When you think of wine, France, Italy and California likely come to mind, but in China, the world's fifth-largest consumer and producer, winemakers are determined to add that country to the list.................

NINGXIA -  wine challenge !

is a small, impoverished province 550 miles west of Beijing.

 It started in earnest in the late 1990s when the Ningxia Agricultural Reclamation Management Bureau swung into action, transforming the desert between the Yellow River and the eastern slopes of the Helan Mountains into potential vineyard, by determined applications of irrigation water, cover crops 

Ningxia Winemakers Challenge?

The Ningxia Winemakers Challenge, or NWC, is a project that will fund up to 60 foreign winemakers to practice their craft in Ningxia this September and compete for cash prizes totaling RMB840,000 (EUR120,000 / USD135,000).

The contest is being organized by the International Federation of Vine and Wine of Helan Mountain’s East Foothill, with support from Ningxia’s Bureau of Grape Industry Development.

how it starts ?

The NWC is open to all foreign winemakers, except for those who currently work in the Ningxia wine industry or participated in 2012. A separate contest is being considered for those winemakers.

the wines have already earned praise in China and abroad, including from Jancis Robinson, Michel Bettane, Thierry Dessauve, Jeremy Oliver and Decanter Magazine, among others.

participants will taste Ningxia wines, meet local winemakers, and learn about the region’s cuisine, culture and history. They will also no doubt attract media attention and attend dinners with government officials, winery managers and fellow winemakers.

Interested winemakers must apply using the online form

the organizers will draw on recommendations from a panel of judges with China wine experience. In 2012, they included Mihalis Boutaris of Greece, Lilian Carter of Australia, Li Demei of China, Liz Thach of the United States and Mireia Torres of Spain, all of whom have made wine in China or regularly visited the country.

The winemakers must be in Ningxia on September 20. This is typically the time harvest starts. They will stay for at least 15 days and be on hand for grape selection and fermentation. They are also welcome to visit for the annual harvest festival on September 7.

The winemakers will return to Ningxia at least once over a two-year period, for between five to fifteen days, to manage their wines. The winemakers can make up to three visits per year, although these must be coordinated with the competition organizers. The costs of these visits will be covered by the organizers.

Each winemaker will made a red wine using grapes from the same vineyard. Each winemaker will source from an area of about three hectares.

The organizers and participating wineries will provide equipment. In some cases, the winemakers will be able to request specific materials, such as a certain toast level for their barrels. The organizers will endeavor to grant as many requests as is feasible.

Transportation, hotel accommodation and group meal costs for the winemakers will be paid by the organizers. Flights will be economy class. Winemakers are expected to cover their own health insurance.

The winemakers will not be paid while in Ningxia. The wines they make will, however, be entered into a contest in 2017 with up to rmb840,000 in cash prizes.

Each winemaker will be entitled to approximately 2,000 bottles of the wine that he or she makes. The bureau will work with winemakers on a case-by-case basis to decide how to handle the wine, whether this means shipping it to an agreed upon address overseas or selling it here in China.

"We thought we knew all of the great wine regions in the world," she said. "You know, we know Tuscany, we know Bordeaux, we know Napa. We thought we knew them. The idea that somewhere in the Chinese desert might be the next great wine region in the world, it's astounding."

China's wine makers say they're focusing on the domestic market first, but down the road, Americans should see Chinese wines in stores stores too."We thought we knew all of the great wine regions in the world," she said. "You know, we know Tuscany, we know Bordeaux, we know Napa. We thought we knew them. The idea that somewhere in the Chinese desert might be the next great wine region in the world, it's astounding."

China's wine makers say they're focusing on the domestic market first, but down the road, Americans should see Chinese wines in stores stores too.