China Is Building a Literal City of Wine

Chateaux, moats and a brandy temple — where do we sign?

May 11, 2017 9:00 am EDT

What a grape, er, great idea: A city of wine.

In a larger piece on China’s booming vino industry — they’re now the world’s second-largest wine grower by vineyard area — Bloomberg unearthed the amazing concept of Wine City.

A resort city on China’s northeast coast (near North Korea), Wine City is 1000-acre, near-billion dollar wine amusement park from Chinese spirits giant Changyu, replete with chateaus (one dubbed “a white neo-Gothic structure that looks like the set of Monty Python and the Holy Grail”), artificial moats and a temple to brandy making. As well, there’s a champagne flute-decorated skyscraper housing scientists dedicated to perfecting vintages, along with tasting rooms and numerous bars.

The area will, of course, produce wine. Bloomberg describes the winemaking facilities as a “series of cathedrals or gleaming airplane hangers” that could be the world’s largest wine production site.

Meet your guide

Kirk Miller

Kirk Miller

Kirk Miller is InsideHook’s Senior Lifestyle Editor (and longest-serving resident). He writes a lot about whisk(e)y, cocktails, consumer goods and artificial intelligence.
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