Spotlight on Xinjiang, a Chinese Vineyard Region - Global Wine Tourism

In just a few short years, China has managed to establish a vineyard area that rivals that of France, which took centuries to develop and maintain. Nearly 800,000 hectares…

Xinjiang: A Unique Geographical Location

Bordering Mongolia and Kazakhstan, the Xinjiang region (which translates to “new frontier” or “new frontier”) is three times the size of France. It includes a vast plain, the Taklamakan Desert, and, most notably, the Turfan Depression. It is important to note that Xinjiang is of interest because it is one of the few Chinese wine-growing regions located in an environment still largely unspoiled by human activity and pollution, which gives it a natural quality.

Due to the Turfan Depression, which happens to be the fourth lowest point on Earth (154 meters below sea level!), the climate there is very distinctive: continental, hot, and arid, with sweltering summers and freezing winters. On its predominantly sandy soil, drought is severe, with very low precipitation (between 20 and 70 mm of rain per year). Thus, in Xinjiang, one finds some of the brightest landscapes, which can only be obscured by sandstorms. And yet, in this arid “oasis” region, agriculture is possible thanks to a sophisticated irrigation system that channels water from the Tian Shan Mountains through underground canals. Yes, we are still a long way from the Western ideal of the vineyard!

Drought, sand, frost, and the vineyard

While traditional vine-growing methods are common, many vines are cultivated on pergolas. These vines manage to thrive, more or less, thanks to soil that is actually quite fertile. Of course, vines do not grow everywhere in Xinjiang; even though this region is three times larger than France, it has “only” 100,000 hectares of vineyards, all on carefully selected soils! The hot, arid summer climate allows the grapes to ripen very quickly, meaning the harvest can take place very early, in August.

For indeed, Xinjiang’s grapes require the winemaker to act quickly as winter sets in, bringing with it the threat of freezing temperatures ranging from -20°C to -30°C as early as October. At first glance, this situation seems impossible for the vines to survive, but the solutions are highly creative. So when winter arrives, right after the harvest, the vineyards require a massive workforce to dig 50-meter-deep trenches in the ground (sort of like irrigation ditches) in which (brace yourselves…) vineyard technicians bury the vines until spring to prevent them from rotting. Spring, the time when the vine’s cycle can resume “normally.” Yes, it’s possible.

Which grape varieties are buried during the winter?

The grape varieties grown in Xinjiang, as in many New World regions, are based on our classic French varieties: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Riesling. To these varieties, we can add a native variety known as the Chinese white grape, Riou Ding Xiang, which has muscat-like aromas and is used primarily to produce a sweet white wine. Since it is still a relatively young vineyard region, only 20% of the grapes grown there are currently used for winemaking.

A potential market share?

Although wine accounts for only 2% of the alcoholic beverage market in China (compared to 40% for beer), per capita consumption is on the rise, increasing from 0.5 liters per capita in 2007 to 1.4 liters per capita in 2011 (a figure that has continued to rise ever since).

Most of the wines, on the other hand, are shipped in bulk to major distributors across the country to be bottled there. Bottled for whom? Right behind Hong Kong and ahead of Australia and Belgium, we French are the second-largest market, with a leading European brand, Suntime! As for prices, Chinese wines command considerable prices, because that’s how they evaluate a wine—often beyond its quality…

CITY/COUNTRY VOLUME (millions of liters) - Export share (%)

Hong Kong 2.81 - 76.57

France 0.23–6.27

Australia 0.09 - 2.45

Belgium 0.08–2.18

(Table: Top customers by volume in 2014)

Since the soil in the Xinjiang region is relatively low in organic matter and the climate is quite unique, tastings generally yield disappointing results. It is said that because the wines lack acidity and have an excessively high alcohol content, producers prefer to extract the tannins to compensate for a lack of structure apparently due to the terroir. A long road still lies ahead (if it is even feasible) for the wines of the “new frontier.”

Mélany Bachmann (wine merchant)for Les Grappes