Like most winemakers, Ruan Shili knows that a great glass of wine starts with quality grapes.

"Here in Yinchuan, we harness all the potential of the grapes," said Ruan, general manager of the ChateauChangyuMoserXV and a nationally accredited first-class winemaker.

Changyu, the world's fourth-largest wine maker, partnered with the Austrian Lenz Moser family to launch ChateauChangyuMoserXV in Yinchuan, the Ningxia Hui autonomous region in mid-August.

The company has invested some 600 million yuan ($98 million) in the site and other lines of production in the region.

It has 5.3 million square meters of land for vineyards. The chateau itself, next to the Nanraocheng highway, is a spacious, well-maintained manor that is open to visitors for wine tasting as well as sightseeing.

Ruan's hope is that "we will make wine of the highest quality here", he said.

"And we only make middle to top-class wines here," said Ruan, who has also worked for other Changyu Chateaus in the country.

"We still have more ambitious plans. We will make it a world-class trading market for wines, a tasting center with wines from across the globe and a tourist destination complete with a children's amusement park," he added.

The plans, projected to be complete in 2015, require a continual influx of funds. Most of all, the success of the project depends on the quality of the grapes.

"The conditions here are simply ideal - the soil is sandy with rocks, rainfall measures a mere 200 millimeters a year, and we have more than 3,000 hours of sunlight annually," Ruan said.

"The sugar-acid ratio, the color and the phenols of the fruits are all as good as we can hope for."

Ruan said it is difficult to draw comparisons between Yinchuan and places with a long tradition of fine wine like France's Bordeaux, but he said he is confident that Ningxia will develop into a first-class wine region over time.

"The conditions are so good that grapes can be anything they aspire to be," Ruan said.

The primary task at the moment is branding and promotion.

"Currently, Ningxia wines are only sold in nearby provinces, so they're not yet the nation's favorite and are comparatively less known in other parts of the world." Ruan said.

This is why Changyu is promoting winery tourism in the region.

"Yinchuan is famous for its history and culture. We want to add to that so that tourists leave with a lasting impression about the quality wine that can be found here."

The Moser Chateau will have tasting and etiquette lessons for incoming travelers, many of whom are Chinese and therefore are more accustomed to traditional distilled spirits and rice wines.

"We hope the number of consumers in the country will grow with the booming industry and affirm the notion that in Ningxia, we have the best wine," Ruan said.

sunye@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily USA 09/23/2013 page9)