Last month, Zuochang Cheng became the first Chinese businessman to own a chateau in the prestigious winemaking region of Bordeaux. Cheng, who already imports wine to China from Australia, Italy and South Africa, paid $3 million for the Chateau Latour-Laguens so that he can learn more about the technique of winemaking in France. Cheng’s purchase comes at a time when French wine is growing increasingly popular among the Chinese.
The International Herald Tribune reports on Cheng’s elaborate purchase in Bordeaux, where sent his daughter Hayan Cheng and a representative, Bruno Roussy, for the task:
In search of the château of their dreams, the Chengs were shown more than 30 available châteaux in the Bordeaux region, said Daniel Carmagnat, whose real estate agency in nearby Sainte-Foy-la-Longue, the A2Z Agency, specializes in wine-producing properties. “She took lots of pictures, and she was constantly on the phone with China,” he said of Hayan Cheng. “But when I showed her this one, she flipped.”
Meanwhile, reactions to the purchase has been mixed. Some see Cheng’s move as necessary in reviving the region, which has been in crisis in recent years with growing competition from California and Australia. Others, however, are unsure about the planned renovations to the chateau.
As word leaked out that the Chinese planned some improvements to the château and its grounds, there was some grumbling among neighbors. Roussy, who favors black leather and drives a black Porsche, said the Chengs would restore the castle, creating accommodations for guests who would be invited to wine tastings and seminars on wine.
“They want a museum of wine, in order not to lose the château’s history, and to show how the work was done by hand,” he said. “No Disneyland.”
They also plan to double the acreage under cultivation, he said, to about 60 hectares, or 150 acres, if needed by acquiring additional property.
“It is important that foreigners are coming,” said Roussy. Then, with a sweep of his hand toward the surrounding vineyards, he added: “This is dying.”
