Yantai Wine Brand Awards Ceremony Successfully Kicked off: Seven Categories of Brands Lead Innovative Development of the City’s Wine Industry

By Zhou Mi, Dazhong News, Yantai

On July 5, 2025, the “Fragrant Yantai Enchants the World” Yantai Wine Brand Awards Ceremony was held in Penglai, Yantai, Shandong. Following the closing ceremony of the 2025 GWTO Enotourism Conference, the brand-focused event systematically showcased the century-old heritage of China’s birthplace of the wine industry to global guests. As the unique “International Grape and Wine City” in Asia, a global wine tourism destination, and the Capital of Brandy in China, Yantai is demonstrating its unique charm of “Enchanting the world” with a vibrant full-industry-chain ecosystem.

Attendees included José Antonio Vidal, President of the Global Wine Tourism Organization (GWTO); Yu Yongxin, Chairman of Yantai Municipal Committee of Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and Director of Yantai Wine Industry Chain; Wang Changgang, the Mayor of Penglai District in Yantai City; and international guests from France, the United States, Italy, Spain, Argentina, Uruguay and other countries. Also present were officials from the Municipal Publicity Department, Municipal Bureau of Commerce, Municipal Convergence Media Center, and Municipal Wine Industry Center, and representatives from wine industry chain-related districts and county-level cities, production factors assurance units, research institutes, key enterprises, and media outlets, totaling about 200 people, who jointly witnessed this brand celebration that embodies industrial strength.

Seven Brand Clusters: Outlining the Full-Industry-Chain Development Vision

Focusing on the achievements of the “Chain Leader System” implemented for the wine industry chain, the event unveiled seven categories of brands, comprehensively demonstrating the complete ecosystem of Yantai’s wine industry from production to culture, and from heritage to innovation:

-- One “Special Contribution Award of Yantai Wine-producing Region” highlights leading enterprises that have laid a solid foundation for the producing region and driven the high-quality development of the industry. It showcases the “ballast” strength of industrial heritage, embodying Yantai’s century-long persistence in the wine industry.

-- Ten “‘Slightly Tipsy Yantai’ Quality Wine Chateaus” were chosen from typical chateaus with prominent industry status and representative characteristics of the producing region. They serve as the “main force” of the industrial chain, carrying the unique terroir imprint of Yantai and leading the development direction of the producing region.

-- Ten “‘Slightly Tipsy Yantai’ Classic Wine Products” focuses on mature wines that have been deeply rooted in the market for years and widely recognized by consumers. Each product is a “symbolic” flavor carrier of Yantai’s terroir, witnessing the emotional connection between the producing area and consumers.

-- Ten “‘Slightly Tipsy Yantai’ Emerging Wine Brands” were chosen from wines that have won awards in international competitions, such as Decanter World Wine Awards and Berlin Wine Trophy in recent years, demonstrating the “new momentum” of Yantai wines on the global stage. 

-- Eight “‘Slightly Tipsy Yantai’ Wine Culture Landmarks” cover distinctive venues for wine culture exhibitions and study-based experiences. They serve as the “main platforms” for cultural dissemination, making abstract wine culture tangible and accessible.

-- Ten “‘Slightly Tipsy Yantai’ Wine Industry Innovation Achievements” focus on scientific research breakthroughs and technological innovations, injecting a “scientific and technological foundation” into industrial upgrading and highlighting the ??vitality of transformation of traditional industries towards innovation-driven growth.

-- Ten “‘Slightly Tipsy Yantai’ Leading Brands in Wine Supporting Industry Chain” were chosen from benchmark supporting providers that serve wine-producing regions nationwide, highlighting the “resilience” of industrial chain collaboration and extending Yantai’s wine industry advantages to broader fields.

These 59 achievements, each with its own unique focus yet mutually supportive, fully present the flourishing full-chain development of Yantai’s wine industry from planting and brewing to cultural dissemination, and from technological innovation to supporting services, driven by the “Chain Leader System.” They stand as a vivid testament to the strength of the “International Wine City.”

Interactive Experiences Making Wine Culture Tangible and Accessible

At the event, an engaging blind tasting session of Yantai-produced wines attracted guests’ attention. Three randomly invited audience members joined professional winemakers on stage to taste Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc dry white wines from Chateau Changyu-Castel. During the interesting interaction of a lively guessing game of grape varieties and brands, winemakers simultaneously interpreted the terroir secrets of the wine from Yantai’s maritime climate at 37°N latitude to the unique brewing techniques in the chateau, allowing guests to understand “the story of Yantai’s terroir in a glass of wine” in a relaxed atmosphere.

From the warm-up visual presentation of the promotional video Why the World Chose Yantai—A Promotional Film of Yantai Wine-producing Region to the progressive interpretation of three chapters—“Looking Back at History · Charm of the City,” “Celebrating the Present · Quality of the City,” and “Building Dreams for the Future · Vogue of the City”, the event unfolded Yantai’s century-long bond with wine, the vitality of the industrial chain, and the future prospect of cultural and tourism integration through diverse forms, such as short films, interviews, and recitations of ancient poems, harmonizing the cultural heritage of the “International Wine City” with its contemporary dynamism.?

Riding on the Momentum of the Conference: Embarking on a New Journey of Industrial Development

This brand awards ceremony not only showcased the achievements since the implementation of the “Chain Leader System” for Yantai’s wine industry chain but also provided an open invitation for global cooperation from the industry. Leveraging the international platform of the 2025 GWTO Enotourism Conference, Yantai is taking the seven categories of brands as fulcrums to amplify the demonstration effect, promote cooperation and resource sharing among producing regions, and continuously polish the city brand of “Fragrant Yantai Enchants the World.”