Ningxia to add more sparkle to its wines

Armed with delicate oak barrels, tin labels and other professional equipment including grape harvesters and sorters, several foreign wine-makers are converging in Yinchuan, the capital of the Ningxia Hui autonomous region, to cash in on the city's growing stature as a major wine-making place.

Yinchuan, which has the best climate for wine-making in China, has been exploring ways to attract more overseas investment and wine-makers to the region with an eye on making world-famous wines in the next three to six years. The Sitevinitech 2014 International Trade Show for Wine Production & Fruit/Vegetable Farming, which opened on Wednesday and runs through Friday, is expected to give a further fillip to the region's ambitions as it brings together key personnel from the wine-making industry. The event is organized to commemorate the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and France.

The region already has grape cultivation spread over 30,000 hectares and over 100 vineyards, most of them near the Helan Mountain. That, city officials said, makes Yinchuan an important wine-making region in the world.