The summer air in the high, barren plains of Ningxia is so dry that the moisture on the surface of your eyes may evaporate faster than your body can replace it. But extreme dryness is only one aspect of a profoundly inhospitable landscape.
In this small, remote region of north-central China, which borders the Gobi Desert, winter temperatures can plunge to minus 22°F, while summer highs can soar past 100°F. These conditions kept Ningxia a predominantly rural area until a couple of decades ago, when the realization of its winegrowing potential transformed it into China’s flagship vineyard land.
“I was first introduced to Ningxia in 2009,” says Austria-born Lenz Moser, the winemaker at one of Ningxia’s leading wineries, Chateau Changyu-Moser XV. “At the time, it was largely unknown and the wines weren’t that good. But two things were immediately clear. First, there was — and still is — strong support for the wine industry from the local government. Second, there was a small group of around eight young women, educated abroad and highly ambitious, who were determined to show the world what Ningxia could contribute to global wine.”
Ningxia’s transformation is emblematic of China’s ambition to establish itself as a serious wine-producing nation. The effort received recognition when the country became a full member of the Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV) in November 2024.
In recent years, interest from global drinks producers and luxury conglomerates such as LVMH and Pernod Ricard has helped to propel Chinese wine. It’s brought investment and international expertise to some of the country’s most prominent wine regions that include Ningxia, as well as Yunnan in the Himalayan foothills and Shandong on the eastern coast.
The industry has taken notice. Chinese winemakers have earned a growing tally of awards at high-profile competitions, and the country has twice hosted the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, the vinous equivalent of the Olympics (Beijing in 2018, Ningxia in 2025).
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