The Revolution of Young Generation

Born as the third generation in the first winemaking family in China, Xinyue spent her childhood running in vineyards and cellars. She grew up in a town that scent of wine flows in the air.

Under the influence of her grandfather Yan Shengjie, the pioneer winemaker in China who made the first bottle of wine and won two international rewards in Paris and London in 1990s and appointed by Premier Zhou founded the most well known wine brand Great Wall, Xinyue followed the steps and chose to study Viticulture and Enology at UC Davis and made her way to become a winemaker.

Xinyue is bright, creative and respectful to nature. She came up with the idea to make Petite Sirah because of a beautiful Petite Sirah vineyard located on the top of a hill in her winery in Pope Valley in Napa. The first glance of a normal work day starts from the fog covered Petite Sirah Vineyard in fresh green and companied with fresh leaf aroma. The vineyard in her view produces the best quality grapes to make Petite Sirah. The balanced acidity and balmy rich phenols fairily impact the mouth. It matches her Asian palate perfectly. In honor of Chinese winemaking history that started in 1970s, she named her first brand 70s Love.

The story began in 1972, when US President Nixon made the historic visit to China as the first official interaction between the two countries. Nixon showcased a bottle of Napa Valley wine, which inspired the Chinese Premier Zhou that it was necessary to have China-made wine on the state banquet table as China was opening up to the western world. 

In 1979, the Chinese government sent off a team to France to study winemaking techniques. The leader of the team was a young man named Yan Shengjie. The team later brought back suitable grape varietals and planted them in the ideal regions in China, where the first state-owned winery was established and managed by Yan. Finally in 1983, the first bottle of China-made wine was born, and in 1988 it took the brandname “Great Wall”. As the first wine exported from China, "Great Wall" was also the first Chinese wine to win international awards in Paris and London. Of course, it has been the only China state banquet wine ever since. 

Today, Yan is 75 years old, and he has influenced 3 generations of his family to be involved in winemaking, including his granddaughter Xinyue. As the third generation winemaker in the first Chinese winemaking family, Xinyue has crafted "70s Love" series to commemorate the pioneering vintners in China for their maker spirits. 

If you see yourself as a maker, this is the club for you. ​