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China’s wine story is one of the most exciting in the world right now. Across the desert foothills of Ningxia, the high-altitude vineyards of Yunnan and the far-western landscapes of Xinjiang, a new generation of winemakers is creating wines with real character and a strong sense of place. In Ningxia, Silver Heights owner and winemaker Emma Gao has helped put the region on the map with expressive wines from her family estate. Bordeaux-trained Zhang Yanzhi founded Xige Estate to showcase the vineyards of Helan Mountain’s eastern foothills. Former sommelier Ian Dai founded Xiao Pu in 2017 and now works as a ‘nomadic winemaker’, following grapes across China and making playful, naturally fermented wines with freshness and drinkability at their heart. Farther west in Xinjiang, Puchang’s chief winemaker Loris Tartaglia works with organically farmed vineyards near the Tian Shan mountains. That mix of place, personality and experimentation comes through in the glass. You’ll find familiar varieties such as Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir alongside Marselan, Saperavi and adventurous field blends. Some wines are polished and classic; others are wild, savoury and playfully unexpected. What they share is freshness, texture and an ability to come alive alongside Chinese food. If Chinese wine is new to you, start anywhere. Pick a glass, stay curious and discover something unexpected.

• 2025 Lingering Cloud ‘Long Jing’ ChardonnayQingtongxia, Ningxia$130

  100% Chardonnay from Qingtongxia, Ningxia, fermented in stainless steel with Mingqian Shifeng Long Jing tea slowly infused into the fermenting wine for 20 days. Bottled before fermentation finishes to create its natural sparkle. Aromatic with ripe pear, loquat, apricot, cantaloupe, yuzu, yellow apple and fresh green tea. Dry and creamy, with a refreshing tea-laced finish. Unfined and made without added sulphur.

• 2025 Lingering Cloud ‘Jasmine Blossom’ ChardonnayQingtongxia, Ningxia$130

  100% Chardonnay fermented in stainless steel, with Fuzhou nine-scented jasmine tea slowly infused into the fermenting wine for 20 days. Bottled before fermentation finishes to create its natural sparkle. Highly perfumed with jasmine blossom, matcha, green tea and fresh nectarine. Dry and refreshing, with soft, creamy bubbles and a clean floral finish. Unfined and made without added sulphur.

• NV Shofang Sparkling MuscatHebei$110

  100% Muscat Hamburg from Shofang’s family vineyard in Qinhuangdao. The grapes are destemmed, crushed and given two days of skin contact before being pressed and fermented in stainless steel, then bottled while still lively. The brief maceration gives the wine a delicate blush and gentle texture, while Muscat’s naturally floral, grapey perfume remains at the centre. Bright, aromatic and playful, with fresh fruit and an easy, refreshing finish.

• 2021 Xige Estate ‘Jade Dove’ Ugni Blanc, Riesling blendNingxia$16 / $26 / $80

  A dry blend of 67% Welschriesling and 33% Ugni Blanc from mature vineyards at the eastern foothills of Helan Mountain. Aromatic and generously flavoured, opening with honeysuckle, candied apple skin and tangerine alongside a subtle smoky note. The palate is round and gently creamy, with ginger spice, bright acidity and a juicy, refreshing finish. A distinctive yet approachable expression of Ningxia’s warm, high-altitude landscape.

• 2022 Silver Height ‘The Last Warrior’ White BlendNingxia$105

  A blend of 70% Chardonnay and 30% Sauvignon Blanc, hand-picked and gently cold-macerated before temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel. Made without malolactic fermentation or oak ageing, preserving the wine’s natural brightness and purity. Lively citrus, white stone fruit and fresh herbal notes lead into a well-weighted palate with crisp acidity. Clean, energetic and highly versatile at the table.

