Since 2006, Changyu Jiebaina has been sold in 28 countries across the world, including Germany, Italy and France.

The wine was the first China-made one to enter the European mainstream market and is available in more than 3,000 outlets of supermarkets, shops and hotels in Europe.

The wine hit the shelves of Waitrose, the sixth-largest grocery retailer in the United Kingdom, in 2012.

"Changyu's achievement shows the world that China has the ability to make the world's premium wine," said Wang Qi, deputy director and secretary-general of the China Alcoholic Drinks Association.

Contact the writers at juchuanjiang@chinadaily.com.cn and zhaoruixue@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 04/14/2015 page7)