Grape expectations for local wines

Terroir is how the French describe land that is good for wine cultivation. The uninterrupted Helan Mountain blocks the harsh wind and yellow sands of the Tengger Desert and the cold air of Siberia from three directions, and the land is enclosed by the Yellow River from the east. The 1,100-meter elevation, premium for growing wine grapes, coupled with moderate precipitation and irrigation, have created "good year every year" with a large temperature difference between day and night. The high hydrothermal coefficient and unique terroir have shaped its wine into a "sweet and moist balance", a typical oriental flavor, as the officials here narrate.

In September 2011, at the Decanter World Wine Competition in London, Jia Bei Lan's 2009 vintage, a "Bordeaux-style blend" produced by Helan Qing Xue Winery stood out and became the first Chinese wine to win the international gold medal. In September 2020, at the 27th Brussels International Wine Competition in Belgium, China won 100 medals. Among them, the Helan Mountain production area continued to top the Chinese medal list with 48 medals.

"The wine grapes here feature fully developed aroma, good pigment formation and coordinated sugar and acidity," says Zhao Shihua, executive deputy director of the Management Committee of the Ningxia Helan Mountain Eastern Foothill Grape Industrial Park. Well-known domestic and foreign companies, such as Great Wall, Changyu, Pernod Ricard and Hennessy, have been attracted to invest.