The Taiwan Wine Cellar, established by the Changhua County Erlin Farmers’ Association, was formally opened on Sunday with a ceremony and an exhibition showcasing a variety of grape wines made by wineries in the county.
Changhua County Commissioner Cho Po-yuan (卓伯源) said Erlin Township has the highest concentration of wineries in the country, and he hoped the establishment of the wine cellar would help market Erlin-made wine as well as promote scenic spots in the Wangkong area.
Each of the wineries in Erlin has devoted a great deal of time and money on research and development and each winery’s products has its own distinctive features, Cho said.
The Taiwan Wine Cellar has the potential to become a popular tourist destination and one that could help increase the popularity of other tourist attractions in the area, he said.
The 2,400 ping (7,933.88m²) cellar displays a variety of wines produced by wineries in the Erlin area, artifacts made by Changhua Prison inmates and several types of wine glasses, said Tasi Shish-chief (蔡詩傑), director of the Erlin Farmers’ Association.
The cellar will mainly sell wine made in Erlin initially but plans to include all wine products made in Taiwan within three years, Tasi said.
Sunday’s opening ceremony was the final event in the 2008 Changhua grape festival.
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