JamesSuckling.com’s Yinchuan Wine Guidebook Debuts

JamesSuckling.com unveiled the debut edition of its Yinchuan Wine Guidebook on Monday, with James Suckling introducing the book to Chinese winemakers, distributors, media outlets and high-ranking government officials at the Helan Mountain East Foothill Wine Distributor Conference in Yinchuan, the capital of China’s north-central Ningxia autonomous region.

James, who was speaking in a video linkup from Tuscany, highlighted the rapid development of Chinese wines over the past few years, saying he expected the wines to become even more refined and diverse in coming years.

“We're really excited about how there's really some great wines being made now in China with lots of body and structure,” including many natural wines, James told the crowd, which included the municipal secretary and mayor of Yinchuan. “Last year, we rated 35,000 wines from around the world, and that included 400 from China,” James said. “We really believe in the progress that's been made and the quality, and we believe that China’s best wines can stand up to the best of the world.”

The guidebook (right), written by JamesSuckling.com Senior Editor Zekun Shuai in cooperation with the Yinchuan Wine Association, features 188 wines from 55 wineries in Yinchuan, which is a key appellation of the rapidly growing Helan Mountain East Foothill region and the home of wineries such as Helan Qingxue, Kanaan, Silver Heights, Jade Vineyard, Domaine Charme and Lansai.

The wines featured in the book are rated on a five-star scale, and the three top-rated wines (4.5 stars) include two cabernet sauvignons and a malbec. A few marselans, chardonnays and viogniers also showed very well.

The Yinchuan Daily newspaper published a front-page report on the conference and wine guide, calling it a “significant book” for consumers and wine distributors who look for quality wines from Ningxia.

The Yinchuan Wine Association said the conference brought in US$58 million in investment and sales for the local wine industry.

– Vince Morkri, Managing Editor, and Zekun Shuai, Senior Editor