Chinese Brandy: Since 1914
Long before Chinese whisky, there was Chinese brandy. And it won a prize in San Francisco in 1915.
Long before Chinese whisky, there was Chinese brandy. It was born in a winery by the sea, and it won a prize in San Francisco in 1915.
A winery by the sea
The story begins with Zhang Bishi (张弼士), a Chinese businessman who had made his fortune in Southeast Asia. In 1892 he founded Changyu (张裕) in Yantai, on the coast of Shandong, bringing in European vines and winemaking equipment. It was the birth of modern Chinese wine.
Changyu made its first bottle of wine in 1899. Brandy came next.
The first bottle
Brandy is distilled from grape wine and then aged in oak barrels. In 1914, Changyu made China's first brandy, using grapes grown in Shandong and a method learned from European winemakers. The name 白兰地 (báilándì) is simply the sound of the word "brandy" written in Chinese characters.
San Francisco, 1915
The next year, at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco, Changyu's wines and its Koya Brandy (可雅白兰地) received the highest award, the Grand Prize. It was the first international recognition for Chinese wine and brandy, and a moment of national pride in a turbulent period of Chinese history.
Brandy in China today
Chinese brandy is still made today, with Changyu's Koya range among the best known. Other wineries in Shandong, Xinjiang and other grape regions also distil brandy. It is mostly drunk in China, often at banquets, but some producers are working on aged, premium brandies to compete with Cognac.
What it tastes like
Like other grape brandies: dried fruit, vanilla and wood from the oak, with more sweetness and roundness in the younger styles. Aged versions are smoother and more complex.
How to drink it
Neat in a small tulip glass, at room temperature, after dinner. Or in a classic brandy cocktail, such as a Sidecar, for a Chinese twist on a French favourite.
Changyu today
Changyu is still one of China's largest wine producers. Its historic cellars in Yantai, dug in the early 20th century, are now a museum and part of China's national industrial heritage.
In one sentence
Chinese brandy was born in Yantai in 1914 and won its first international prize a year later in San Francisco.
Sources
- Changyu: China's century-old wine legend — Decanter, 2024
- A century of history — Changyu (official website)
- Changyu listed as national industrial heritage — China Daily, 2018