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Chinese wine is making waves in the global market with premium producers like Silver Heights showcasing the potential of regions like Ningxia through biodynamic viticulture and French winemaking techniques. We taste and evaluate two high-end offerings that challenge our expectations and reveal the rapid evolution of China's wine industry.

• China ranks as the 12th largest wine producer in the world
• Chinese wine industry began serious development in the late 1970s when the country opened to foreign investment
• Ningxia province is gaining recognition for quality Cabernet Sauvignon production
• Silver Heights winery produces biodynamically and organically grown wines using both Western philosophies and Chinese principles
• The premium Chardonnay ($89) shows beautiful minerality, green papaya notes and well-integrated oak
• The Cabernet Sauvignon ($115) displays intriguing local character with notes of shiso leaf, shiitake and tea
• Chinese wine evolution mirrors Australia's development in the 1980s with young vines still finding their identity
• Drastic continental climate in Ningxia requires vintners to mound snow over vines during winter
• Chinese wines are increasingly available in Australian specialty wine shops like Cardwell Cellars

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