16th Asian Wine Competition kicks off in northwest China's Ningxia

 

(ECNS) -- The 16th Asian Wine Competition (AWC) opened on Wednesday evening in Qingtongxia, a city in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, the country's leading wine-producing area.

The competition, founded in 2004, features nearly 30 international experts for quality blind tastings, 35 senior distributors to assess market potential and 40 consumers on the judging panel this year.

Results will be announced on Saturday, alongside an awards ceremony and the release of the China Wine Market White Paper.

The Qingtongxia wine region currently has 10,200 hectares of wine grapes, 28 wineries and 114 wine brands. It has won 829 awards at domestic and international competitions, and industry output reached 9.2 billion yuan ($1.3 billion).

The competition will also feature winery tours, industry salons and other events to promote the development of the wine industry in the Helan Mountains area, known for its growing conditions.

(By Helen Mo, intern Li Chengzhan)