• 2021 Silver Heights Chardonnay ReserveHelan Mountain, Ningxia$220

  100% Chardonnay from Silver Heights’ biodynamically farmed vineyards, fermented with indigenous yeasts and matured in French oak. Richly layered yet fresh, showing nashi pear, green papaya, melon and star fruit with notes of marzipan, baking spice and toasted brioche. The palate is creamy and expansive, balanced by salted grapefruit, mineral tension and bright acidity. A polished, complex Chardonnay with impressive length and definition.

• 2024 Shofang Roussanne ViognierHebei$125

  A blend of 67% Roussanne and 33% Viognier from the Donghuayuan vineyard in Zhangjiakou. The Viognier undergoes five days of whole-cluster fermentation, while the Roussanne is directly pressed and wild-fermented in barrel. After three months on lees in barrel and a further three months in stainless steel, the wine emerges aromatic and textural, with white peach, apricot, jasmine, herbal tea and gentle spice. Rounded and savoury, with fresh acidity and a subtle bread-like finish.

• 2023 Mingyi ‘Beneath the Temple’ ChardonnayShangri-La, Yunnan$420

  100% Chardonnay from tiny high-altitude vineyards in Shangri-La, planted around 2,700 to 2,800 metres above sea level. Whole-bunch pressed and wild-fermented, then matured on lees in French oak before further ageing in stainless steel. Concentrated yet beautifully fresh, with white peach, citrus and subtle creamy notes layered over saline minerality and bright acidity. Precise, textured and exceptionally long.

• 2024 Xiao Pu ‘Tangerine’ Chardonnay Blend (orange)Ningxia$22 / $38 / $110

  A colourful blend of Chardonnay, Welschriesling, Viognier, Petit Manseng, Gewürztraminer and Muscat Blanc, fermented with indigenous yeasts and matured in old oak for eight months. A small portion of mature Yunnan Chardonnay is blended in for additional lift and complexity. Dry and textural, with dried orange peel, kumquat and oolong tea supported by a fragrant jasmine-and-lychee character. An expressive, gently savoury orange wine with freshness beneath its richness.

• 2023 Silver Height ‘Sand Lake Moon’ White Blend (orange)Ningxia$130

  Malvasia Bianca blended with Viognier, Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Muscat Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc. Fermented on skins for 30 days, rested for six months in traditional Chinese clay vessels and matured for ten months in neutral oak. White peach, yellow stone fruit, preserved jasmine and orange blossom unfold across a vivid, aromatic palate. Grippy tannins and saline acidity provide structure and energy. Unfined, unfiltered and made without added sulphur.

• 2023 Domaine de la Gyalthang ‘High Altitude’ Chardonnay (orange)Shangri-La, Yunnan$135

  100% Chardonnay grown around 2,800 metres above sea level in Shangri-La and made by Xiao Pu winemaker Ian Dai. Wild-fermented with 14 days of skin contact before ageing for 12 months in old oak. Aromatic and textural, with lemon, mandarin, jasmine and ginger alongside a gentle savoury, tea-like character. Bright acidity and a subtle phenolic grip give the wine freshness and structure. Unfiltered and naturally expressive.

• 2024 September Helan ‘Home Grown’ MarselanGezi Mountain, Ningxia$140

  100% Marselan from Gezi Mountain, cold-macerated for five days and fermented at a cool temperature to preserve fragrance and freshness. The wine is rested in stainless steel for six months rather than oak, allowing the purity of the fruit to lead. Vibrant and medium-bodied, with juicy red and dark fruit, gentle floral spice and fine tannins. A fresh, highly drinkable interpretation of Marselan that deliberately moves away from Ningxia’s traditionally powerful, oak-driven style.

• 2025 Xiao Pu ‘Gathering’ MV7 Red BlendNingxia$21 / $35 / $100

  A multi-vintage blend of Syrah, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Welschriesling, Muscat Hamburg, Marselan and Dunkelfelder from Ningxia, bottled in 2025. Dense red and dark fruit sit alongside Xiao Pu’s distinctive savoury character, with cherry, black plum, chestnut and star anise wrapped around a firm thread of soy and mushroom umami. Textured but energetic, this unconventional red-and-white field blend captures Ian Dai’s playful, minimal-intervention approach to modern Chinese wine.

