China's new thirst for wine has some vintners trying to drive it home with the country's consumers -- literally.

French winery Domaine de Chevalier said last week it plans to sell its wines in China's gas stations. The premium winemaker has an agreement with China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. to peddle its Bordeaux in 110 stores across China, according a report by Shenzhen Special Zone Newsletter ( in Chinese).

Olivier Bernard, owner of the 18th-century Bordeaux region winery, said a deal hasn't been signed yet, but if all goes according to plan, Sinopec will stock Chevalier wines that cost in the range of 600 yuan to 700 yuan (US$90 to $105) -- hardly bargain-basement plonk.

Mr. Bernard set up a Domaine de Chevalier office in Shanghai this year, where his son is hosting wine tastings and building the brand. 'We're starting to sell seriously in China,' Mr. Bernard said from his office in France.

This won't be the first wine sold at Sinopec, as the petroleum company is also known in China. It has been selling Great Wall, one of the country's leading labels, since it ventured into products other than fuel two years ago (only 15% of its 95,000 stations sell nonfuel products, such as wine).

As the Wall Street Journal reported in October, some marketers have realized that there's money to be made in the rise of China's car culture. Domaine de Chevalier, among others, is betting that people who visit Sinopec may want to buy more than gasoline when filling their tanks.

China's tough stanceon drunk driving-- getting behind the wheel after having as little as one alcoholic drink can be enough to qualify someone as a 'drink driver,' punishable by a six-month license suspension and a possible 15-day jail sentence -- will hopefully dissuade people from getting tanked when buying their gasoline.

看到中国对葡萄酒新的渴求，一些酒商正在尝试让中国消费者把葡萄酒开车带回家。

法国酒商骑士庄园(Domaine de Chevalier)上周说它准备在中国的加油站销售葡萄酒。据《深圳特区报》报道，这家优质葡萄酒生产商同中国石油化工股份有限公司（中国石化）达成协议，将在全国各地中石化旗下的110家便利店销售其波尔多葡萄酒。

骑士庄园位于法国波尔多，始于18世纪。其主人伯纳德(Olivier Bernard)说协议尚未签署，但如果一切按计划进行，中石化将以600元到700元（合90到105美元）的价格开卖骑士庄园的葡萄酒──这可不是便宜货。

伯纳德今年在上海设立了一个骑士庄园代表处，他的儿子在这里主持各种葡萄酒品尝活动，树立品牌形象。伯纳德在法国的办公室接受采访说，我们正开始认真地在中国销售葡萄酒。

这不会是中石化销售的第一种葡萄酒。自两年前尝试燃油以外其他产品以来，中石化已经在销售中国名列前茅的品牌长城葡萄酒。（9.5万个加油站中只有15%销售葡萄酒等非燃油产品。）

正如《华尔街日报》10月份报道，部分营销人员已经意识到中国汽车文化的崛起有利可图。骑士庄园等公司打赌，前往中石化加油站的人们在加油之余或许还想购买其他东西。

中国严限酒驾，坐上驾驶室前哪怕只喝一口酒精饮料，也有可能被定性为“酒驾”，可处吊销驾照六个月，还有可能判处15年有期徒刑。这种情况估计会让人不敢在购买汽油的时候喝得酩酊大醉。