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Ningxia: China’s rapidly emerging fine wine region

Since its unanticipated wine awards success in 2011, Ningxia has emerged as China’s fine wine-producing hotbed. After 13 years of rapid development, what’s next for this desert-fringed region?

Landing in Yinchuan in central-north China back in May, five years after my last visit in 2019, I arrived at an opportune moment, just after the drama series The Homeland of Stars had premiered on national television.

The wildly popular show, named for Ningxia’s renowned clear night skies, is based on a historical reality – one that’s familiar to many of us in the wine world, but which was life-changing for the pioneers who first planted vines on the eastern foothills of Helan Mountain.

The first time Ningxia truly left an impression in the world of wine was in 2011 – in the Decanter World Wine Awards Bordeaux blend category, an obscure producer named Helan Qingxue won the International Trophy (equivalent to today’s Best in Show) with its Jia Bei Lan Grand Reserve 2009.


Scroll down to see notes and scores for six striking wines from Ningxia



A taste of Helan Mountain East: six of the best from Ningxia


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