Grape Wall of China

A China Wine Blog: The Scene in the World’s Largest Market

Ningxia Wine Challenge: The Expert Panel Selects Ten Candidates

By Jim Boyce The Ningxia Wine Challenge will fund ten winemakers to visit the Ningxia region, join harvest and make one red wine and one white wine this fall. As noted a few weeks ago: The Ningxia Wine Challenge is an opportunity for people who seek an adventure, enjoy cultural exchange and are interested in [...]

Ningxia Wine Challenge update: List of ten finalists coming soon…

By Jim Boyce Interest in the Ningxia Wine Challenge has been much stronger than expected. The organizers have received more than 50 applications from wine makers of 15 nationalities since the contest launched on July 13. The deadline for applications was July 27. On July 29, the information for those applicants who sent both a [...]

Ningxia Wine Challenge Panel: Mihalis Boutaris, Lilian Carter, Li Demei, Liz Thach and Mireia Torres

~ By Jim Boyce After the deadline for entering the Ningxia Wine Challenge — at 5 PM on July 27 — all of CVs and forms will be sent to a panel of wine experts who hail from five nations and have a link to China. The panelists will pick their top 15 candidates and [...]

Ningxia Wine Challenge: Site hacked, contest goes on, details here

~ By Jim Boyce Recent visitors to the Ningxia Wine Challenge website might have noticed that the pacifying photo of grape vines has been replaced with a scary one of a masked man. That is because the site has been hacked. Hard to believe since we have only been posting there for two weeks. But [...]

Ningxia Wine Challenge: Details of applying

By Jim Boyce The region of Ningxia in northwest China will fund ten foreign winemakers to visit and practice their craft this fall as part of a two-year project. The winemakers will select grapes and make wine in the fall, then work remotely through assistants, with the option of up to three return visits. The wines [...]

Ningxia Wine Challenge Q&A: Winemaker Emma Gao on lessons learned, grape sourcing and Cabernet Gernischt

By Jim Boyce Emma Gao is the winemaker at Silver Heights, a family-owned operation that she runs with her father and sister in Ningxia and that has gained a reputation for making some of China’s best wines since the first vintage in 2007. The Chinese edition of La Revue du Vin de France recently named [...]

Ningxia Wine Challenge Q&A: Professor Ma Huiqin on grapes, marketing and more

By Jim Boyce Professor Ma Huiqin of China Agricultural University is not only an expert on wine marketing and grape molecular biology, but also for more than a decade has taught a wine appreciation course at the school. Since finishing her postdoctoral studies at South Africa’s Stellenbosch University, Ma has completed stints at the ESA [...]

Ningxia Wine Challenge Q&A: Lilian Carter on working at Helan Mountain winery

By Jim Boyce To give some perspective to winemakers interested in applying for the Ningxia Wine Challenge, we are featuring some interviews with people involved in the Ningxia wine scene. First up is winemaker Lillian Carter, who worked from August 2008 to December 2009 as winemaker / winery manager for Pernod Ricard at Helan Mountain [...]

Make wine in China? Ningxia Wine Challenge to fund 10 foreign winemakers this fall

~ By Jim Boyce The government of Ningxia will invite 10 foreign winemakers to visit this fall and each make a red wine and a white wine, with the best ones eligible for prizes that total rmb200,000  –  about USD30,000 or EUR25,000. Called the Ningxia Wine Challenge, the project was initiated by Cao Kailong, who [...]

  • About Grape Wall of China

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    A nonprofit collaborative blog


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    Email: beijingboyce at yahoo.com

  • Grape Wall Contributors


    In alphabetical order (see full list)


    Nicolas Carre
    Sommelier


    Chantal Chi
    Writer


    Yvonne Chiong
    Sommelier, consultant


    Judy Leissner
    Grace Vineyard CEO


    Li Demei
    Wine maker


    Huiqin Ma
    Professor


    Campbell Thompson
    The Wine Republic co-owner


    Frankie Zhao
    Pro-Wine Training & Consultancy owner


    Jim Boyce
    Consumer, blog administrator