Wine growers on a mission of good taste

Different from Li's winery that has walls to separate it from the city's other buildings, the Jade Vineyard facing the Helan Mountains is like an art museum in the wild.

The white stone building stands out against the gray rock mountains. It is a popular backdrop for snapshots and has become a top destination in recent years. Inside, there's a concert hall in the fermentation workshop, the first of its kind in a vineyard in China, and a wine cellar underground with a ceiling covered by the video projection of a blue ocean.

Ding Jian, owner of the vineyard, explains that producing wines is like making art. "Music is the audio art and painting is visual art," she says. "For me, wine is the art of taste. Wine matches perfectly with music, painting and nature."

In 2013, Ding left Beijing and devoted herself to the vineyard in Ningxia, which covers an area of about 21.46 hectares and produces 90,000 bottles of wine annually.

"When I first stood on the wild land, I fell in love with it. It is beautiful and gorgeous," says Ding, whose aim was to build an international-level vineyard.

To set up a scientific management system, Ding built a weather station in the vineyard and applied customized planting methods for different grape varieties. In less than 10 years, Ding's wine was winning international prizes.

At the top of the vineyard's white building stands a spacious hall, where visitors can chat, taste wine, play the piano and enjoy a magnificent view of the Helan Mountains.

A large balcony on the top floor gives visitors a panoramic view of the wild surroundings. Rolling mountain ranges stand tall at the front and rows of vines spread out from the left and right.

"It's the best place to see the Buddha face-shaped mountain range," says Ding.

She adds that when the building was designed, the architects regarded it as part of a photo frame. This ensured that any viewpoint from within the building frames the mountains perfectly.

Ding appreciates the mountains so much that she painted them onto canvas and turned the picture into the signature label for her wine.

Next to the white building, a small hotel is under construction to meet the growing tourism demand.

"Lots of visitors say that it's a pity they can't spend the night here," says Ding.