At the beginning of 2026, wine exports from the eastern foothills of the Helan Mountains in Northwest China's Ningxia Hui autonomous region achieved strong growth.

According to Yinchuan Customs, from January to February, the region exported 26,000 liters of wine worth 2.078 million yuan ($300,000), up 234.7 percent and 136.1 percent year-on-year, respectively. Its export trade volume is among the highest in China.

Located in a prime wine-making region, the area enjoys unique natural conditions: sufficient sunlight, large temperature differences, mineral-rich gravel soil, and convenient irrigation from the Yellow River. These advantages create grapes with balanced sugar and acidity and dynamic flavors.

The region now has 40,400 hectares of vineyards, accounting for nearly 40 percent of China's total, and 131 chateaus, 85 of which are qualified for export, forming a complete industrial chain.

The quality of the wine has earned international recognition. Twenty-nine wines from the region scored above 93 points in Spain's Penin Guide, with three reaching 96 points. The region has also won nearly 1,000 international awards.

Supported by favorable policies and customs services such as "one policy for one enterprise" and intelligent inspection, local wine enterprises enjoy smooth export channels.

At present, wines from Helan Mountains are sold to more than 40 countries and regions, including the UK, the US, Germany, Australia, Japan, and Nigeria. In 2025, wines from several chateaus became available at Dan Murphy's, Australia's largest liquor retail chain supermarket. From March 15 to 17, the region, together with eight prime chateaus, attended Germany's ProWein in Dusseldorf, one of the world's top wine exhibitions, to further expand into the European market.

Liu Xueru contributed to this story.