Ao Yun - Flying Above the Clouds.

According to archaeological evidence, almost 7,000 years ago grapes were planted in China. It was probably used for regular consumption and not winemaking. However, Greek settlers introduced Vitis Vinifera vines in the Xinjiang region located in Western China during the 4th Century BC. During the Han Dynasty, Zhang Qian was sent to western China to introduce grapes in the mainland in 119 BC. The credit of being the oldest winery in China goes to “Changyu Winery” which has been operating since 1892 in the Shandong region, followed by “Shangyi Winery” which has been in operation since 1910. China has most certainly pulled up their socks and took their wine business seriously. This has helped us discover new regions with diversity in climates, terroir, and passionate vignerons using modern winemaking techniques.

@Pictorial brick depicting the making of wine.
- Eastern Han Dynasty (A.D. 25 - 220) - Excavated at Pengshan, Sichuan Province, 1954

Wine-making was important to Han industry; wine-making facilities and taverns were found in many towns and cities. In this pictorial brick a man and his assistant are featured in the centre, the man stirring a cauldron as the assistant tends to the fire. The bottom of the brick shows a filtering stove with urns for the wine, as nearby a man stands with a cart of wine for sale.

China has pre-dominantly 12 wine growing regions out of which 5 play an important role in wine production which are:

• Shandong
• Ningxia
• Hebei
• Xinjiang
• Yunnan

The Shandong region is about the same latitude as Bordeaux, which lies in eastern China close to the Bohai Sea and maintains a moderate maritime climate. Heavy rains in this area also lead to fungal infection in the vineyards. This region is responsible for almost 40% of the total wine production in the country. Cabernet Gernisht (aka Carmenere), Merlot, and Cabernet Sauvignon are mainly planted here.

The Ningxia region is located on the foothills of the Eastern Helan mountains which gives one of the best terroirs in China. Vine plantings of about 38,000 hectares make it the second-largest wine-growing region in China. The temperatures here go to almost minus 20°C here, therefore the roots have to be buried deep in the soil and cannot live beyond a few decades. The region has also classified its wines similar to the 1855 Classification of Bordeaux since 2013 which is revised every 2 years. Currently, they have 35 wineries already classified.

The Hebei region is located between Shanxi to the left and Shandong to the right. Since the province is surrounded by mountains on all sides it helps the microclimate to avoid intense cold winds, humid heat, and rainfall. The highest vineyards are located at about 3200 feet. Changli and Hualai are among the major region in this province.

The Xinjiang region lies in western China bordering Mongolia, Tajikistan, and Kazakhstan. Vineyards are based around the Tianshan mountains which offer sufficient rainfall as other parts of the region are mostly desert. Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon is grown here whereas Syrah and Chardonnay are still in the experimental stage.

The Yunnan region is located where the Himalayas descend in South-East Asia. French missionaries were the first to plant vines in these mountains high above the sea level during 1846-1952.

@Wine Regions of China.
Map Courtesy - Wine Folly.

Ao Yun which means “Flying above the clouds” is one of the major wineries in China. Owned by LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy) and is the vision of the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Christophe Navarre. He likes to mention it as “A Winery in a Virgin Terroir’. Today Maxence Dulou, Estate Director is responsible for the award-winning liquid produced there.

@Adong, the highest Ao Yun vineyard at 2,600 meters in altitude
© J.Penninck

Situated on the banks of Mekong River, Deqin county is located near Shangri-La city which lies in the northwest corner of the Yunnan province. Vineyards are located in 314 tiny plots at almost 2,200 to 2,600 meters above the sea level (one of the highest located vineyards in China) in villages of Shuori, Sinong, Adong, and Xidang in the foothills of Meili mountains where rivers Yangsee and Salouen flow. It has managed to find the terroir with an exceptional climatic condition pretty similar to Bordeaux which makes it quite obvious that they produce some outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and other Bordeaux varietals. Few of the plantations are on steep mountains and the harvest is completely manual which is where 114 local families come into play along with their farming techniques organically and sustainably.

Few vineyards owned by Ao Yun were planted in 2000 by the Tibetan farmers and after serious research of 4 years, the rest were planted in between 2013-2015, today the estate owns 75 acres. They also planted Syrah and Petit Verdot in 2013.

@Ao Yun 2013.

The first vintage was 2013, a blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and the remaining Cabernet Franc. The wine is aged in 40% new oak of a total of 24,000 bottles produced. 2014 was the same blend. According to Mr Dulou, they had a yield of almost 2,700 litres per hectares due to dry and warm weather conditions in 2015. 2016 was the coolest vintage where they experimented by using 35% new oak and remaining in one-year-old barrels. The Syrah and Petit Verdot were also used for this vintage in 4% and 2% respectively.

Overall, there are still a lot of experimentations happening at the winery however, it has made a mark to stand out of the crowd and priced itself as among the top wines in the world.

Article by – Ranjit Shirke, Certified Sommelier.