[Video/chinadaily.com.cn]

Yantai in East China's Shandong province, boasts a centuries-old winemaking heritage. At the heart of the city's coastal wine industry lies Penglai — one of the world's seven recognized coastal wine-growing regions, located on the 37th parallel north — where the local terroir plays a defining role in shaping the distinct character of its wines.

For Charles Treutenaere, general manager of Domaine de Long Dai in Penglai, a deep, long-term engagement with the land lies at the heart of quality winemaking. After launching a nationwide vineyard survey in 2008 and officially settling in Penglai in 2009, the team spent years mapping local geology, studying maritime climate patterns, and identifying grape varieties best adapted to the valley's granite-base terraced soils.

Yet great winemaking cannot be reduced to a set of pre-defined techniques. As Charles notes, every new vintage brings its own unique climatic challenges, calling on winemakers to remain curious, adaptive, and profoundly respectful of nature. The ultimate pursuit is to craft wines that authentically translate Penglai's one-of-a-kind coastal terroir into every bottle.