Best of the bunch

Finally, in China's far west, the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region has a long history of wine and operations such as Tiansai Vineyards are helping bring out the region's full potential. They say great wine is made in the vineyard, by growing great grapes, but this is exactly where many Chinese producers place the least focus. Shiny new equipment and fancy barrel-filled cellars often hold more appeal.

But under the guidance of owner Chen Lizhong, Tiansai has invested the time and money into designing vineyards that give winemaker Lilian Carter from Australia worthwhile fruit with which to work. The wines are sold under the name Skyline: try their chardonnays (from 170 yuan) and, if you are a red wine fan, the syrah and marselan.

And these five excellent wineries are just for starters. There are plenty beyond that, from Helan Qing Xue and Legacy Peak in Ningxia, Hansen in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region and Chateau Nine Peaks in Shandong province to Ao Yun, another LVMH project, in Yunnan province. And as the market demands more quality, and people start to realize the quality available at home, we can expect this wave of wineries to grow from strength to strength.