Cao Kailong, deputy director of the General Office of the Administrative Committee of the Grape Industry Zone of Helan Mountain's East Foothill Wine Region, talks about the wine industry in Ningxia at the Society of Wine Educators' 40th Annual Conference, in Washington on Aug 13. Dong Leshuo / China Daily

Chinese wine is making its way onto the world stage through Ningxia Hui autonomous region in the western part of the country.

"China is an important producer, and increasingly an important consumer," said Edward Korry, president of the Society of Wine Educators (SWE). "I think as educators it's really important to know what is going on in the whole world so that we don't get disconnected from any part of it."

Korry was speaking at the SWE's 40th annual conference in Washington on Aug 13.

"I've also tasted wine from other vineyards in other parts of China, but I don't think other regions quite have the ability to cross the border and have this uniqueness," he said of Ningxia.

With the minority Hui people making up about a third of the population, Ningxia lies about 500 miles west of Beijing. The wine grapes are planted in the north of Ningxia, in the foothills of the Helan Mountains.

Grapes have been grown in Ningxia for more than 1,300 years, but it's not until recently that people have been starting to get to know the wines from the region, according to Cao Kailong, deputy director of the administrative committee of the Grape Industry's Helan Mountains east region, who spoke as a special guest at the conference.

In 2012, Ningxia became the first province or region in China to be accepted as an official observer at the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV).

The only other OIV observer in China is Yantai, in East China's Shandong province, which is at a municipal level.

"The local government has realized the potential and opportunities for Ningxia wines and has been making a lot of effort to help Ningxia wines develop," Cao said.

By the end of 2015, there were 35,000 hectares of wine grapes among a total 40,000 hectares of grapes in Ningxia.

Ningxia is planning to establish a 67,000-hectare vineyard, a vine and wine cultural center, three ecological wine culture cities, 10 vine-and-wine-themed towns and more than 100 quality wineries by 2020, according to Cao.

After tasting the nine wines that were brought from Ningxia, wine writer and educator Laura Lee-Chin said the Sha Po Tou Cabernet Gernischt was her favorite.

"It's fascinating to me," she said. "It's got a lot of promise. I think it's the one that you can develop even further, it is so distinctive."

"Ningxia has some uniqueness, but it has more connectivity to the style of wine that we currently find in some parts of California, or in Washington state," said Korry. "I think it will take time for this kind of uniqueness to express itself, but stylistically, it leans more to the new world right now."

Currently, the Ningxia Winemakers Challenge (NWC) is being carried out in the region. The project funds about 50 winemakers from around the world to practice their craft in Ningxia for two years. Each of them will make 10,000 bottles of wine and each winemaker will be entitled to approximately 2,000 bottles of the wine that he or she makes. The winner will be awarded a prize. Seven of the 50 winemakers are from the US, according to Cao.

Nignxia and the SWE are planning more collaborations.

leshuodong@chinadailyusa.com