Changyu Wine Culture Museum

The Changyu Wine Culture Museum, established in 1992, is located at No.56, Liuma Road, Zhifu District, Yantai City. As the only specialized wine museum in China, it tells the story of the Changyu Winery and attracts a large number of famous people and tourists from home and abroad.

In 1892, when the Westernization Movement was booming, Zhang Bishi, a Chinese living in Malaysia, founded the Changyu Winery in Yantai. His goal was to produce high-quality wine products. In 1915, at the Panama Pacific Exposition, their products -- brandy, red wine and Riesling -- were awarded not only certificates of merit, but also gold medals. The winery has kept its distinction to the present day and has become one of the top 500 industrial enterprises in China.

This museum consists of a hundred year old underground cellar in addition to exhibition halls that vividly highlight Changyu’s glorious history. The four-story museum is composed of a great hall, a history hall, a modern hall, a calligraphy hall and a collection hall. The hardships and glory of the Chinese wine industry are shown through accurate data, valuable pictures and historic objects. The large cellar was built in 1894 and has an area of 3,054 square meters (3,653 square yards). It is more than seven meters (23 feet) deep and was once called ‘the biggest underground cellar in Asia’. It stores about 600 oak wine barrels in 14 different standards. Among these oak wine barrels are three well-preserved large barrels from 1908 which are made of oak from France. Each of them can hold about 15 thousand liters of wine and now they are exhibits.

Besides the museum, visitors can go to Changyu Chateau, where they can pick and taste various kinds of grapes. The whole process of making wine can also be seen in the chateau.

In the museum, one can learn how to choose a fine wine. Here are some basic tips to choose an appropriate one.
1. Red wine is usually served with red meat, cheese, and food with sauces, while white wines go well with fish and vegetables.
2. The price of wine varies according to the quality and usually the decent wine is always expensive, so you should avoid cheap wine. However, this rule is not always s true. Sometimes, a well tasting wine is not inexpensive.
3. The vintage is an important factor in picking a bottle of wine. Generally speaking, the older the wine is, the better it will taste. This is particularly true of French and Italian wines.
4. The color also needs to be taken into consideration. A good wine should be transparent. One can also see the flowing speed. The slower it pours, the better the quality.

Further Reading

Best Chinese Wines - Top 10 Brands for You to Choose