The New State Hunter Valley is picturesque with grape vines. (Web Photo)
According to Chinanews.com, the Hunter Valley (Hunter Valley), in New Australia has nothing to do with Hunter. Locals say Hunter is the last name of a celebrity many years ago. Time passed, celebrities have long been forgotten, and this land, but always shining. As Australia's oldest wine producer, Hunter Valley's history, culture, is being pursued by more and more wine lovers, sparkling new life.
Drive 150 kilometers north from downtown Sydney to Hunter Valley. Grape harvest season has just passed, the farm is still lush, occasionally encounter the kangaroo foraging, see pedestrians, immediately stand up, curious to look over.
In 1788, a British fleet arrived in Australia's new state, along with the ancient vines of Europe, according to the data. They planted this vine in the rocky area of (The Rocks)., now not far from Sydney Harbor. His successors had been searching for a home for the grapes until a winemaker discovered the beautiful valley of Hunter Valley, which in 1824 succeeded in planting the first batch of grapes to produce Australia's first bottle of wine. Today, more than 140 wineries, each grape variety, brewing methods, family history, and even the landscape in vineyards vary.
At Hunter Valley Resort, staff member Danny introduces Hunter Valley's variety of wines, such as Jane. He said he was a local, working here for four years and dealing with numerous tourists. Among them, there are also many Chinese tourists. Over time, he learned many Chinese words related to wine, such as sweet wine, brandy, whisky, etc.
"Chinese tourists like to buy our best wine, often a dozen, two dozen. They are so discerning, "Danny said.
In contact with Chinese tourists, Danny has also inspired interest in China. Never been to China, he decided to travel to China in September, visit the Forbidden City in Beijing, and see the Terracotta Warriors in Xi'an.
In recent years, with the rapid development of China's economic and the improvement of people's living standards, the demand for wine in the Chinese market is increasing, and many Chinese investors have focused their attention on the winery acquisition. Ning Yizhi, president of Real Madrid Group Limited, was the first Chinese to enter Hunter Valley with capacity (planting, brewing, exporting).
As early as 2006, Ning entered the wine industry. More than 20 years ago, he emigrated from Hong Kong to Australia because some friends in the country liked to drink red wine and needed to regularly ship goods for them, so he simply invested in wine in South Australia. At that time, Chinese wine business was not too many. More importantly, he is acutely aware of the prospects for Sino-Australian economic and trade ties, and the wine industry has grown for at least a decade. It now appears that the original judgment was correct.
Ning admitted that, like many people, although he had invested in the wine industry, he did not know the history of Australian wine at that time. Then we have to go back to the source. He visited Hunter Valley many times. Hunter Valley's core production, which accounts for only 5% of Australia's wine production, is rare in China.
After several twists and turns, Ning Yizhi bought a winery. The winery, the largest single Siraz variety in Hunter Valley, was fully operated by Wynnham (Wyndham Estate Wines), one of Australia's largest wine companies.
There are more than one hundred and forty four thousand vineyards grown in the Real Madrid winery. The trees are 10 years old, 20 years old, and the oldest are more than 50 years old. Ning Yizhi said that Australia is known as the "kingdom of Sila" in the wine world, and only high-quality grapes can produce high-quality wines, while Real Madrid Chateau has grown the old Fujiraz in 1969. Real Madrid proud of the Hunter Valley high-quality grape varieties.
After entering Hunter Valley, Ning Yizhi specially tested the wine appraiser's certificate. From planting, brewing, designing, every process, he was personally involved. In fact, from investing in the wine industry, he has set the goal of "walking his own way", insisting not to make a bottle of fake wine and not engage in low-cost competition. In 2018, he responded to the requirements of China's government for "global track back" in food safety. Every bottle of real Madrid entering the Chinese market has a track back on it.
Wine lovers know that wine is not good to drink, and grape planting, harvest time, soil, climate, brewing methods, storage, and so on, are inseparable. These strict requirements can only be fully met by experienced wineries. Ning Yizhi said: "in addition to these, more important is enthusiasm." Wine is something made in heaven, and we must treat it with truth. "