Grace Vineyard is one of the pioneers of quality wine in China. It was founded in 1997 by Chun-Keung Chan, a businessman who traded coal in Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi, and who was troubled by the pollution caused by mining. Looking for a cleaner business that could involve his whole family, he decided to create a boutique winery like those he had seen in the wine villages of France. The Bordeaux expert Denis Boubals assessed the area and chose Taigu for its extreme continental climate. Its Chinese name, 怡园, means 'garden of joy'.
When Grace was founded, spirits still dominated dinner tables in Shanxi. In 2002 Chan handed the winery to his daughter Judy, a University of Michigan graduate then working at Goldman Sachs in Hong Kong, who built it into one of the best-known Chinese wine brands. The first wines were released in 2001, and in 2018 Grace became the first Chinese fine wine estate listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
A family in every bottle
The ranges carry the names of the family: Chairman's Reserve honours the founder; the single-varietal Tasya's Reserve wines are dedicated to Judy's elder daughter; the sparkling range is named after her younger daughter, Angelina. The flagship Bordeaux blend, Deep Blue, is Judy's own creation.
A new chapter
In December 2025 Yang Lingjiang, founder of the alcohol retailer 1919, acquired 73.63% of the company and became its controlling shareholder. Since then Grace has moved towards a broader drinks business, including an investment in a historic sauce aroma baijiu brand from Guizhou, while stating that it will keep its boutique positioning in wine.