Chinese wine has quietly arrived on the menus of New York’s restaurants, wine bars, and retailers, thanks to Camden Hauge, founder of the China Wine Club. From Michelin-starred Gramercy Tavern to Brooklyn’s Birds of a Feather, drinkers can now explore bottles rarely seen outside China.
Hauge officially launched the club’s first imported portfolio in April 2025, but her passion began years earlier in Shanghai, where she moved in 2012. By the time she opened her wine bar Bird in 2017, she was determined to highlight Chinese producers. At the time, options were limited and often modeled on traditional French blends. That changed when she met wine educator Ian Dai, who went on to found XiaoPu, a label that remains part of her portfolio today. Through Dai and her wine festival Crush, Hauge discovered a new generation of experimental winemakers redefining the country’s approach.
China Wine Club now partners with six producers, bringing bottles from vineyards across China to more than a dozen New York venues, including Cellar 36 and Astor Wines & Spirits. Recent tasting events have introduced wines “grown in mountain ranges, desert valleys, and ancient soils,” showcasing the country’s diversity.
Much of the shift in Chinese winemaking occurred during the pandemic, when young winemakers who had studied in France and Australia returned home to experiment with local grapes and terroir. The results include playful innovations such as pét-nats co-fermented with tea, alongside elegant classic blends. “China is essentially California in the ’70s,” says Hauge, noting that rootstocks are just beginning to yield quality vintages.
Regions such as Ningxia, bordering the Gobi Desert, have become hubs of production despite harsh conditions. Shangri-La, with vineyards at 3,200 meters, is celebrated for high-altitude wines. Silver Heights, led by winemaker Emma Gao, has gained acclaim for biodynamic farming methods and wines that combine Bordeaux techniques with Ningxia terroir. Meanwhile, Dai’s XiaoPu embraces a “slow” natural winemaking style, sourcing grapes from multiple provinces to create unique blends.
The China Wine Club launched during the challenges of US tariffs on Chinese goods, but Hauge remains optimistic. She hopes to make Chinese wine accessible to American drinkers while encouraging recognition back home. “Wine should be effortless and democratic,” she says. “China is new territory for many, and people shouldn’t feel intimidated—just curious enough to try.”
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