A Mige rice wine production line [Photo/ntfabu.com]

A total of 13,056 bottles of Chinese rice wine set off from Qidong, a county-level city in Nantong, East China's Jiangsu province, to France on Nov 25.

The wine was produced by Mige, a local company, and was the company's first ever exported product.

Few Chinese rice wine manufacturers are able to meet Europe's strict standards for food imports, said Dong Qixiang, a senior executive of Mige.

The French buyers visited Mige's production center twice before signing a deal with them. They praised the company's production facilities, procedures, and packaging, Dong added.

He said that exporting its wine to France represents a milestone for Mige, and that the company's goal is to promote Chinese rice wine around the world.