• 2022 Xiao Pu Perdue No. 1 Pinot NoirNingxia$210

  100% Pinot Noir from Tianshui in Gansu, made with indigenous yeasts, uncontrolled fermentation and deliberately light extraction. The most airy and elegant expression in the 2022 Perdue series, it favours fragrance and movement over weight. Fresh red fruit, wild berries and delicate herbal tones are carried by bright acidity and fine, gentle tannins. Ethereal, lightly savoury and expressive, with the elusive character that inspired the name ‘Perdue’.

• 2022 Xiao Pu Perdue No. 3 Pinot NoirNingxia$210

  100% Pinot Noir from Ningxia, made through native fermentation and light extraction. The most generous, structured and intense wine in the 2022 Perdue series, showing ripe strawberry, red cherry and smoked Chinese sour plum alongside strawberry leaf, baking spice and damp forest floor. The palate is broad and expressive, with gripping tannins and fresh acidity bringing definition. A powerful yet characterful interpretation of Chinese Pinot Noir.

• 2023 Silver Height ‘Jiayuan Marselan’Ningxia$165

  100% Marselan from the sandy soils of Jinshan Vineyard in Ningxia, harvested twice to balance freshness with structure. Destemmed and fermented in stainless steel before ageing for 12 months in new 500-litre French oak. Smoky and deeply savoury, with blackberry fruit, lap cheong, cured meat, cumin, star anise and white pepper. Notes of shiso and spring onion provide freshness against the toasted oak. Medium-bodied with firm, finely shaped tannins and a long, spicy finish.

• 2017 Puchang SaperaviTurpan Valley, Xinjiang$120

  100% Saperavi. Hand picked and fermented in barrel. Aged in two separate barrels; 50% second-use Bordeaux barriques for 12 months, and 50% second-use 3000 litre tonneau for 24 months before bottling. Dusty, savoury and brooding. Blue fruit, blackberries, black ruby plum. Leathery complexity from bottle age, and vegetal herbaceousness, with a balsamic or black tea leaf edge. Grippy tannins and a soy sauce-like acid.

• 2018 Xige Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet GernischtNingxia$550

  One of the flagship wines of Xige Estate, a leading producer from Ningxia’s Eastern Foothills of the Helan Mountains. A blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Cabernet Gernischt, sourced from mature vineyards and aged for 18 months in French oak. Ningxia’s dry continental climate, intense sunlight and dramatic day-to-night temperature shifts help build ripe fruit while preserving freshness and structure. Deep cassis, blackberry and black cherry are layered with cedar, tobacco, cocoa, clove and subtle earthy notes. Full-bodied and concentrated, yet polished, with fine-grained tannins and a long, savoury finish. A serious expression of modern Chinese fine wine and a great introduction to the quality now emerging from Ningxia.

• 2021 Jade Dove Single Vineyard Cabernet GernischtNingxia$185

  Made from 100% Cabernet Gernischt grown in a single vineyard in Qingtongxia, on the eastern foothills of Ningxia’s Helan Mountains. The mature vines sit around 1,000 metres above sea level, where the dry continental climate, intense sunlight and dramatic day-to-night temperature shifts encourage ripeness while retaining freshness and acidity. Aged for 12 months in 300-litre French oak barrels. Aromatic and savoury, with raspberry, strawberry, red dates and cassis layered with sage, liquorice, violet, cedar, leather and leafy herbal notes. Full-bodied yet elegant and balanced, with fresh acidity, fine silky tannins and subtle notes of toast and smoke leading into a long, savoury finish. A distinctive and refined expression of Cabernet Gernischt and one of the standout wines of modern Ningxia.