Never heard of it, but may look into trying. Looks like some availability for their various varietals. Anyone tried and have thoughts?
No, never heard of it, but then again I’ve not really seen the Chinese brands outside China. China has been growing grapes since ancient times, so one of these days the wine should take off. The places they grow the wines are like growing grapes in Death Valley. Anyway, love to hear how it goes!
Howdy Tom, hope you’re doing well.
There’s a great topic here, post there.
I’ve had 2022 Last Warrior white blend (totally forgettable chard/SB blend) and 2021 “Jiayuan” Pinot Noir.
The PN I enjoyed as a well-made, soft and delicate PN but lacking freshness and depth. At $50, eh. Cool to drink a nice Chinese wine, but nothing I would reach for again.
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I had the Emma’s Reserve and (I believe) The Summit a couple of years ago. Both are 100% cab, and I thought both were excellent; not easy to find in the US though.
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Hey Brig,
All good. Hope the same with you.
Easier if you or another mod can just merge this into the Chinese Wine thread, especially since there are some good comments from my post.
i think this might be the hardest adoption for markets outside of China. I was shocked to learn how expensive a lot of the chinese wines i was tasting when i was in China last week. $100-150 USD wines with limited information on them and made mostly from outside fruit sources. There are SO many grape growers supplying grapes right now. I wonder how much of this is just trying to capture a local trend and how sustainable it will actually be
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just had the 2018 Silver Heights Emma’s reserve - i think it’s their top wine? It’s definitely made in a higher extract riper style. 100% new oak for 2 years, sitting at 15% alcohol. The story is interesting but the wines are made in a bordeaux parker style that’s just not that appealing anymore.
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interesting. You can see in the pic of the bottle above that the 2021 Jiayuan PN sat at 11.5% and I would not call ripe or extracted at all.
Perhaps playing around with different styles trying to capture what market wants rather than a single house style (big bold CS, delicate fruity PN).
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maybe - they have almost 50 hectares under control and making 50K bottles. So would make sense.
There’s some really interesting chardonnay coming out of Shangri-la area as well, more burgundian in style. Muxin and clos mao. Both dead ringers for white burgundy. High elevation lower alcohol. I’ve spoken on Miao Lu in another thread which is a project at a whole different level from any producer in China. All these wineries are superrrrr low quantity.
Since Silver Heights came up, I thought I’d add a few notes.
At least we have already found two or three people here who have tried Silver Heights — which is honestly not common for most Chinese wineries, haha.
As far as I know, Silver Heights has had a much higher overseas visibility than many other Chinese wineries, even among boutique producers. I think it can be seen as one of the representative names of Chinese fine wine — and by “fine wine,” I don’t only mean expensive wine, but wines made with ambition, identity and international seriousness.
Part of this may come from the background of co-founder / winemaker Emma Gao. She studied overseas, has a more global perspective, and seems to understand how to communicate with international markets. Silver Heights also had organic certification relatively early, which seemed to help its reputation at the time. I’m not fully sure how that is viewed today, though.
I haven’t tasted Emma’s Reserve, which I understand is their top cuvée and named after Emma Gao’s daughter, also named Emma. But I did taste more than six other Silver Heights wines at wine events about two years ago. These are not freshly opened bottles this week, so please treat them as notes from that tasting period.
Among them, the two JiaYuan wines — Pinot Noir and Marselan — suited my palate best.
2020 Silver Heights JiaYuan Pinot Noir 13%vol
Approx. RMB 558 / USD 83
This was my favorite of the six wines.
I had previously opened six Pinot Noirs from different regions around the world for a Pinot Noir comparison, and if this bottle had been included, it would definitely have made my recommendation list. (But I have to admit that most people probably wouldn’t spend 80 US dollars on a bottle of Chinese wine at first.)
The nose showed elegant dried rose (This is almost one of my preferred flavor notes), raspberry and red berries. There was a kind of elusive, floating floral aroma — the kind that feels hard to hold onto, but very refined. Not powerful, not heavy, but graceful and memorable.
2021 Silver Heights JiaYuan Marselan
Approx. RMB 528 / USD 78
Black berry fruit on the nose. On the palate, I found licorice, dried rose petals and quite a high level of concentration.
This is richer than the Pinot Noir, but still not aggressively tannic. Together, the two JiaYuan wines felt like good entry points for people who want to understand Silver Heights: expressive fruit, moderate structure, easy to read, but still balanced.
