Resveratrol is a microactive factor for preventing human cancer. A reversed phase high performance liquid chromatographic method for the determination of resveratrol in grape wine was developed. Samples were extrated by ethyl acetate and washed with 3% NaHCO3; after dehydrated with Na2SO4 and dried in vacunm at 40 degrees C, dissovled in acetonitrile. The conditions of HPLC analysis were as follows: the maximum absorptions of trans-resveratrol and cis-resveratrol were at 306 nm and 280 nm respectively. Separation was achieved by the use of mu-Bondapak C18 column (3.9 mm x 300 mm). The mobile phase was V(acetonitrile):V(water) = 40:60. The retention times of trans- and cis-resveratrol were 7.7 min and 8.9 min respectively. The recovery rates were 90.0%-97.8% and the CV was 3.3%. Detection limit was 10 micrograms/L. Eleven kinds of red and white grape wine made in China were detected. All of them contained resveratrol, but the quantity, from 10.0 to 920.0 micrograms/L, were quite different.