A family estate
Silver Heights was founded in 2007 by the viticulturist Gao Lin and his daughter Emma Gao, who had studied oenology in Bordeaux and trained at Château Calon-Ségur. In Bordeaux she met her husband, the French winemaker Thierry Courtade, who works with her at the estate. Their first wines quickly drew attention from Chinese and international critics and helped show what Ningxia could do.
Biodynamics in the desert
Emma Gao's interest in biodynamics began with a visit to Domaine Leroy in Burgundy in 2009 and grew after further visits to biodynamic estates in France. In 2017 Silver Heights began converting its vineyards to biodynamic farming, after earlier organic certification in China and the EU. In 2023 it became the first Chinese winery certified by Demeter, the leading international body for biodynamic agriculture. Today the estate farms about 70 hectares on two sites in the warm, sandy Helan sub-region of Ningxia.
A leader in exports
Silver Heights is one of the Chinese wineries best known abroad. It exports around a fifth of its production, and the Ningxia Wine Bureau has reported that it accounts for most of the region's wine export value. Its range goes from The Last Warrior to the flagship blend The Summit and Emma's Reserve.
Why it matters
Silver Heights proved that China could make wines of balance and delicacy, not just power, and it remains one of the names every Chinese wine lover should know.