2020 Silver Heights The Summit
Approx. RMB 558 / USD 83
My notes describe it as very Cabernet-led, with a striking herbal aroma, plus some red fruit. On the palate, there were spice notes, violet, dark chocolate and coffee bean. It was rich, layered and solidly built.
The alcohol was 14.5%. According to my notes, it was aged for 18 months in 50% new oak and 50% one-year-old oak.
This felt like a classic, generous and dinner-table-friendly Chinese red — the kind of bottle I could imagine opening for an important family meal.
2021 Silver Heights Sand Lake Moon Orange Wine
Approx. RMB 190 / USD 28
An interesting blend: 80% Sauvignon Blanc, 10% Gewürztraminer and 10% Riesling, according to the tasting material I saw.
This was more relaxed and playful in style. I would not describe it as a serious, meditative orange wine. It felt closer to a bright, aromatic, easy-drinking wine for an afternoon gathering, camping, sunshine, or casual drinking with friends.
Citrus and tropical fruit: orange, pineapple and dried apricot. On the palate, there was a slight craft-beer-like malty / bitter-sweet finish.
2021 Silver Heights Chardonnay
Approx. RMB 399 / USD 59
Aged for eight months in new Burgundian oak barrels.
On the nose, some small white flowers, citrus and grapefruit. The palate was clean and pure, with a mineral impression on the finish.
Compared with the more expressive reds, this felt quieter, but well made.
2022 Silver Heights Bloom Sparkling Rice Wine
Approx. RMB 428 / USD 64
This is one of their more experimental wines: 80% Chardonnay, 12% Pinot Noir and 8% Ningxia rice wine.
The label also has a very “lab experiment” feeling, which fits the wine well.
The nose was sweet and aromatic. On the palate, the rice wine gave it a soft, slightly glutinous texture and made the bubbles feel even more lively. Even at 12.5% alcohol, it was very easy to drink — almost too easy, like a soft drink, haha.
Overall
For my palate, the two JiaYuan wines were the most enjoyable: the Pinot Noir for its delicate floral / red-fruit elegance, and the Marselan for its richer fruit and dried-flower character.
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LOL
Not only you, I also Always confused this Chinese wine or that Chinese wine is so expensive. Normally, my some rich ‘wine friends’ will buy it and I always ask their tasting note first.
In long-term, I believe the marketing rule. Most people do not have to drink those wines. If they keep selling well, it means their prices are reasonable; otherwise, they will sooner or later be eliminated by the market.
On the other hand, many wines from Yunnan (Shangri‑La), especially white wines, are very expensive these days. I have tasted wines from Célèbre宝庄(寶莊) and Ao Yun, both of which cost more than 1,000 Chinese yuan (roughly 150 US dollars). The world is not short of wealthy people, who are willing to pay for curiosity and the desire for exploration. Besides, the output of these wines is relatively low, so their high‑end prices can be sustained.
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Thanks for the message.
Ao Yun, Yunnan ( Shangri-La ) 2015 ( product code 1434-4967 ) was released by SAQ, in Quebec, Canada in July 2021 at CA$448.50 per 750 ml. It came with a original wood case for each bottle. Sadly, I did not have the courage to buy a few and tried it. 
I’m intrigued to try this after seeing its label someone posted on XHS.
@银色高地酒庄 already has 3602 followers on Xiaohongshu. Click the link or copy the code to view their profile >> 银色高地酒庄 - 小红书
Berserkers who want to learn more about Chinese wineries: RedNote (xiaohongshu) is the IG equivalent in China, especially for exotic luxury goods, which is the shelf space that wines still occupy somehow.
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haha yeah
Actually, I also keep my update around wine on XHS(RedNote), but mostly in Chinese.
If you guys are crazy about Chinese wine, you can kindly check mine: I already have 3456 followers on Xiaohongshu. Click the link or copy the password to visit my profile.>> https://xhslink.cn/o/6s7AaQ3CZXr
(There are much more content compared with my English channel honestly..)
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CA$448.50 per 750 ml. The price scares me…
But if you look at it from another perspective, the wineries that can go global first are mostly large‑scale wineries or those backed by big consortia. For instance, Ao Yun is backed by the LVMH Group.
Therefore, I would suggest that when you travel to China, be it the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong China, Macao China, or even Singapore, you stand a better chance to sample a wider variety of Chinese wines. That is because many excellent Chinese wines are distributed to these regions at an earlier stage.
