Domaine Fangsi

Founded in 2022, Domaine Fangsi (放思酒庄) is a boutique garage winery in the Jinshan sub-region of the Helan Mountain East Foothill in Ningxia, widely regarded as China's most exciting fine wine region.

The estate was founded by two partners from different generations. Yao Ningning, the winemaker, took over his father's vineyard work and trained in viticulture and oenology in China, before flying winemaker stints in Australia, New Zealand and France. Wen Xiao, a former brand marketing director at Alibaba's Tmall, brought 25 years of passion for wine. They shared one ambition: to build a Chinese estate in the spirit of France's vignerons indépendants, and to make Chinese wine respected around the world.

The name Fangsi means "let your thoughts run free". The frog perched on the cellar roof is a nod to the Chinese fable of the frog at the bottom of the well, who only sees a small circle of sky. For Fangsi, the point is to climb out and look further.

The estate's 150 mu of vines sit at around 1,200 metres on poor, stony gobi soils, built up in alternating layers of stones and sand. These soils force the roots deep in search of water and minerals. With around 3,000 hours of sunshine a year and very wide day-night temperature swings, the grapes reach full ripeness while keeping their freshness.

Fruit is hand-picked, and the top cuvées come from single vineyards, made only in the best vintages. In the cellar, Yao Ningning works with French and American oak barrels and clay amphorae, alongside a small natural wine range made with minimal intervention.

The reds, led by Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Marselan and Malbec, show ripe dark fruit, spice and fine-grained tannins with a long finish. The Chardonnays pair stone and tropical fruit with a crisp, mouth-watering acidity.

The result is a bold, characterful range that captures the sun, stone and altitude of the Helan Mountains, and shows how far Chinese wine has come.