Wine, Tea, Baijiu & Cheese | China and EU Team Up for Protection

This isn’t a sexy term – geographical indications. But it matters for many goods that excite our senses, from the tongue-tingling sparkling wine of Champagne to the sublime tea of Pu’er to the umami-loaded baijiu of Guizhou and cheese of Emilia-Romagna.

These products now have added protection thanks to a pact between the European Union and China that came into effect this week, a pact that protects 100 geographical indications – or GIs – from each side, with 350 more to come.

GIF source：GIPHY

For China, teas lead the way. There are also loads of fruits – Shandong apples, Gannan oranges, Anyue lemons – plus baijius, goji berries, gingers and even four grape wine regions – in Ningxia, Hebei, Shandong and Liaoning.

GIF source：GIPHY

But for the European Union, wine rules. Over half of its 100 entries are wine GIs, and hail from ten nations.

Bordeaux from France. Mosel from Germany. Tokaj from Hungary. Barberesco from Italy. Douro from Portugal. And more.

The importance of place — geographical indications — to European wine could not be starker. And it should be increasingly important in China, now the EU’s biggest trading partner, where wine consumers are growing in number, spending power and sophistication.

GIF source：GIPHY

The products on these GI lists are cultural touchstones. And just as China wants to share more tea and baijiu with the world, so, too, does Europe want more Chinese consumers to discover rich complex Gran Reserve from Rioja, aromatic Gewurtztraminer from Alsace and the timelessness of some vintage Ports.

If you feel like celebrating, then maybe pop open this bottle of tasty wine from Chateauneuf-du-Pape — that region is also covered in the pact.

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Original by Jim Boyce, Grape Wall of China 葡萄围城

Tap here to learn more about grapes and wine-drinking.

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