Maria Teresa Romero Ponce was carefully trimming extra twigs on the grape vines 
in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China's prestigious wine 
production base.

The small vineyard has witnessed the 31-year-old Chilean's three years of hard 
work in Ningxia's Wangyueshi winery. A total of 12 kinds of wine, fermented 
from nine different varieties of grapes, were brewed by her over the past three 
years. This year, the wine she brewed finally came on the market.

"Marselan grapes are usually used to make dry red wine, but I tried them in 
brewing rose wine. I was super surprised that a lot of people came back and 
said that they like our rose wine, giving us more hope to keep producing and 
making good wine," said Ponce.

The wine she brewed has established a solid footing in Beijing, Shanghai, 
Shandong and Shenzhen, amid fierce competition in China's alcohol market.

For Ponce, wine is more than a drink, but an expression of cultures in 
different production areas. It tells stories about the locals and their 
lifestyles. Before settling down in China's Ningxia, Ponce had worked in 15 
wineries in countries including France, Australia, Germany, the United States 
and Italy.

"Ningxia's experience is unique for me. Its hot summer is like those in 
southern Chile and southern Australia. However, the particular weather 
conditions throughout the year here are far more challenging for grape 
cultivation," she said.

Ponce is among some 60 brewers, connoisseurs and tasters from 23 countries who 
were invited by Ningxia to help develop new wine brands over the years, 
according to the Administrative Committee of Grape Industry Zone of Helan 
Mountain's East Foothill Wine Region in Ningxia.

The region is now widely recognized as a rising star on the world's wine 
producing map, with over 170 grape varieties imported from overseas apart from 
its home cultivated grapes.

"Wine is a true language in common use worldwide, with which China can better 
tell its stories to the world," said Christelle Chene, a French wine 
connoisseur working at Xige winery of Yinchuan, the regional capital.

Hailing from Burgundy, France, a place with a long-standing reputation for 
winemaking, Chene has shifted her role from a saleswoman of French wine to a 
cultural ambassador to help Chinese wine go global.

"Mixing Chinese culture with Western culture is a good way to develop the wine 
industry in China," she said.

Chene has been engaged in organizing wine festivals for three years in the 
region. The venue is a classic Chinese mansion, where she often serves her 
guests with menus featuring signature Chinese cuisines and different wines 
brewed in Ningxia.

As the International Conference on Grape and Wine Industries, or the third 
China (Ningxia) International Wine Culture and Tourism Expo, is scheduled to be 
held this week, both Chene and Ponce expect more international connoisseurs and 
wine producers to sip their wines.

"Different ideas from around the world will help make better wines with 
creativity and originality," said Ponce.

Source: The Administrative Committee of Grape Industry Zone of Helan Mountain's 
East Foothill Wine Region in Ningxia