There has been much debate over whether the Olympics will change China. As it stands the debate is far from over; indeed it has only begun. Inevitably, though, the Chinese are becoming a force in the international arena even, it seems, when it comes to wine. In Friday's Slate Mike Steinberger writes:
the balance of wine-buying power is already shifting eastward: Chinese collectors have furiously sought out one first-growth Bordeaux, Château Lafite; and Hong Kong, which recently lifted all duties on wine, is now poised to rival London and New York as a hub of the global wine trade
Moreover:
The country's wine consumption jumped more than 50 percent during the first half of this decade and is on course to increase another 70 percent during the second half. These numbers have caught the eye of all sorts of Western wine luminaries, who have begun to take China very seriously
Is a "Made in China" wine label on the horizon?