Xinjiang to build more boutique wineries

URUMQI - Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, abounding with grapes, plans to build more boutique wineries and expand the grape plant.

According to a recently-published wine industry development plan of the local government, the region expects to have more than 150 boutique wineries with an annual production of 300,000 kiloliters by 2025.

The wine processing industry will boast an output value of 10 billion yuan (1.45 billion US dollars), according to the plan.

At the same time, the planting area of wine grapes will expand to 53,333 hectares from the current 32,966 hectares.

Traditionally, local people prefer to eat fresh and dried grapes. More wineries have been built in recent years to meet the growing market demand, and there are currently around 100 wineries in Xinjiang.

The local government also plans to promote the integration of wine culture with the local tourism industry, as a way to help increase the income of local residents.