Wang Fang,owner of Kanaan Winery in Ningxia,plans to focus on white wines.

Wang Fengyu and Rong Jian, another co-founder of Helan Qingxue, were both in their 60s and retired from official positions when they started to plant grapes and make wine.

"They influenced a batch of people to get into winemaking," she says, but at first it wasn't easy. The first growers of cabernet sauvignon grapes brought from France were ready to scrap the whole idea, she says. "But my father stopped them, saying they would let down their ancestors if they did that."

On her return, the daughter bought new equipment and hired German and Chinese winemakers. They made fewer than 5,000 bottles of cabernet sauvignon with the grape in 2011.

In the three years since, however, there has been rapid growth in winemaking, thanks in part to strong support from local governments.

"In 2011, there were just over 10 wineries," says Yang Zhen, director of Yinchuan's Wine Industry Development Bureau. "Now there are 47.

"Last year, Ningxia produced 80,000 metric tons of wine. If one ton of wine can be put into 1,330 bottles of 750 ml, then the whole region produced 106.4 million bottles."

The story has been more about quality than volume. Jancis Robinson and her fellow tasters chose seven among 53 Chinese wines in Shanghai. Four of their choices are from the eastern foot of Helan Mountain.