Even，wineapp—— a wine bar based at Shanghai , they released the Chines wine flight especially for forgeiners, you can taste 4 wines from different Chinese wine regions within 1 hour, plus the English introduction. It’s interesting right? haha
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Beijing / Hebei Winery Trip — Part 4: A short note on Amethyard, Huailai
Hihi, guys, continue my Beijing-Hebei trip share, ( I need to speed up, cuz I will go to the Yunnan region a few days later :D)
A short note on Amethyard, Huailai
Before this Beijing / Hebei winery trip, Amethyard was honestly not a winery I had paid much attention to. I had heard the Chinese name before, but I had not tasted many of their wines.
That changed recently because their 2024 Petit Manseng Sweet White won Best Wine of China at the 2026 Wynn Signature Chinese Wine Awards (A popular and series competition around Chinese wine in these years), as well as Best of North China and Best Sweet Wine. That made me very curious, so I was glad to taste several wines from the estate during this trip.
The surprise for me was that their white wines felt much more interesting and commercially sensible than I expected.
(From left to right: Petit Manseng, a Rose but I haven’t tried, Quansheng 2025 and Quansheng 2024)
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2024 Amethyard Petit Manseng Sweet White
It had real presence and sweetness, but also enough acidity to keep the wine from feeling flat or heavy.
For me, this is the kind of wine that may be quite important for Chinese wine commercially. It is not trying to be a dry Bordeaux-style red. It is aromatic, sweet, accessible, and still serious enough to be discussed.
Amethyard Traminer Semi-Sweet White
(the bottle in the middle)
This was one of the most immediately charming wines for me.
Very dewy rose petals on the nose, with a little white peach and lychee. Light, floral, easy to understand, and not too expensive by Chinese boutique-wine standards. The domestic retail price I saw was around RMB 158, roughly USD 23.
I would be careful with the exact bottle size here, because I have seen domestic retail information suggesting 375ml.
2024 Amethyard Quansheng Cserszegi Fűszeres
2024 Amethyard Quansheng Cserszegi Fűszeres
A quick note on the variety: Cserszegi Fűszeres is a Hungarian aromatic white grape, created in 1960 by crossing Irsai Olivér with Red Traminer / Gewürztraminer. The name comes from Cserszegtomaj, the village where it was bred, and “fűszeres” means “spicy” in Hungarian. It is usually associated with floral, perfumed, grapey and lightly spicy aromas — rose, elderflower, citrus, fresh grapes and sometimes honeyed notes — often in a fresh, accessible dry-white style.
It’s also my first time know and taste this grape, and I never heard other Chinese wineries have this kind of grap.
Medium gold in color. Compared with the 2025 sample, this was more developed, showing almond and almond-milk notes.
On the palate, citrus, orange peel and a slightly oily, lightly oxidative style. Medium acidity. Not as obviously pretty as the 2025, but more textural and, in some ways, more interesting.
2025 Amethyard Quansheng Cserszegi Fűszeres
This felt more aromatic and Gewürztraminer-like to me, although the variety is Cserszegi Fűszeres.
More fruit-driven, with lychee and a perfume-like aromatic profile. Medium-plus acidity, but the finish was a little short. Very fragrant and easy to like.
2025 Amethyard Chardonnay
I was told this wine was selected from only four barrels out of several dozen, went through MLF, and used about 20% new oak.
Very rich vanilla and cream on the nose, with a glossy, oily aromatic profile. On the palate, medium acidity. There was a little bitterness, but at a price somewhere in the RMB 300+ range — roughly USD 45–59 — I think it could be some expensive in international marketing.
It’s weird that I don’t think it’s expensive when it was shown at Chinese price, but once it exchange to US dollars, I feel…hmmm, the reasonable of the price it’s still not enough. 
Overall impression
Amethyard surprised me more than I expected. I would not say every wine was equally refined, but the direction is interesting: aromatic whites, sweet Petit Manseng, semi-sweet Traminer, and Cserszegi Fűszeres all feel more distinctive than simply making another expensive Chinese red blend.
I also interviewed their winemaker, Mr. Jiang, during the visit. He was very down-to-earth and almost farmer-like in the best sense: practical, direct, and completely unpretentious. That personality actually matched my impression of the winery — less polished in presentation than some bigger estates, but with real character.
I made a winery-visit video about Amethyard, including the interview with him. It is only in Chinese for now, haha, but I may try to add English subtitles later.
For people trying to understand what may work commercially for Chinese wine, I think wineries like this are worth watching.