Changyu, chinese wine, sainsbury's
Barrels in the Chateau Changyu-Castel wine cellar in China's Shandong province.
(Image credit: Armin Faber / Bon Appetit / Alamy Stock Photo)

Chinese wine has made a new inroad in the UK after one of the country's leading supermarkets, Sainsbury's, said it would place a wine made by Changyu Pioneer Wine Co on its shelves.

Sainsbury’s has added Changyu’s Noble Dragon Red to its wine range, the supermarket announced this week to coincide with Chinese New Year.

Noble Dragon Red is at the value end of the Changyu range, priced at an ‘introductory offer’ of £8 per bottle in Sainsbury’s.

It is a ‘Cabernet Gernischt’ with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc blended in, from the Yantai region. Cabernet Gernischt is the name given to Carmenère in China.

The move follows the launch of Changyu wines at Berry Bros & Rudd, the London-based independent merchant known to supply the Queen’s wine cellar.

‘We know customers are keen to broaden their repertoire and we’ve been looking to some distinctive regions and countries for new additions to expand our range,’ said Georgina Haughton, Sainsbury’s wine buyer for South Africa, South America and China.

Changyu is known domestically as China’s oldest wine producer, having been founded in 1892.

Changyu’s wines have graced the tables of Chinese government banquets and, despite some financial difficulties, the company has been at the forefront of wine’s rising popularity in China.

Vineyards growing Marselan grapes

Marselan growing in the Rhône.
(Image credit: Per Karlsson, BKWine 2 / Alamy Stock Photo)

Marselan: Why it could be a ‘signature grape’ of Chinese wines

Can this lesser-known French variety win in China?

Ningxia from Decanter Magazines

Ningxia has been tipped as China's most promising fine wine region
(Image credit: Credit Unknown)

Cabernet Sauvignon reigns in Chinese wine regions, shows report

Chateau Changyu

Chateau Changyu
(Image credit: Credit Unknown)

Berry Bros ‘first to permanently list’ Chinese wine

Berry Bros and Rudd has announced it is the first major UK retailer to give Chinese wines a permanent place

Chris Mercer
Chris Mercer

Chris Mercer is a Bristol-based freelance editor and journalist who spent nearly four years as digital editor of Decanter.com, having previously been Decanter’s news editor across online and print.

He has written about, and reported on, the wine and food sectors for more than 10 years for both consumer and trade media.

Chris first became interested in the wine world while living in Languedoc-Roussillon after completing a journalism Masters in the UK. These days, his love of wine commonly tests his budgeting skills.

Beyond wine, Chris also has an MSc in food policy and has a particular interest in sustainability issues. He has also been a food judge at the UK’s Great Taste Awards.