Judy Leissner Chan Fong was still in college in the US when she found out her father had started a winery. 'I was astonished,' she says. It was an even bigger shock when dad, entrepreneur Chan Chun-keung, put her in charge of launching the first vintage from their Grace Vineyard in 2002.
Leissner was 24 at the time and had barely settled into her first job at an investment bank. 'I didn't drink then and didn't know a thing about grape varietals or winemaking,' she admits.
Six years on, Grace Vineyard in Shanxi province has acquired an enviable reputation for producing fine tipples in a region better known for coal than chardonnays. But getting there was no cake walk.
Hong Kong-based Chan, who has extensive interests in department stores, water treatment and infrastructure projects on the mainland, became interested in wine during his business trips to France. He and a French friend dreamed about eventually retiring to a winery, and started to look around for a suitable property. After an initial search in France, they turned their sights to China.
'Everyone was saying how there was only a mass market there and the quality wasn't good. But my father is the kind of person who likes to do what others consider impossible,' says Leissner.
The family brought in oenologist Denis Boubals and spent two years scouring the mainland before plumping for a plot 40km south of Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi, in 1997. Situated in the middle reaches of the Yellow River, it has deep, sandy soil and the mild, continental climate best suited for grape growing. They imported vines and equipment from France, hired a French winemaker and began looking forward to the first vintage.
The launch in 2002, however, was a disaster. Of the 500,000 bottles produced, they sold just 10,000 and gave away another 10,000. 'I was lost and dejected,' says Leissner. 'We hadn't paid enough attention to packaging, believing it was enough for the wine to be good.'