China producer profile: Grace Vineyard – Shanxi and Ningxia

In the 1980s, while running a coal trading business in Taiyuan, capital of Shanxi province, Chun-Keung Chan was concerned about the pollution caused by the mining industry. Seeking a more eco-friendly venture in which he could involve the whole family, he decided to invest in a boutique winery in Shanxi, just like those he had seen in the wine villages of France.

When Grace Vineyard was founded in 1997, spirits still dominated the dinner tables of Shanxi locals. But in 2002, just as the Chinese market began to embrace wine culture, Chun-Keung passed the baton to his daughter Judy (pictured below), a University of Michigan graduate working at Goldman Sachs Hong Kong. The new CEO, then in her early 20s, soon infused Grace with creativity and energy, establishing a reputation for the estate’s wines – ranging from value labels to aged Bordeaux blends.

Now a listed company on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Grace owns 67ha of sandy loam soils in Shanxi and an additional 60ha in Ningxia. Its home estate in Taigu, a 40-minute drive from Taiyuan, is open for cellar visits, tastings and overnight accommodation.

Among its diverse portfolio, the Chairman’s Reserve wines honour the founder, Judy’s father; the single- varietal Tasya’s Reserve wines are dedicated to Judy’s older daughter; and the sparkling range is named after her younger daughter, Angelina.

The estate’s flagship Bordeaux blend, Deep Blue, is Judy’s own creation. Celebrating its 20th vintage this year, this wine (named after the bestselling marketing book Blue Ocean Strategy) epitomises the family’s pioneering and successful exploration into the unknown.

Grace Vineyard, Tasya’s Reserve Cabernet Franc, Helan Mountain East, Ningxia 2018

The 2016 vintage won 2019 DWWA Gold – 96pts

CH’NG Poh Tiong: Blackcurrant and blackberry fruit plus smoky, toasty oak vie for our attention in this lifted, fresh wine. Aged for 15 months in French oak barrels, 25% new. Grape: 100% Cabernet Franc. Alc: 15.5%

Trade contact: contact@grace-vineyard.com

Stockists: Seeking representation in UK

Discover more about Grace Vineyard

Read more about the wines of China:

China: Around the regions

Savour the diversity of Chinese wines

Changyu: China’s century-old wine legend