Meeting the test, Jiebaina now sold by UK's Waitrose

Top quality

Before it can be shipped to European markets, the wine has to pass strict quality standards whose 55 indicators include testing for pesticide residue and heavy metals.

Related: A visit to wineries in Changli

When the wine arrives at customs in its destination country it is inspected by the quarantine organization, and before it reaches the supermarket shelves, it will be inspected again by local officials.

Statistics from the export department at Changyu show its wines have been sold in 28 countries and regions since 2005, including 14 European countries such as Germany and France. None of the products have failed to meet quality standards.

Zhou Hongjiang, general manager of Changyu, attributed the achievements to the company's strict quality test system.

"Our quality testing system is by no means inferior to those in the world's famous wine producing countries," he said.

Using criteria for organic grapes in China and Europe's quality standards for wine, Changyu created a comprehensive quality test system in 2000. It includes tests on grapes, auxiliary materials, wine processing and the final product.

To ensure the tests are effective, Changyu has spent more than 10 million yuan on state-of-the-art equipment such as liquid chromatographers and automatic analyzers.

Changyu's product quality was praised by Laurenz Moser, managing director of TxB International Fine Wines, the Changyu's biggest distributor in Europe.

Moser said since their cooperation began in 2005, Changyu has been doing a good job on quality control.

Even so, Moser visits Changyu every year and one of his tasks is to appraise the quality of the wine.

Last September, Moser and clients from the UK, Germany and Belgium did their own checks on Changyu's vineyards in Yantai, Ningxia, Xinjiang and Shannxi as well as its production sites and labs.

zhaoruixue@chinadaily.com.cn