Taiwan, otherwise known as the Republic of China, island off, and independent of, china with about 3,000 ha/7,500 acres of vines in 2011 according to the oiv. Prior to the dismantling of the government alcohol monopoly following Taiwan’s accession to the World Trade Organization in 2002, grape growers were not permitted to make wine. They were instead encouraged to sell their grapes to the government agency. Since then, under a government-backed industry development project, wine production has become increasingly popular. Among the many new ventures producing a diverse range of fruit wines are a growing number now producing grape wine—primarily from Black Queen for red wines and Golden Muscat for whites. An indication of progress was the awarding of a gold medal to a Taiwanese wine, a Golden Muscat ice wine produced by Domaine Shu-Sheng winery, at Vinalies Internationales in 2014.
