2018年CRI Viticulture and wine-making industry boosts economy of Ningxia

 

The Helan Mountain along the border of Inner Mongolia's Alxa League and Ningxia, is reputed as "one of the most suitable places to grow grapes and brew¹ wine worldwide". Thanks to its high altitude, minimal² rainfall, and abundant sunshine, a strong viticulture and wine-making industry has developed over the past thirty years in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous³ Region.

The Silver Heights Vineyard is a renowned⁴ vineyard and winery in the Helan Mountain region in Ningxia.

Gao Yuan has been running a 55 hectares winery with her French husband, Thierry Courtade. She is one of few people in China who has a diploma in viticulture and enology, which is the science of wine making.

But life could have turned out very differently for Gao Yuan if it wasn't for her father's insistence⁵ that she go to France to study.

"I wanted to learn management. My father heard about my plan and did not support me at all. He called me one day and said he would not pay for my tuition if I refused to learn viticulture and enology in France. After I knew something about this field, and tasted various wines in that romantic country, I gradually started becoming interested in it."

After graduation, Gao Yuan had the opportunity to intern⁶ at several historic wineries, including the world-famous Chateau⁷ Calon-Segur. That's where she met her husband, Thierry, who was a professional winemaker there. Whenever Gao Yuan had any questions, Thierry helped her and gave her advice. In return, Gao Yuan invited him to dinner. They got to know each other, and over time they fell in love.

Gao Yuan and Thierry are now married and have a daughter. In Gao Yuan's hometown, Thierry is better known as Ji Li, which means "lucky" in Chinese. Thierry says he chose this name for himself because it matches his cheerful personality. He explains why he gave up his stable job in France to settle in China.

"I worked in France for roughly 20 years. I could only plant one type of grape to brew wine every year, instead of trying different varieties. In my hometown, I didn't have the opportunity to rearrange the vineyard or make any big change, but in China, I have more opportunities. It seems that everything is possible here. I can try different breeds of grapes and see which one has the potential to ferment⁸ good wine."

In the vineyard, Gao Yuan is carefully examining each bunch of grapes that are ready to be picked. She uses a professional clipper to cut off some of the bunches of grapes that have been bitten by wasps⁹. She explains that this will make a difference to the taste of the wine.

"It is inevitable¹⁰ that wasps bite our grapes, and these grapes will quickly become dry, and other microorganisms will continue consuming them. We get rid of these stems, because they will ruin the favor of the wine if they are brewed¹¹ with good grapes."

Meanwhile, Thierry is working in another part of the vineyard sampling grapes. The technique he uses to taste the fruit is quite different from the general practice.

"You have to choose several stems from different parts of one bunch of grapes, in order to know the fruity and sour tastes. It is hard to know the whole picture if you only taste one stem."

Gao Yuan says that their ripe grapes easily release their pinkish juice when you squeeze them between your fingers. This means that at the primary stage of fermentation, it isn't necessary to add yeast¹² to help the fruit skin give its color to the wine.

"The crimson¹³ grape juice indicates that the grapes are mature now. You can simply use your fingers to crush and squeeze the grapes, and it is very easy to get grape juice. So, we don't need to add yeast during the brewing¹⁴ process at this stage, because it will destroy the natural fruit flavor."

At the end of July, the grapes will start to ripen¹⁵. After the harvest, they will be delivered to approximately one hundred wineries in Ningxia and prepared for fermentation.

Chen Deqi is a head of a local winery, and has witnessed the development of the local industry. In 2007, he came to Ningxia to carry out a thorough investigation¹⁶. After confirming that the Helan Mountain area is a feasible place to grow grapes, he invested 200 million yuan, around 30 million U.S. dollars, obtain the rights to cultivate nearly 7,000 hectares of land. So far, 3,500 hectares of land has been cultivated, including 2,000 hectares that are used for growing grapes. Chen's winery sold over 30 million yuan of wine in 2017, and he says that sales will likely surpass 200 million yuan this year.

"In the next five to six years, we plan to finish cultivating all of the land, and use it all for growing grapes."

To further develop the industry, the local government has released regulations covering topics like sapling importation, vineyard operations, and facility standards. Cao Kailong is a leader from the local government.

