The Yili Valley
Deep in the western Tianshan, the Yili Valley catches warm, moist air from the Atlantic after its long journey across Central Asia, receiving about 400 mm of rain a year: the most humid of Xinjiang’s wine areas, and one known for its diversity of grapes. Snow protects the vines in winter, so they do not need to be buried as deeply as elsewhere in northern China. Most vineyards lie on the southern bank of the Yili River, between 800 and 1,100 metres.
A name to know
Li Demei names Chateau Crescent, with Silk Road Winery and Yizhu Winery, among the top producers of the valley. Its Chinese name, 弓月, means “bow-shaped moon”, a crescent.