Ningxia rises in global influence as a top wine region

Yinchuan, the capital of Northwest China's Ningxia Hui autonomous region, will host for the first time a session of the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, one of the world's most prestigious wine competitions, highlighting Ningxia's leading role in the country's wine industry and its rising influence globally.

The opening ceremony of the event was held on Monday. The Red and White Wines Session of the CMB, which is the second leg of the competition and will feature hundreds of varieties of wines, will start in Yinchuan on Tuesday and conclude on Thursday. The results will be announced on June 24, according to the CMB website.

The fact that part of the 32nd edition of the competition is being held in Yinchuan is not a mere coincidence, said Baudouin Havaux, chairman of the CMB, adding that it "clearly shows the growing strength of Chinese wine, especially of Ningxia".

The competition, which will see more than 7,000 samples — including a record number of Chinese wines — appraised by nearly 400 international jury members, opens a new era for the global visibility of the Chinese wine industry, Havaux said.

"We hope wine remains for all of us a universal connection, a shared language that unites continents and brings people closer," he added.

Ningxia boasts the largest concentrated and contiguous grape planting area for winemaking in China and is among the world's famous golden wine producing regions, according to the regional government.

"The region's planting area of grapes has exceeded 40,000 hectares, accounting for 40 percent of China," said Zhang Yupu, chairman of Ningxia. "There are 130 wineries producing 140 million bottles of wine annually."

One in every two bottles of Chinese wine comes from Ningxia, Zhang said when addressing the fifth China (Ningxia) International Wine Culture and Tourism Expo, which started on Monday.

Strictly benchmarked against world-leading concepts, technical standards and development models, Ningxia has established a national-level grape wine product quality inspection and testing center, as well as the country's first collaborative innovation center for the wine industry.

"We have achieved comprehensive innovation in seedling cultivation, planting management, brewing techniques, and aging and storage of wines, winning over 1,300 awards in international competitions, accounting for over 50 percent of China's total," Zhang said.

His remarks highlighted Ningxia's role as China's top wine-producing region, backed by scale, innovation and international acclaim.

As the region gains prominence on the global stage, industry leaders are taking notice.

Yvette van der Merwe, president of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine, said it has observed and supported the rise of China's grape and wine industry for many years. "We have watched with pleasure the rapid and exciting development of Ningxia's Helan Mountain east foothill wine region as a very promising chapter in the global wine atlas," she said.

In November, China joined the organization, which is known as the provider of international standards for wine. "The OIV creates global standards and guidance. It also provides data and information to help our members and the sector to navigate the challenges of the future," van der Merwe said.

"China is the third-largest planted vineyard surface in the world, the eighth-largest consumer of wine, and the first table grapes producer in the world. It is an opportunity for China to participate in the development of international standards and resources," she added.

According to van der Merwe, the global grape and wine industry is facing a common challenge — how to achieve sustainable development.

"We must work together to share knowledge and develop standards that align with global trends for sustainable development, ensuring that environmental protection is incorporated throughout the entire industry chain," she said.