The 11th Yantai International Wine Exposition opened at the Yantai International Exposition Center on Oct 13.

The expo, themed around "promoting brands, inheriting culture, and seeking cooperation", provides a platform for wine exhibitors from home and abroad to exchange ideas on the wine industry and seek cooperative opportunities.

A total of nearly 400 wine companies from 17 countries and regions, including New Zealand and Italy, as well as more than 10 provinces and autonomous regions in China are participating in the exhibition.

This year's exposition features the presentation of a wine production chain, a focus on the development of the wine tourism industry, and exhibitions on wine culture and e-commercial technologies. It covers nearly 20,000 square meters offering 1,014 exhibition booths, including 408 from overseas companies.

Zhang Yongxia, the mayor of Yantai, said at the opening ceremony that Yantai enjoys a unique geographical advantage which is suitable for wine grape growing. In recent years, wine production has developed into one of the main sectors in the city.

Zhang also expressed a warm welcome to all the guests at the opening ceremony and he hoped that the city, as the largest wine production base in China, takes the expo as an opportunity to strengthen international exchanges and cooperation. .

The grape planting areas in Yantai covers up to 186.7 square kilometers, with 162 wine-related companies located in the city. The annual output of wine in Yantai reaches 330,000 kiloliters, accounting for 33 percent of the country's production. Revenue in 2017 reached 22.5 billion yuan ($3.3 billion), accounting for 53 percent of the country's total.

The expo wraps up on Oct 15.

The opening ceremony for the 11th Yantai International Wine Exposition is held at the Yantai International Exposition Center on Oct 13. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Zhang Yongxia (second from left), visits the 11th Yantai International Wine Exposition at the Yantai International Exposition Center on Oct 13. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Visitors sample different wines at the 11th Yantai International Wine Exposition in Yantai, East China’s Shandong province on Oct 13. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]