South and East Asia

The East and South Asia region has remained free from European influence until relatively recent history. It was too far from the grasp of the early European Empires to conquer. The distances were huge in a time when armies travelled on foot and there were no trains, motor vehicles or aircraft. There were also large and powerful tribes to pass and inhospitable landscapes to cross. Because of the separation, global cultures developed along entirely separate paths with different attitudes, appearance and religions.

China was one of the most dominant powers of the region for many centuries. The Chinese had a developed civilisation 2000 years before the peak of the Roman Empire. These ancient dynasties were based on royal families and had advanced science, language, writing and industrial skills that were far more developed than their European counterparts. The Mongolians of the north were a fierce semi-nomadic tribe while Japan was a growing regional power. To the south, India was developing along similar lines but with some influence from the Middle East and early trade routes with Europe and North Africa. The Hindu ‘way of life’ began in India around 1500bce while Buddhism arrived some 500 years before modern Christianity was even created. As the Roman Empire came and went, civilisations in the East continued to develop in line with their religious way of life. Many of these religions were simply followed teachings of earthly men thought to be wiser than most. Buddha, Confucius and Tao spoke of a peaceful life that respected all beings and avoided conflict. As such, with the exception of the battle hardened Mongolians who were kept out of China by the construction of the Great Wall in around 700bce, the region was relatively peaceful compared to the succession of Greek, Roman, Persian and Ottoman Empires that came and went in Europe. It wasn’t an easy path, however, as most cultures of the region had regular changes of power as different families took control, as it still does across the world’s civilisations.

This allowed cultures to thrive and science to discover. The region is credited with discoveries ranging from the creation of gunpowder to the printing press in these early years. It wasn’t until the 12th century when Genghis Khan united the Mogul Tribes of the north and successfully conquered northern China, splitting the country into four. The Moguls went on to control the region even putting Japan under military pressure which eventually caused the government to collapse and reject outside interference for centuries.

Despite this, the Silk Road had continued trade throughout. Goods travelled from across the East Asia region and travelled a well-worn path across mountains and deserts to Rome and back for over a thousand years. Goods that were traded were spices, gold and, of course, silk that was produced in the warm tropical climates of the East. It is unlikely that wine would have travelled such distances but there is evidence to show that alcoholic drinks were made in the area since before history. Most were made as simple beers from honey, rice and millet, which would have been made into a sugary pulp before fermenting. There is also evidence of fermenting grapes, but vines remained mostly wild with no real attempt at viticulture. Distillation became popular after the Mogul invasion; who had learnt how to distil from their contact with Muslims in the Middle East. Following the middle ages in Europe, exploration began once more. The Ottoman Empire started making headway into North India and pressured the western borders of East Asia. This caused the great powers to close their borders once more to defend their people from invasion with China and Japan in particular becoming isolated from outside influence and interference for centuries.

It wasn’t until 1498, when a Portuguese explorer successfully travelled around the southern tip of Africa to reach southern India, that change started. It was the beginning of European trade expansion that would change the political and economic situation forever. As traders from Portugal, Netherlands and Britain started arriving, so too did their military and the quest for new lands and riches began. For the first time, wines from Europe were arriving to quench the thirst of Europeans in climates mostly unsuited to viticulture. While China and Japan became mysterious closed societies, trade did happen and the Chinese wanted opium, not wine. This led to the ‘Opium Wars’ in the early 19th century. In 1820, China had the largest economy in the world but other foreign powers wanted to control and profit from the trade in opium causing the Chinese economy to collapse, due to the effect of opium addiction among the Chinese; the economy had halved in size by the middle of the 19th century as opium impoverished the masses and western traders grew wealthy. 

The 20th century provided the next period of change with India seeking independence, China becoming a communist state (under the control of Moa tse Tung), and Japan having aspirations of global domination during WW2. In the last 70 years, Japan has rebuilt itself as a global economic power and China, despite remaining a communist country, has embraced globalised trade and is the second largest economy in the world. This has also opened these once closed countries to western influence with a thirst for luxury products, including wine. This has created the need for local supply to meet demand and viticulture is spreading here faster than any other region.

Climate

Large parts of South and East Asia are not suited to viticulture but this hasn’t stopped attempts to make wine. While only Japan, Northern China and the very north of India are in the ideal latitude zone for quality grapes, wine is made in just about every country, apart from Malaysia (which has a strict Muslim government). The tropical climate, which extends well beyond the 30°N latitude, is warm and damp with monsoons bringing heavy rain and no identifiable seasons for vines to rest. Grape yield are very high and flavours diluted for the most part, but high altitude makes some areas just about viable to produce simple wine. The north of China and Japan are most suited to viticulture with both latitude and altitude creating a climate of enormous potential. These areas are less prone to the tropical rains of further south while distinct seasons means better quality grapes. The intense continental climate of central China makes viticulture marginal with vineyards concentrated in the north. Wine making skill is still poor with many wines being of low quality, but there is a large amount of investment going into the region, including Chandon who have planted vineyards in India. The highest vineyard in the world is in Tibet at an altitude of over 3500 metres. India, Japan and China have a growing wine drinking culture that remains an opportunity for other wine producing nations, at least until quality improves.