Daoism and innovation in Chinese wine: Meet Longting vineyard

It’s difficult not to be impressed when you meet Song Yan, owner of Longting Vineyard in Yantai – Penglai, which sits in the northernmost part of Shandong peninsula in China. Passionate about wine, she has created a family winery from scratch, one that she intends to pass down through future generations, emulating the great châteaux of Burgundy and Bordeaux.

Song Yan’s love of wine burgeoned when she moved to Australia to study, but it was on returning to the agriculturally rich Shandong province that the dream of having her own winery was born. It wasn’t long before Song Yan set off around the world, travelling to France, Italy and the US to research winemaking in multiple regions and gather inspiration for the kind of winery she wanted to create back at home.

Finding a path

Longting Vineyard sits on the same latitude as Sicily, Stellenbosch and Mendoza, just 3km from the Yellow Sea in a microclimate, shaped by mountains and sea breezes. Its approach to winemaking adopts the eastern principles of Daoism – pursuing a harmony between heaven, earth and humans – but also the western teachings of biodynamic viticulture.

Grapes are hand-picked, winemaking involves minimal intervention and a biodiverse philosophy forbids tilling: ‘This is how ancient wisdom meets modern winemaking at Longting’, says Song Yan.

Choosing varieties

Taking advice from international viticultural experts and her local winemaker, Song Yan chose four key varieties that suited the terroir in Yantai-Penglai – Petit Manseng, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc and Marselan.

Petit Manseng, a thick-skinned, late-ripening grape traditionally used to make sweet wines in southwest France, thrives in Yantai-Penglai with its dry autumns. Longting produces both a late-harvest off-dry style of Petit Manseng, as well as a dry white, displaying aromas of lemon and honeysuckle and a strong acidic backbone.

Marselan, a crossing of Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon and one of four red grape varieties recently chosen to help Bordeaux producers adapt to climate change, is elegant here, showing red as well as black fruits and good potential to age.

Cabernet Franc from this region offers refined structure and vibrant fruit character typical of this coastal terroir. In future innovations, Longting is looking to blend its Cabernet Franc with Cabernet Sauvignon from Xinjiang – where the variety is well-suited – as this new world region has no restrictions on interregional blending.

Taking on the UK

Now, Song Yan’s travels have brought her to the UK and the London Wine Fair, where she’s begun spreading the word about modern Chinese wine. She believes her wines match the current consumer trend for lighter, fresher styles. Longting’s strategy, Song Yan explains, has always been to drive sales on-trade through food pairing at outstanding restaurants and the UK will be no different.

A perfect partner for the Lu cuisine of the Shandong region, traditionally challenging to pair with wine, Song Yan says her wines take international cuisine in their stride. Proud to be an ambassador for Chinese wines, which have come a long way, fast, she credits a hardworking and passionate wine community and suggests that this is just the beginning, and that consumers should look out for Longting wines coming to restaurants near them soon. Alternatively, if you’re visiting China, seek out the vineyard for immersive wine tasting experiences.

Longting Vineyard won three awards at this year’s Decanter World Wine Awards, including gold for its Reserve Sea Breeze Chardonnay. Made from 80% Chardonnay and 20% Petit Manseng, it was said to have beguiling white blossom, melon and peach perfume, which prevails over the invigorating citrus peel acidity and mineral undertow, with an intriguing bitter almond twist at the end.

Distributed in the UK by Vinum Eurus Ltd.

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