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Shaoxing yellow rice wine. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

The bilateral agreement between China and the European Union on geographical indications took effect on March 1, a statement by the Ministry of Commerce said.

GI is a label used for identifying the geographical origin of a product and is an important type of intellectual property right. According to the agreement, 100 GIs from each side, spanning liquor, tea, food, and farm produce, came under protection on the same day.

According to the Shaoxing Customs, Shaoxing yellow rice wine was recognized as one of the first batch of 100 GI products and will have IP protection in the EU market.

Statistics showed that Shaoxing exported 1,200 tons of yellow rice wine, worth 19.10 million yuan ($2.91 million), in January and February, growing by 44.4 percent and 56.1 percent on a year-over-year basis.

Shaoxing now has 18 yellow wine companies that are registered to have authorization to export their wine.

A worker ferments rice to produce wine. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]

With a history of more than 2,500 years, Shaoxing wine is one of the most famous varieties of huangjiu, or Chinese yellow wine, fermented from rice. Shaoxing wine is still produced by locals today with the traditional method of brewing, which was included in the national intangible cultural heritage list in 2006.