Shanxi

A pioneer of quality

Shanxi's modern wine story is inseparable from Grace Vineyard. The estate was founded in 1997 in Taigu County, about 40 km south of Taiyuan, by the Hong Kong businessman C.K. Chan, and its first vines were planted in 1998. At a time when most Chinese wine was made in bulk, Grace set out to make fine wine from its own vineyards, and it was among the first Chinese producers to be noticed by critics abroad. Under the leadership of Chan's daughter Judy Leissner, it grew into one of China's benchmark wineries, and in 2011 it also planted vineyards in Ningxia.

The province's other leading name is Chateau Rongzi, in southern Shanxi, which has worked with Jean-Claude Berrouet, the former winemaker of Pétrus in Pomerol.

Wine itself is not new to Shanxi: the Venetian traveller Marco Polo described vineyards and wine around Taiyuan in the 13th century.

The Loess Plateau

Shanxi's vineyards sit at around 800–900 metres on the Loess Plateau, one of the most distinctive landscapes in China, made of fine wind-blown silt. The soils are silty and sandy, drain well and warm up easily, but the strong winds that sweep down from the plateau also cause erosion.

The climate is continental, with large differences between day and night temperatures. At Taigu there are on average about 190 frost-free days a year. Winters are cold enough that the vines must be buried, which adds considerable labour and cost. Vintages can vary widely: Grace's winemakers have recalled years of severe frost followed by very wet harvests.

Grapes and styles

Bordeaux varieties dominate: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, often blended. Marselan has also found a home here, and Grace has experimented with less common grapes such as Aglianico. Among whites, Chardonnay is considered one of the most promising varieties for the region.