International wine expo opens in China to boost industry exchange

YINCHUAN, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- An international expo to boost exchanges and cooperation within wine industries opened Friday in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, a leading wine-producing area in the country.

Hosted by the regional government, the Fourth China (Ningxia) International Wine Culture and Tourism Expo features 138 wineries and exhibitors from eight countries and regions, including France, Italy, Spain and Chile.

With the theme "Chinese Wine, A Marvel to the World -- Good Wine Originates from Unique Terroir," the three-day expo includes a wine carnival, competitions and other activities.

"The east foothills of Helan Mountain in Ningxia has undergone an important process of growth and modernization over the past 40 years," said John Barker, director general of the International Organization of Vine and Wine, at the opening ceremony of the event.

Barker highlighted Ningxia's impressive performance in international wine competitions and exhibitions, underscoring its emerging reputation as a world-class wine region.

Ningxia's unique terroir, with its ample sunshine and cool, dry climate, is ideal for producing high-quality wines.

As China's largest wine-producing region, Ningxia now boasts 602,000 mu (about 40,133 hectares) of grape plantations and 261 wineries and grape-growing enterprises, which together produced 140 million bottles of wine in 2023.