`Black-purple jade' lures oenophiles to Shangan

Cruising down Provincial Highway 21 to Shuili Township (水里鄉), Nantou County, a vista of vineyards stretches as far as the eye can see and one is reminded that the time for picking grapes has already come and gone.

In Shangan Village (上安村), to the south of Shuili Township, grapes are harvested three times a year. The third harvest usually occurs between the end of November and early December.

During my recent trip to the region, I spotted a quaint place named the Kanhsi Vineyard (甘喜農場). I decided to explore and when walking through the vineyard I had to bow my head to avoid touching the grapes growing on trellises. The sun shone on the round and juicy-looking grapes. Usually grape farmers put paper bags over the grapes to protect the fruit from pests and getting damaged.

Later, I got to open one of the grape bags and what a surprise it was. A gentle breeze wafted the scent of the grapes up my nose. It was quite a heady experience. A shining dust on the grapes made them appear even more more alluring.

"Kyoho" (巨峰) is the variety of grape grown in Shangan, and it originates from Feng-Chiu Village located in Hsinyi Township, Nantou County.

The kyoho is what is termed a "succulent" grape with a thick skin and a strong, fruity scent.

A prerequisite for a high quality grape is a high temperature differential between day and night. This kind of condition gives the grapes a rich aroma, color and taste.

Chang Yu-hsin (張友淦), the proprietor of Kanhsi said that although the temper-ature differential in Shangan is not that great, the area does get enough sun to produce a high quality grape with high sugar levels.

The farmers' association in Shuili Township calls these grapes "black-purple jade."

When planting his grapes, Chang said that he avoids using chemicals and instead adopts a biological method for getting rid of pests, which is the most natural way of producing high quality grapes.

In Shangan, there are also a number of industries thriving because of the grape-planting farmers, including the wine-making industry and the tourism industry.

There are even restaurants in the area that feature dishes made using locally produced grapes. There is also a number of small family hotels providing cozy accommodation after a day in the fields.

-- TRANSLATED BY DAN CHENG