In a desert region of northwestern China, Liu Li speaks proudly of how the once barren sands have been transformed in recent years into rolling vineyards, helping the region become one of the heartlands of the country’s domestic wine industry.
“We have turned a yellow sand area into a golden one,” says Liu, workshop director and assistant brewer at Lilan Winery in Ningxia, referring to the success of the local wines. “Good grapes and wine are produced, winning many awards at home and abroad.”
But although wine production in Ningxia – an autonomous region in central China – is being promoted by the government with prominent backing from President Xi Jinping, the home market has become more challenging because of social and economic changes, while the increasing recognition that Ningxia wines have won in international competitions has yet to be reflected by its exports.
Before the Covid-19 pandemic started, wine drinking in China had been growing steadily for decades, and it was the fifth-largest market. However, China’s wine consumption has been in steady decline in recent years, pushing it down to ninth place in 2023, according to the International Organisation of Vine and Wine.
