Moet Hennessy to make bubbly in China

Moet Hennessy, the wine and spirits arm of France's LVMH luxury group, said Thursday it was planting its first vineyard in China to produce a premium sparkling wine.

The 66-hectare (163-acre) vineyard will be planted as a joint venture with the publicly-owned agricultural development firm of the Ningxia Hui autonomous region in northwestern China.

The maker of Moet and Chandon champagne will build and own a facility near the vineyard to produce the high-end sparkling wine, which is to be sold locally under the Chandon label, LVMH said.

Moet Hennessy has produced top-end sparkling wine under the Chandon brand using traditional methods in California and Argentina.

China's rapid growth has made it key market luxury goods makers in recent years.

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