Treaty Ports Chinese take on the classic Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Compared to their neighbour Lafites production, this blend is fruitier (ripe, dark fruits) and lighter on tannins, to match Chinese cuisine and the Chinese palate. This wine is Treaty Ports founder's personal favourite and named after his hero, Sir Robert Hart - an Irishman who ran the Imperial Qing customs for 40 years.

Treaty Port was established in 2005 by Chris Ruffle in Shandong Province, 450 miles south-east of Beijing, China. Frustrated with the quality of domestic wine he had tasted since moving to China in 1983, the ambitious British winemaker and businessman decided to plant vines himself. Chris Ruffle intention? To produce the best wines in the country. Some fifteen years later, Treaty Port has been praised for the quality of its production with two of his cuvées rewarded by the China Wine and Spirits Awards.

Treaty Port Estate owns a 50-acre vineyard in Penglai, on the Shandong Peninsula. Located right by the Yellow Sea, the vineyard benefits from a maritime climate. Treaty Port is the first vineyard located in the Quishan Valley, an area of granitic soil protected from the North wind by the Qiushan Mountain - named after the 13th Century Taoisit priest Qiu Chuji whose temple lies in Treaty Ports vineyard.

From Petit Verdot (Prince 2016), Syrah (The Philosopher 2016) and Cabernet Sauvignon (The Inspector General 2014) to Viognier and Chardonnay (The Lady of Fashion 2016) ; a total of twelve different grape varieties flourish on Treaty Ports soils, imported by winemakers from Bordeaux, Provence and the Hunter Valley.

The history of wine drinking in China has been largely forgotten in the terrible wars and revolutions of the 20th century. When it was first revived, it was in the hand of state-owned companies, who focussed almost entirely on volume.

Shandong is considered one of Chinas most important wine production areas. With recent developments, China has become one of the worlds largest wine producers and consumers.