Ningxia Marsalan crowned best wine of China

At a ceremony before 500 international wine enthusiasts, winemakers, industry experts and regional media, the Best Wine of China title has been awarded to Fei Tswei, a winery in the Helan Mountains of Ningxia, for their 2021 Reserve Marselan.

DBR (Lafite)’s Domaine de Long Dai was also a winner, taking the Best Wine of Shandong title.

But it was the region of Ningxia, long seen as the heart of Chinese wine with serious investment from its regional government, that scooped the biggest prize. A boutique winery in the heart of the Helan Mountain appellation in Ningxia, specialising in single varietal wines such as Marselan, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, it was named by Ian d’Agata as one of China’s up and coming estates, making some of its ‘most exciting wines’, I can confirm that during the judging process, it absolutely stood out for its fleshy, balanced fruits.

There is also a lovely link to the first time a Chinese wine won international recognition at the Decanter World Wine Awards in 2011, as owner Zhang Yanli (Lily) was inspired to make her own Ningxia wine after tasting Helan Qingxue Vineyards’s Jia Bei Lan’s Grand Reserve 2009, which won the International Trophy.

To pursue this dream, she built an extremely impressive winery on an empty plot of land (you can see a short youtube video of it here) in the eastern foothills of the Helan Mountains. The vineyard covers 93ha of vines, and only began exporting its first bottles in 2019.

For the competition, all wine submissions were evaluated to win the Gold Medal (95-100 points), Silver Medal (90-94 points) and Bronze Medal (85-89 points). At the same time, winemakers also competed for the Wynn Signature Best Wine of China Trophy as well as an additional 23 trophies spread across three divisions, namely “Wynn Signature Trophies”,“Varietals Champion Trophies” and “Regional Champion Trophies.” The three special divisions honour China’s most talented winemakers while recognising the breadth of major varietal expressions and regionality in China.

Fei Tswei Marselan Reserve 2021 was honoured with the coveted Best Wine of China Trophy. Its exceptional quality also earned it the titles of Best Red Wine, Best Marselan and Best of Ningxia. Xige Estate N28 Chardonnay 2021 won two trophies, including Best White Wine and Best Value Wine, while Domaine Franco Chinois Petit Manseng 2018 received the Best Sweet Wine, Best Petit Manseng and Best of North China titles.

All trophy winners are:

Awards	Wine	Region
Best Wine of China	Fei Tswei Marselan Reserve 2021	Ningxia
Best White Wine	Xige Estate N28 Chardonnay 2021	Ningxia
Best Red Wine	Fei Tswei Marselan Reserve 2021	Ningxia
Best Sweet Wine	Domaine Franco Chinois Petit Manseng 2018	Hebei
Best Value Wine	Xige Estate N28 Chardonnay 2021	Ningxia
Best Chardonnay	Chateau Nine Peaks Qi Chardonnay 2021	Shandong
Best Petit Manseng	Domaine Franco-Chinois Petit Manseng 2018	Hebei
Best Vidal	Pabala Icewine 2019	Yunnan
Best Cabernet Sauvignon	United Winery Summer Cabernet Sauvignon 2021	Ningxia
Best Cabernet Gernischt	Chateau Changyu Castel G2 Cabernet Gernischt 2019	Shandong
Best Marselan	Fei Tswei Marselan Reserve 2021	Ningxia
Best Syrah/Shiraz	Chateau Zhong Fei Syrah 2021	Xinjiang
Best Cabernet Franc	Domaine Freemind Baixia Single Vineyard Cabernet Franc 2019	Ningxia
Best Pinot Noir	Fei Tswei Pinot Noir Reserve 2020	Ningxia
Best Red Blends	Fei Tswei ‘Chang’ 2020	Ningxia
Best Other Dry White	Longting Vineyard Reserve Petit Manseng 2020	Shandong
Best Tempranillo	Xiban Winery No. 1 Tempranillo 2021	Ningxia
Best of Southwest High Mountain	Shangri-La Winery Sacred Legends Chardonnay 2022	Yunnan
Best of Xinjiang	Petit Mont Cuvee Prestige Tianshan Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2021	Xinjiang
Best of North China	Domaine Franco-Chinois Petit Manseng 2018	Hebei
Best of Shandong	Domaine de Long Dai 2020	Shandong
Best of Ningxia	Fei Tswei Marselan Reserve 2021	Ningxia
Best of Gansu & Shaanxi	Zixuan Xuezhen 2022	Gansu