Chinese Wines Triumph in Decanter Awards

Ask a local wine buff which Chinese wine they rate most highly. Many of them will go with Shanxi province’s Grace Vineyard (in my experience at least, it’s the only Chinese wine anyone has much time for). But it’s a red from far-off Ningxia that has raised eyebrows by picking up a top award – one of several won by Chinese wine producers – at the prestigious Decanter World Wine Awards in London this past week.

Jia Bei Lan’s 2009 vintage, a “Bordeaux-style blend” produced by the Helan Qingxue winery, came out with the gold medal in Decanter’s “Red Middle East, Far East & Asia” category. The winery’s Cabernet Sauvignon also picked up a silver medal, while there was a silver and bronze apiece for Xinjiang-based Domaine Helan Mountain’s Chardonnay and Riesling respectively.

According to Decanter’s website, “What is impressive about Jia Bei Lan 2009 is that the panel of all three judges was unanimous that this was the top wine in its category. The balance and finesse of the wine was very stark” in comparison to some of the “massively extracted, jaw-breaking reds” Ningxia's finest was up against.

The win is sure to spark massive interest in Jia Bei Lan - so where can you buy it? Decanter’s report tells us the wine is “only available in Yinchuan, capital of Ningxia, and one shop each in Beijing and Shanghai,” retailing at RMB 148. We’re tracking it down right now and will add a note once we’ve got an answer for you.

In the meantime, you can check out Decanter’s full report on Jia Bei Lan’s triumph here. And if you've tried the wine, drop a note below to let us know if it's any good!

Image: www.decanter.com