A French wine culture centre is planned for Beijing and may be open before the end of this year.

French politicians have met several times – most recently yesterday – with a delegation of Chinese private investors, according to French newspaper Sud Ouest.

Ya Ding, who heads an association that promotes Franco-Chinese cultural relations, said the Chinese consortium hoped to launch an “embassy with a mission to explain the world of wine to the Chinese general public”.

Ding also said the group sought advice and ideas, rather than funding – and emphasised the importance of support from the French authorities to help stem the problem of endemic counterfeiting, which is beginning to take its toll on the reputation of French wine.

The centre would initially have a footprint of 1,000 square metres, and stock DOC wines.

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Written by Maggie Rosen

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Maggie Rosen
Maggie Rosen
Decanter Magazine, Wine Writer & Editor

Maggie Rosen is a wine journalist, editor and author, hailing from New York but based in London. Aside from Decanter, she has contributed to the Financial Times, The Drinks Business, Harpers Wine and Spirit Weekly, The Wall Street Journal, The World of Fine Wine and Meininger's Wine Business International. She is also a member of the Circle of Wine Writers.