Xige Estate is located at the Eastern Foothills of the Helan Mountain in Ningxia, northern China. It is one of the largest and most modern producers of fine wines in the wine region. Its founder Zhang Yanzhi was trained at the Université Bordeaux Segalen under the renowned professor Denis Dubourdieu and is the first Chinese member of the Académie du Vin de Bordeaux. It is his personal goal "to produce a great wine that expresses the terroir of Ningxia".
Xige Estate currently has 1,000 hectares of vineyards that are over 20 years old and another 300 hectares that have been newly planted since 2017. A dozen grape varieties grow in the vineyards, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Gernischt, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Malbec, Marselan and Sauvignon Blanc. Xige Estate advocates organic viticulture and respects nature according to the concept of biodynamic cultivation in order to preserve the original ecology of the area.
The circular Xige property, built with almost 200,000 stones from the Helan Mountain, looks like a fortress and impresses with its simplicity design and Chinese motifs. The architectural structure with a round outside and a square inside represents modesty and wisdom in Chinese culture.
Xige Estate has the most advanced production facilities in China, including the fermentation tanks with intelligent temperature control system from New Zealand, advanced pre-treatment equipment from Germany and France, bottling equipment from Italy, a modern agricultural control system for the vineyard and thousands of French oak barrels that are essential for high quality wines.
Therefore, Xige Estate is the first Chinese winery to receive the world's highest "BRC (British Retail Consortium) international quality certification" in 2019. It was also the project winner - Best of Year 2020 - from the magazine “Interior Design” in the USA.
Kanaan is called the "Promised Land" in the Bible. The owner Wang Fang is a Christian and lived in Germany for more than ten years. Her father is a well-known wine expert in Ningxia. In 2010 Wang Fang left Germany and returned to her hometown to devote herself to the wine industry.
The wines of the horse series of Kanaan originate, on the one hand from Ms. Wang's love for horses, on the other hand from the "Helan Mountain", which protects Ningxia and means "horse" in Mongolian.
Another featured wine of the winery is Riesling. During Ms Wang was living in Germany, she developed a strong bond with Riesling. Today, Kanaan produces excellent Riesling, despite the different geographical and climate conditions compared to Germany, and it has gained international compliments. Kanaan Winery was ranked as one of the 10 best Chinese wineries by "Le guide de Bettane & Desseauve 2017".
Château Rong Yuan Mei is located in Ganchengzi Village near Qingtongxia in Ningxia. The vineyard was planted in 2006 and now covers around 65 hectares.
The architectural style of Château Rong Yuan Mei is based on traditional Chinese architecture. The ‘Hong Fang Yin’ (Red Seal) series in particular is intended to reflect this aesthetics. The design of the wine label with Chinese red as the main colour, calligraphic characters and traditional seals is clear and dignified.
The winery uses Syrah as its representative grape variety and Malbec as a niche variety, both of which are full-bodied and structured. It is characterised by its focus on complex wines, with various layers of freshness and fruit that bring out the varietal characteristics and nuances of different terroirs.
