Though the history of viticulture in China, India, Japan and Russia dates as far back as one thousand years in some cases, very little is known in mainstream wine circles about oenology in these four nations known mostly for tea, rice wine and vodka.

Believe it or not however, in thirty years time, it could very well be a tannic, heavy red from China on your table rather than a Bordeaux, Chianti or even Shiraz from Australia or California Zin. The fact of the matter is that Asia and Russia, more flush with inside and outside investment than ever, not to mention a lust for Western luxury and taste, are doubly poised to unleash the most awesome viticulture revolution of our time.

China

First, China. How could it come as a surprise to anybody that the country with the most upside economically on the planet, home to one-quarter of humankind and in the throes of a record middle and upper class boom, has developed a thirst for fine wine? As China’s doors to the world have opened over the past decades, two-way knowledge exchanges in just about every discipline imagineable has had a profound impact on how the West sees the nation of 1.4 billion, and vice versa.

One result has been France’s influence in China since 1980 in the realm of vineyard operations and wine production. Although grape cultivation and spirits had been a reality in China for well over 4,000 years, the fact of the matter is that it took expert intervention from France’s top regions to turn the tides in favour of modern wine techniques. Today, while total per capita consumption is a relative pittance, projections for 2050 look to put China on top in the world, especially in red wine, which accounts for 90% of wine sales in the country. As such, notable wine regions like Yantai, Yibin and Ningxia will become more and more mainstream around the world, let alone in China.

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India

India too, has a heritage of grape cultivation that was imported from Persia as far back as 2,000 BC. Though wines from the country are still relative newcomers in most markets, that is about to change. Demand alone among native Indians is fast on the rise, as the young especially, primary beneficiaries of the economy’s surge in recent times, develop a taste for wine in lieu of old standards, beer and whisky.

With regions capable of dual crop production a year, India’s climate can be ideal for the production of beautiful wines – in the right hands of course. Look out for wines in the near future from the Deccan Plateau of Maharashtra, Punjab in the north and to the extreme south, Tamil Nadu.

Japan

Real wine connoisseurs know full well that Japan has had a devout passion for viticulture for quite some time. Like the other regions on our list however, for better or for worse, word and publicity seems to trickle out at a snail’s pace. All good wine to those who wait, we say. So while grapes have been grown in Japan since 800 BC, it was not until the Portuguese came in the 16th century that a local taste for wine began to foment.

Like the other nations on our list, production for some time was on par with basic table wine, with more refinement to evolve in recent decades as imports from Europe grew enough to warrant a change in national production. As a result, wines from regions like Miyazaki Prefecture, Kyoto, Niigata Prefecture and Yamagata Prefecture are definitely ones to look out for in the not-too distant future.

Discover some great hotels in Japan that afford easy access to some of the most spectacular vineyards in Asia.

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