"One billion yuan will be invested into the wine-making industry by 2022. By then, ten small towns and a center for wine-making will be established."

There are now around 380,000 hectares of land in the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region being used for growing grapes, accounting¹⁷ of one fourth of agricultural land nationwide, and 120 million bottles of wine are produced annually¹⁸, making the wine industry an important driver of rapid economic growth in the region.

1 brew   

v.酿造，调制

参考例句：

• Let's brew up some more tea.咱们沏些茶吧。
• The policeman dispelled the crowd lest they should brew trouble.警察驱散人群，因恐他们酿祸。

2 minimal   

adj.尽可能少的，最小的

参考例句：

• They referred to this kind of art as minimal art.他们把这种艺术叫微型艺术。
• I stayed with friends, so my expenses were minimal.我住在朋友家，所以我的花费很小。

3 autonomous   

adj.自治的；独立的

参考例句：

• They proudly declared themselves part of a new autonomous province.他们自豪地宣布成为新自治省的一部分。
• This is a matter that comes within the jurisdiction of the autonomous region.这件事是属于自治区权限以内的事务。

4 renowned   

adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的

参考例句：

• He is one of the world's renowned writers.他是世界上知名的作家之一。
• She is renowned for her advocacy of human rights.她以提倡人权而闻名。

5 insistence   

n.坚持；强调；坚决主张

参考例句：

• They were united in their insistence that she should go to college.他们一致坚持她应上大学。
• His insistence upon strict obedience is correct.他坚持绝对服从是对的。

6 intern   

v.拘禁，软禁；n.实习生

参考例句：

• I worked as an intern in that firm last summer.去年夏天我在那家商行实习。
• The intern bandaged the cut as the nurse looked on.这位实习生在护士的照看下给病人包扎伤口。

7 chateau   

n.城堡，别墅

参考例句：

• The house was modelled on a French chateau.这房子是模仿一座法国大别墅建造的。
• The chateau was left to itself to flame and burn.那府第便径自腾起大火燃烧下去。

8 ferment   

vt.使发酵；n./vt.（使）激动，（使）动乱

参考例句：

• Fruit juices ferment if they are kept a long time.果汁若是放置很久，就会发酵。
• The sixties were a time of theological ferment.六十年代是神学上骚动的时代。

9 wasps   

黄蜂( wasp的名词复数 )； 胡蜂； 易动怒的人； 刻毒的人

参考例句：

• There's a wasps' nest in that old tree. 那棵老树上有一个黄蜂巢。
• We live in dread not only of unpleasant insects like spiders or wasps, but of quite harmless ones like moths. 我们不仅生活在对象蜘蛛或黄蜂这样的小虫的惧怕中，而且生活在对诸如飞蛾这样无害昆虫的惧怕中

10 inevitable   

adj.不可避免的，必然发生的

参考例句：

• Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
• The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。

11 brewed   

调制( brew的过去式和过去分词 )； 酝酿； 沏（茶）； 煮（咖啡）

参考例句：

• The beer is brewed in the Czech Republic. 这种啤酒是在捷克共和国酿造的。
• The boy brewed a cup of coffee for his mother. 这男孩给他妈妈冲了一杯咖啡。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 yeast   

n.酵母；酵母片；泡沫；v.发酵；起泡沫

参考例句：

• Yeast can be used in making beer and bread.酵母可用于酿啤酒和发面包。
• The yeast began to work.酵母开始发酵。

13 crimson   

n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色

参考例句：

• She went crimson with embarrassment.她羞得满脸通红。
• Maple leaves have turned crimson.枫叶已经红了。

14 brewing   

n. 酿造, 一次酿造的量 动词brew的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• It was obvious that a big storm was brewing up. 很显然，一场暴风雨正在酝酿中。
• She set about brewing some herb tea. 她动手泡一些药茶。

15 ripen   

vt.使成熟；vi.成熟

参考例句：

• I'm waiting for the apples to ripen.我正在等待苹果成熟。
• You can ripen the tomatoes on a sunny windowsill.把西红柿放在有阳光的窗台上可以让它们成熟。

16 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

17 accounting   

n.会计，会计学，借贷对照表

参考例句：

• A job fell vacant in the accounting department.财会部出现了一个空缺。
• There's an accounting error in this entry.这笔账目里有差错。

18 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。