The interior of the China-EU Geographical Indications Exhibition Hall in the Qingtian World Wine Center. [Photo/WeChat ID: qingtianfabu]

In Qingtian county, Lishui, Zhejiang province, the Qingtian World Wine Center has established the China-EU Geographical Indications Exhibition Hall, according to local media on Oct 30.

The exhibition hall will serve as an important base for the protection of Rioja wine, which was listed as the China-EU geographical indication product.

As early as the early 20th century, Europe has implemented geographical indication protections for wines. In 2021, the China-EU Agreement on Geographical Indications officially came into effect, marking a commitment to protecting geographical indications by both sides.

Known as the hometown of overseas Chinese and a global marketplace, Qingtian county has explored the construction of a protection system for China-EU geographical indication products in recent years.

By starting a pilot program for Rioja wine, the county has promoted the bidirectional trade of geographical indication products, ensuring that consumers can enjoy such products coming from the EU to their fullest potential.

This year, Qingtian's Rioja wine geographical indication protection project was successfully included in the 2024 implementation list for geographical indication protection, becoming one of the first 100 EU geographical indications to take effect.

Currently, there are 24 merchants in the Qingtian Imported Commodity City that sell Rioja wine.