A state giant
China Great Wall Wine Company was founded in 1983 in Shacheng, the county town of Huailai, north-west of Beijing, near the Great Wall that gave it its name. It belongs to COFCO, the state-owned food group, and for decades it was one of the best-known wine brands in China, alongside Changyu and Dynasty.
A list of firsts
According to the company, Great Wall produced China's first dry white wine in 1979, its first dry red in 1983 and its first traditional-method sparkling wine in 1989. Its roots are in the experimental vineyard that later became Chateau Sungod, in the Sanggan River basin.
Estates across China
Great Wall has grown into a network of estates in several provinces: in Hebei, including Chateau Sungod, the Shacheng, Huaxia and Zhuolu wineries; in Shandong, a winery in Penglai; in Ningxia; and in Xinjiang.
Wines of the state
Great Wall wines have long been a natural choice for official occasions in Beijing. They were served to US president Barack Obama in 2009, and at the 2017 state dinner for President Donald Trump most of the wines came from Chateau Sungod.
Why it matters
Great Wall is part of the history of modern Chinese wine: the brand that, for millions of Chinese drinkers, was the first taste of grape wine.