By Jim Boyce
An unprecedented viticultural–and cultural–experiment is underway in the Ningxia region of China where 48 winemakers from 18 nations are practicing their craft as part of a contest with over USD110,000 in cash prizes. (See list of candidates below.)
The Ningxia Winemakers Challenge is a two-year project organized by the region’s wine federation with support from the grape industry development bureau. Each of the 48 winemakers has been teamed with a local winery and assigned a three-hectare plot of grapes to make wine.
With nationalities spanning Argentine to Australian, Italian to Indian and South African to Swedish, the winemakers trickled into the region over several weeks until everyone was on hand on September 20. That day, each winemaker was partnered with a winery via a lottery system, followed by a second draw to decide which plot each team would use from a collective vineyard. (See photos below.)
The next morning, the teams made their first vineyard visit, with many picking grapes for lab analysis–they were generally positive about the fruit, which was far superior to that used in a smaller 2012 contest with seven foreign winemakers. In the ensuing 24 hours, the winemakers left the hotel where they had stayed and headed to accommodations provided by their partner wineries.
It quickly became evident their experiences would vastly vary. Some wineries are near the capital of Yinchuan, others are over 100Â kilometers away. Some have all needed equipment, others require sourcing and creativity. In terms of accommodations, the range is from spartan to the Kempinski.
There have also been hiccups when it comes to communication, with some language gaps, to scheduling, with some frustration over itineraries, and, literally, to entertainment, with some winemakers getting a great deal experience with the tradition of ganbei, that is, draining one’s glass of alcohol in one go. None of this is surprising given the uniqueness and scale of this event.
In any case, most winemakers will stay for about 20 days, with additional visits to come over the next two years before the wines are judged in the fall of 2017. At that time, wines scoring in the top 10 percent will be awarded rmb100,000 each while the next 20 percent get rmb20,000 each. Winemakers are also entitled to 2,000 bottles of their wine.
Suffice it to say, the world of wine has never seen a contest quite like this and it symbolizes the spirit of a region growing by leaps and bounds. Virtually unknown even five years ago, Ningxia has emerged as one of the planet’s most intriguing places, with some of its wines winning praise from critics like Jancis Robinson, Michel Bettane, Thierry Dessauve and Jeremy Oliver and recognition from contests like the Decanter World Wine Awards and Concours Mondial de Bruxelles.
Wine grape vineyard coverage has grown more than ten fold in Ningxia since 2003, to nearly 40,000 hectares, and the number of approved operations now stands at 72 wineries, according to government officials, with more growth planned. The region has also reached out to the world by joining the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV), by sending fact-finding delegations to wine regions in Argentina, Australia, France and New Zealand, and by organizing events like harvest festivals, trade fairs and the Ningxia Winemakers Challenges.
I’ll be posting lots more about this event in the coming weeks.
Disclaimer: I have consulted on this project since May and also on the contest launched in 2012.
The ceremony for pairing wineries and winemakers.
Teams check the location of their plots in the collective vineyard.
Checking fruit quality and collecting grapes for lab analysis.
Ningxia Winemakers Challenge candidates visit Changyu Moser XV.
And taste wine at Yuanshi, a stunning operation that makes excellent use of local stones and wood.
NWC candidates appear on China’s national network CCTV.
Many winemakers brought wine with them and had a tasting session during the first week.
A tasting of 30-plus Ningxia wines was organized last Sunday during the mid-Autumn festival.
The 48 NWC Candidates
Pablo Laborde, Argentina
Mariana Páez, Argentina
Juan Pina, Argentina
Cesar Gastón Sepúlveda, Argentina
Mike Gadd, Australia
Paul Gobell, Australia
Tony Kallaske, Australia
Mathew Kirby, Australia
Joanna Marsh, Australia
Stephen McEwen, Australia
Kelly Pearson, Australia
Chris Sargeant, Australia
Mathias Regner, Austria
Alexander Velianov, Bulgaria
Jose Hernández, Chile
Jacqueline Lizama, Chile
Maria Tapia, Chile
Pierre Viala, France
Priyanka Kulkarni, India
Parikshit Teldhune, India
Denise Cosentino, Italy
Alessio Fortunato, Italy
Gianpaolo Paglia, Italy
Mauricio Ruiz Cantu, Mexico
Leonardo Ricardez, Mexico
Vadim Burunsus, Moldova
Peter Bristow, New Zealand
Jennifer Bound, New Zealand
Glenn James, New Zealand / Australia
Peter Mackey, New Zealand
Andrew Powley, New Zealand
Steve Simpson, New Zealand
Spring Timlin, New Zealand
Joel Santos, Portugal
Justin Corrans, South Africa
Alwyn Liebenberg, South Africa
Carsten Migliarina, South Africa
Elena Alejos, Spain
Ana Pecero, Spain
Ruben Rodriguez, Spain/Australia
Slavina Stefanova, Sweden
Stuart Rusted, UK
Matthew van der Spuy, UK
Sarah Williams, UK
Nova Cadamatre, United States
Chris Chang, United States
Brian Cheeseborough, United States
Brent Trela, United States
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