Napa Valley wines may make shift toward Chinese palate

Chinese traditionally have preferred red wine, such as cabernet sauvignon, which Gallagher described as a bigger and bolder wine.

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"Many Chinese know California as an iconic destination, but not a lot of people know about it as a destination for wine," said Gallagher.

California wines produced in Napa, Sonoma and the Central Valley are exported to 125 countries worldwide.

Scott Carney, dean of wine studies at the International Culinary Center in New York, founded as the French Culinary Institute, said there have been French wines produced for the American market "to suit the regional preferences".

Carney said like the Chinese, Americans are also partial to a sweeter and fruitier style of wine, whereas the French appreciate fruit but also other dimensions of a wine's flavor and the sense of terroir (a sense of place, such as the geography, geology and climate of the vineyard, expressed in the wine).

Corentin Chon, brand ambassador at wine importer Fruit of the Vines Inc, also said some wines are produced to fit a certain market. For example, in a young market such as China, customers prefer wine that has more sugar and thus is easier to drink.