The great chateaux show

France's most famous wine region turning into a huge magnet for Chinese tourists

Luxury wine-themed tours in France are becoming a new "must-do" among affluent Chinese tourists, and famous wine regions such as Bordeaux are welcoming them with open arms.

The surging interest in high-quality wines and the weak euro have lured an increasing number of Chinese tourists to Bordeaux, the world's wine capital with its history and prestigious chateaux and vineyards.

Top-growth French chateaux are now organizing VIP vineyard tours aiming to woo Chinese wine lovers and tourists. Such tours usually cost about 500 euros a person, featuring a one-day chateau visit, special tasting of top vintages and a sumptuous lunch.

Chinese chateaux owners in Bordeaux are also transforming their estates into luxury resorts, hoping to tap into the country's growing interest in wine tourism and the French way of life.

Zhang Jinshan, a Chinese entrepreneur who recently bought Chateau Grand Moueys in Bordeaux, plans to open a luxury guest house there with a high-end Chinese restaurant, gardens, golf and tennis courts, according to the French wine magazine Decanter.

The Bordeaux tourism office is moving to cater for the new market by hiring Chinese-speaking assistants who will help guide Chinese tour groups. Brochures, a website and a presentation DVD of the city are also available in Chinese.

"It was a natural choice to broaden our welcome by offering guided tours in Chinese on request, aimed at the general public as well as operators and groups," says Stephane Dexlaux, president of the tourism office.

Although it is unknown how much money Chinese tourists spend during their trips to Bordeaux, Delaux says spending tended to be high as the visitors are often attracted to top-growth wines and French luxury brands.

Chinese tourists accounted for 25 percent of duty-free purchases in France last year, according to the French daily Le Figaro.

"Every year we have very strong promotions of Bordeaux in China to attract Chinese tourists," Delaux says.

The tourism office and the Bordeaux Wine Council plan to duplicate the Bordeaux Wine Festival in Shanghai to promote the region as a destination of wine culture and historic heritage.

Tourism from Asia to the Bordeaux region rose 40 percent last year, the Bordeaux Chamber of Industry and Commerce said.

"We are at the start of a flow that is going to massively increase," Pierre Goguet, head of the chamber, was quoted by Reuters as saying.

Luxury hotels in Bordeaux are also benefiting from the trend of increasingly popular wine tourism in the Chinese market.

Grand Hotel de Bordeaux and Spa, a luxury five-star hotel in the city, has developed a special service that offers guests the chance to discover the most prestigious chateaux in the Bordeaux region.

"We offer our guests tailored wine tours featuring special wine tasting, luxury dinners and personal meeting with chateaux owners," says Claire Casimir, public relations manager of the hotel.

The prices of the tours range from 50 euros ($61) for a simple trip to a 10,000-euro week-long tour featuring visits to the most famed chateaux and the tasting of the first-growth wines.

The hotel sent a delegation to Shanghai and Beijing last year to promote tailored wine tours and to learn about the booming Chinese market.

"We have more and more Chinese guests (who want) the very top-end wine tours," Casimir says.

lixiang@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 08/03/2012 page16)