Ningxia

Why Ningxia matters

Ningxia is China's smallest province by population, yet it has become the country's reference for quality wine. The local government chose wine as a strategic industry, created a dedicated wine bureau in 2012 and introduced China's first winery classification in 2013. Today Ningxia wineries collect a large share of the medals won by Chinese wines in international competitions.

The turning point came in 2011, when Helan Qingxue's Jia Bei Lan 2009, a Bordeaux-style blend, won an International Trophy at the Decanter World Wine Awards in London. It was the first time a Chinese wine had reached that level, and the world started to look at Ningxia.

A desert made for wine

The Helan Mountains, more than 200 km long, protect the vineyards from the sandstorms and cold winds of the Gobi Desert to the west. To the east, the Yellow River and canals that are centuries old provide the water for irrigation, which is essential with only about 200 mm of rain a year.

The result is a climate of extremes: hot, short summers, cool nights that preserve acidity, and winters where temperatures can fall below –25 °C.

Burying the vines

Ningxia's winters are too cold for vines to survive above ground. Every autumn, after harvest, the vines are bent down and covered with soil; every spring they are uncovered again. This work, done largely by hand, is one of the defining features of the region and a major part of a winery's costs. It is also why Ningxia vineyards are trained in a special leaning shape.

The winery classification

In 2013 Ningxia introduced a classification inspired by Bordeaux's 1855 system, ranking wineries into five growths, with First Growth at the top. Wineries are reassessed every two years and can be promoted; a First Growth is reassessed only every ten years. To qualify, a winery must use grapes from its own vineyards, from vines at least five years old, and carry out the whole winemaking process on site.

Grapes and styles

Red wine dominates. Cabernet Sauvignon is the backbone of the region, often blended with Merlot in the Bordeaux style, while Marselan is emerging as a signature grape. Among whites, Chardonnay leads and is also used for sparkling wine; Riesling and Petit Manseng, sometimes made as a sweet late-harvest wine, show the region's range.