The Great Wine Capitals welcome China as their first Observer Member

ounded by the Bordeaux-Gironde Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 1999, the Great Wine Capitals network currently has eleven member capitals*. Just like the UN, it has welcomed its first Observer Member – the Chinese city of Yantai.

This important fishing port in the province of Shandong, in Eastern China, was inducted at the opening of the network’s 25th annual conference at the beginning of November. The anniversary conference, titled ‘Genesis’, marks both a return to the network’s founding city and its inclusion of the Asian continent with the induction of its first Observer Member.

The conurbation with its population in excess of 7 million is located on the Yellow Sea and “stands out for its historic viticultural heritage and commitment to sustainable, innovative wine tourism”, states a press release. The region is considered to be “the birthplace of Chinese winegrowing which dates back over a hundred years”. By inducting Yantai as its first-ever Observer Member, the network is illustrating its “desire to further broaden the city’s international reach with attendance by Yantai representatives at the 25th annual conference. They will take part in the final three highlights held on November 6 in Bordeaux: the conference on the wine tourism of the future, the presentation of the Bordeaux 2026 Best of Wine Tourism awards and the gala dinner celebrating the 25th anniversary”.

*Adelaide, South Australia; Bilbao-Rioja, Spain; Bordeaux, France; Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand; Lausanne, Switzerland; Mainz-Rheinhessen, Germany; Mendoza, Argentina; Porto, Portugal; San Francisco-Napa Valley, USA; Valparaiso-Casablanca Valley, Chile; and Verona, Italy. In 2024, the Cape Town-Cape Winelands in South Africa left the network.