De Franse regionale krant Sud Ouest heeft gemeld dat de Chinese filmster Zhao Wei in de St. Emilion het Château Monlot ( 7 hectare) heeft gekocht. Eerder berichtte Wijnwijs.eu al dat de belangstelling van Chinezen voor beleggingen in de Bordeaux-streek groot is. De Britse Wineclub bericht over de nieuwste aankoop:

Chinese Filmstar buys St. Emilion ChateauWeeks after renowned Chinese basketball player Yao Ming introduced his brand of wines, it is turn for Chinese film star Zhao Wei (pictured) who has bought a St Emilion chateau for an undisclosed price.

According to a Decanter.com report, although the price Zhao paid for the 7ha Château Monlot has not been revealed, local property agents put it at between €4 and €5m.

Separately, local land agency SAFER (Société d’aménagement foncier et d’établissement rural) said prices per hectare in St Emilion now range from €200,000 to €500,000.

Each bottle of Château Monlot currently priced at €22-35.

More and more people of Chinese national are buying Bordeaux properties and local newspaper Sud Ouest estimates that up to 15 sales are in the process of going through.

Zhao Wei is one of the most glamorous buyers so far. “She is huge in China - the equivalent of Drew Barrymore,” one Chinese observer told Decanter.com.

Eric Groux, the Director of property agency Conseil Patrimoine, which brokered the Monlot sale, said the actress, also known as Vicki Zhao, will retain existing winemakers and markets.

“Although it was not a condition of the sale, she will keep the winemaking team in place,” he said.

Confirming Monlot’s sale, owner Bernard Rivals said the the star had a ‘soul’ feeling for the property, just as he had when he bought it in 1990”” .