Chinese industrialist buys top Bordeaux chateau

A Chinese industrialist has bought Chateau Bellefont-Belcier, a leading wine estate in the St Emilion region of Bordeaux, sources involved in the sale said on Thursday. The property is the first of its status -- Grand Cru Classe (classified growth) -- to fall into Chinese hands. Chinese investors have acquired a string of lower-ranked properties in the region in recent years and China has become the biggest export market for Bordeaux wines. Chinese purchases have generally passed off without much fuss in Bordeaux, where there is a long tradition of foreign ownership of wine estates. In contrast, the acquisition by a Chinese buyer of Chateau Gevrey-Chambertin in Burgundy earlier this year caused a major row, with some local winemakers and far-right politicians claiming that the country's heritage was being sold.