Ningxia wows NY with flavors from foothill vineyards

Wineglasses clinked as enthusiasts in New York savored the rich flavors of various red and white wines from the eastern foothills of the Helan Mountains in the Ningxia Hui autonomous region.

More than 100 people attended the promotion of Ningxia's specialty industries at the Chinese Consulate General on Monday evening, where they enjoyed wine and a goji berry-tasting.

It was the Ningxia delegation's second visit to the United States this year, as the region in Northwest China is trying to widen its market in the US and internationally.

The Fourth China International Wine Culture and Tourism Expo will be hosted by the Ningxia government from Aug 9 to 11 in its capital Yinchuan, welcoming winemakers and visitors worldwide to join and taste the wine, the delegation said.

"I've heard that people who are separated by an ocean can be brought together by a glass of wine," said David Adelman, managing director and general counsel for asset manager Krane Funds Advisors in New York and a trustee of the National Committee on American Foreign Policy.

"I've been to vineyards in Argentina, South Africa, of course, California. So, I've been lucky enough in my life to taste some nice wine," he told China Daily, noting he is still learning more about wine from China. "I think China will do a magnificent job promoting its wine across the world, including the US."

The wine region lies in the Helan Mountains and stretches along the Yellow River, forming a corridor seen as a golden zone for the high-quality growth of wine grapes, with more than 2,800 hours of sunshine a year and less than 200 millimeters of rainfall.

It is the largest area for growing wine grapes in China, covering 40,133 hectares, with 128 wineries producing 140 million bottles of wine. The output value is $5.5 billion, and the wine is exported to 40 countries, according to the delegation.

The region grows grapes for wines such as cabernet sauvignon, merlot, marselan and riesling.

International honors

Ningxia's wines have won more than 1,000 honors internationally, including the Decanter World Wine Awards, Concours Mondial de Bruxelles and the Berliner Wein Trophy.

The region's venture into wine-making began in the 1980s and has since grown significantly, attracting winemakers and companies from China and the West.

"Not only does the wine offer an excellent taste, but it also provides the region with massive job opportunities, lifting residents out of poverty," said Bai Yuzhen, director of the Ningxia Foreign Affairs Office.

Pablo Pineiro Aramburu, consul general of Argentina in New York, said wine is "a great connector" and "a cultural product" in many countries, and has a great future.

"It has improved enormously. It has a lot of potential, and today we have a very good wine," he said, recalling that when he started his career in China years ago, the wine industry in Ningxia had just started.

"It needed development; wine needs a lot of time to evolve and become a better product," he said. "And now, today, I was impressed."

Francesco Rizzo Marullo, chairman of the United Nations World Cultural Arts Organization, admitted his initial lack of awareness with regard to Chinese wines.

"I didn't know anything about it, so it was very educational to understand that. I knew that (in China), we're producing wine, but not to this extent. It's very informative," he said.

"I tried the wine, and I liked it. So, as an Italian, I think it's a compliment," he said. "It's a good wine what we tasted tonight. It was really good. It's something I would drink on a day-by-day basis."

mingmeili@chinadailyusa.com