Kanaan Winery, Ningxia Riesling, 12 Bottle Case 75cl

Equivalent Bottle Price £20.00

The nose shows aromas of grapefruit, green apple and lime blossom with a slight hint of petrol. Flavours of lemon and white flowers are concentrated on the palate. This wine is full-bodied with bright and zesty acidity.

Considered one of the top wineries in China, Kanaan is located at the foot of the Helan Mountains in Ningxia, which is about 1,000 km west of Beijing. Kanaan means ‘the land of milk and honey’, signifying the hope for Ningxia to be one of China’s leading regions for the production of fine wine. The winery was established in 2011 by Fang Wang, daughter of Wang Feng Yu, a pioneer of viticulture in Ningxia. Fang is nicknamed ‘Crazy Fang’ for her boldness to start a winery with no prior experience, and for embarking on the near impossible mission of growing Riesling in Ningxia.

Winemaker Fang spent 12 years abroad, some of which were in Germany, where she acquired her love for Riesling. All of the grapes were hand picked and whole bunch pressed before the free-run juice is cold-soaked for 48 hours at 8-10°C. Fermentation took place in stainless-steel tanks which were temperature controlled to stay under 16°C. To ensure maximum freshness, the wine was bottled approximately three months following fermentation.

Kanaan has 16.8 hectares of vineyard, of which 1.3 hectares are planted with Riesling. Due to the sandy soils, vines are planted on their own roots as there is no need for protection against phylloxera. 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 not suitable for mechanisation.