Michel Bettane: Chinese Wine Now Outshines France in Technical Precision
2025-11-03 3 MIN READ
French wine critic Michel Bettane says the overall technical standard of Chinese wines now surpasses what he and his team often encounter in their annual tastings in France — a sign, he believes, that China is undergoing an “astonishing awakening of terroir.”
The sixth edition of the Bettane + Desseauve China Wine Tasting concluded in Beijing and Shangri-La, Yunnan, in September 2025. Led by Bettane, the panel of six international experts and local judges evaluated more than 300 premium Chinese wines — a process that, he said, revealed how far the country’s winemaking has come.
Chinese wines, Bettane noted, have reached a level of maturity unimaginable 15 years ago. When he first visited, the market “was dominated by a few major brands” and “people focused on the label, not the land.” Today, from the deserts of Xinjiang to the mountains of Yunnan, he said, producers are “confidently expressing their terroir.”
What impressed him most, however, was the technical precision. “We encountered almost no wines with serious flaws,” he said. “The overall solidity of the winemaking standard is, in fact, superior to what we often find in our annual tastings in France.”
Yunnan and Ningxia in the Spotlight
Among China’s emerging wine regions, Bettane highlighted two with strikingly different identities: Ningxia and Yunnan’s Deqin County.
He described Ningxia as “blessed with reliable sunshine and perfect fruit ripeness,” ideal for achieving full phenolic maturity. Yunnan’s high-altitude vineyards, by contrast, “left me in awe,” he said, challenging to farm but capable of producing white wines of “remarkable finesse and purity.”
A Chardonnay from Shangri-La, which topped this year’s tasting, “proved the region’s potential to make world-class white wines,” Bettane said. He added that China’s vast geography — spanning plateaus, mountains, and deserts — holds “limitless possibilities,” and that future exploration could reveal “the next frontier for Chinese wine” in places like Xinjiang.
Finding the Right Grapes for the Right Land
Bettane praised the evolution of China’s varietal structure, noting that early plantings from Central and Eastern Europe were poorly matched to local conditions. Now, he said, producers are discovering the varieties that best fit their terroirs.
Cabernet Sauvignon excels in Ningxia,far surpassing Merlot, he said, while Cabernet Franc shows impressive expression in chalk and granite soils. Syrah can produce elegant wines even in hot years, and Marselan — “unremarkable in France, it has shown astonishing adaptability in China” — has become the country’s star red variety. Among whites, he singled out Petit Manseng for its acidity and complexity, which he said can “surpass Chardonnay in balance and purity.”
“Do not blindly pursue excellence in “all varieties,” Bettane advised. “China lacks the rigid hierarchy found in Europe—this is, in fact, a freedom. You can boldly experiment, taking decades to build a wine system with personality and depth.”
Reflecting on his visit, Bettane called China one of the most dynamic frontiers in global wine. “My career is nearing its end,” he said, “but the story of Chinese wine is just entering its splendid chapter.”
He urged winemakers to “continue patiently searching for the most authentic “spokesperson” for each piece of terroir.” Wine, he said, “is a dialogue with nature and a bridge between civilizations — it’s about respect, sharing, and peace.”