The image of Chinese wine as little more than an alternative to baijiu best for ganbei-ing at business dinners has long been embedded into most consumers’ minds. But here’s an encouraging piece of news: Helan Qing Xue, Jia Bei Lan (贺兰晴雪-加贝兰) 2009, a mostly Cabernet Sauvignon blend from Ningxia, has recently won a prestigious Decanter Magazine regional top trophy award. It even beat out internationally acclaimed wines from places like Margaret River and Bordeaux. What makes this wine so special? The Helan Mountain region in Ningxia Province is extremely dry all year round, and with tons of warmth and sunlight, it provides the perfect environment for grape growing. The only downside is that the vines need to be buried deep in the soil to survive the harsh winter, a common grape-growing practice in Ningxia. With a mere 1,000 or so cases produced each year, this wine will be hard to find on the market, even within China. Hopefully the recent award will motivate the vineyard to produce more in the future.