Kanaan Winery, Ningxia Riesling, China

Wine Type: White Wine

Grape(s): Riesling

Country: China

Region: Ningxia

Organic: No

Vegan: Yes

Biodynamic: No

ABV: 14%

Winemaker: Fang Wang

Winery: Considered one of China’s top wineries, Kanaan was founded in 2011 by Fang Wang, whose father Wang Feng Yu was a pioneering viticulturist in the Ningxia region, about 1,000 kilometres west of Beijing. Fang is nicknamed ‘Crazy Fang’ due to her ‘crazy’ idea of establishing a winery with no prior experience and embarking on the near-impossible mission of growing Riesling in Ningxia.

Kanaan is located in the foothills of Ningxia’s Helan Mountains and translates to ‘the land of milk and honey’, signifying the hope for Ningxia to be one of China’s leading fine wine regions. The horses on the label reference the Helan Mountains, as ‘helan’ translates to horses in ancient Chinese. Ningxia has harsh winters that require individual vines to be buried manually in November, before being dug up the following April. Temperatures can fall to -20C, and the annual rainfall is 200mm. Due to Ningxia’s sandy soils, phylloxera can’t survive in the vineyards, allowing the vines to be planted on their own roots.

Kanaan comprises 16.8 hectares of vineyard, planted with 10 hectares of Cabernet Sauvignon, 1.3 hectares of Riesling, 1.2 hectares of Merlot and the rest of Chardonnay. The vines are trained in the upturned ‘L’ training system, where the cordon is kept close to the ground to facilitate vine burial. All vineyard work is done by hand as this training system is unsuitable for mechanisation.

Fang spent 12 years abroad, including a significant period in Germany, where she acquired her love of Riesling. This Riesling is fermented in temperature-controlled, stainless-steel tanks. It's dry with aromas of grapefruit, green apple, and lime blossom with balanced acidity.

Vineyard: Located in the picturesque eastern foothills of Helan Mountain in Ningxia, this vineyard has an arid climate, seeing very little rain throughout the growing season, with an average rainfall of 150mm to 240mm annually. This location receives adequate sunlight, and features large shifts in temperature between day and night which aids in developing a desirable level of acidity in the grapes. These climate conditions have the capacity to produce very high-quality wine grapes in fact, this vineyard sits in what is referred to as the 'golden zone' for grape cultivation. The altitude of the vineyard is over 1,000 meters above sea level.

Vinification: The grapes were hand-picked and whole-bunch pressed. After 3 to 5 days of cold-soaking, the free-run juice underwent alcoholic fermentation, which took place in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks and lasted for one week. The juice was filtered prior to bottling.

Tasting note: This crisp, clean, dry Riesling has delightful notes of lime, green apple, nectarine, and white flowers. On the palate the wine has a lively acidity and a soft, moderate finish.