Kanaan Winery `Pretty Pony` Ningxia Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot

Considered one of the top wineries in China, Kanaan is located at the foot of the Helan Mountains in Ningxia, about 1,000 kilometres west of Beijing. Kanaan means "˜the land of milk and honey, signifying the hope for Ningxia to be one of Chinas leading regions for the production of fine wine. The horses on the labels represent the Helan, which means horses in ancient Chinese. The winery was established in 2011 by Fang Wang, daughter of Wang Feng Yu, a pioneer of viticulture in Ningxia. Fang is nicknamed "˜Crazy Fang for her boldness to start a winery with no prior experience, and for embarking on the near impossible mission of growing Riesling in Ningxia. Fang spent 12 years abroad, some of which were in Germany, where she acquired her love for Riesling.

Ningxia is known for having harsh winters that require individual vines to be buried manually in November before being dug up the following April. Temperatures can fall to -20°C and the annual rainfall is 200mm. Due to the sandy soils, vines are planted on their own roots as there is no need for protection against phylloxera. Kanaan has 16.8 hectares of vineyard, with 10 hectares of Cabernet Sauvignon, 1.3 hectares of Riesling, 1.2 hectares of Merlot and the rest Chardonnay. The vines are trained in the upturned "˜L training system, where the cordon is kept close to the ground to facilitate vine burial. All vineyard work is done by hand as this training system is not suitable for mechanisation.

Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot

Kanaan has 16.8 hectares of vineyard near the Helan Mountain, with 10 hectares planted with Cabernet Sauvignon. Due to the sandy soils, vines are planted on their own roots as there is no need for protection against phylloxera. The vines are trained in the upturned ‘L’ training system, where the cordon is kept close to the ground to facilitate vine burial, and drip irrigation is used. All vineyard work is done by hand as this training system is not suitable for mechanisation.

90% Cabernet Sauvignon 10% Merlot

The hand-harvested grapes were destemmed and cold soaked for five days, before they underwent maceration at 8-10°C in stainless-steel tanks. ‘Pretty Pony’ was then fermented in stainless-steel tanks for 10 days, at controlled temperatures between 24-29°C. Malolactic fermentation lasted two weeks, before the juice was transferred to used French barriques to age for 12 months.

`Pretty Pony` is the flagship wine from Kanaan. Bright ruby red in colour, this wine is characterised by fresh notes of blackcurrant, coffee, cinnamon, and chocolate, which give way to an elegant and refined palate, with finely structured tannins.

Nolan - Text from the Spotlight On French Red Wines & Their Global Influences blog

From the classic Cabernet from Bordeaux we now travel to the harsh climate the Helan (*huh-lahn*) Mountain in Ningxia, (*ning-shah*), China. In terms of vineyard area, China comes third to Spain and France. However, while 90 percent of French vineyards grow wine grapes, in China it is table grape production that accounts for a similar percentage. China is one of the biggest, (and still increasing), wine markets in the world, the increase is being driven by two key factors, the younger generation who see wine as more stylish than beer, and by the “gifting culture” in the Chinese business world. Today, many international wine companies have interests in China. Among these are Moet Hennessy, Remy Cointreau, Pernod Ricard, Torres and the Bordeaux families of Lurton and Barons de Rothschild.

Ningxia is a significant wine-producing region in the central-north of China. The wide, heavily irrigated valley between the Yellow River and the base of Helan Mountain has proved to be one of China's most promising vineyard areas. Ningxia has a thoroughly continental climate, its eastern border bring 950 KM (600 miles) from the nearest ocean. The summers are hot, although the high altitude of the vineyards (some more than 1200m/4000ft above sea level) helps to create a suitable climate for winegrowing. At this altitude, intense sunlight during the day is followed by much cooler nights.

The short growing season in Ningxia is followed by a long, cold winter with temperatures dropping to -20 degrees C. To stop them freezing and dying, the vines must be protected with an insulating mound of dirt piled around the base of the plant. This has to be done by hand and is needless to say, an expensive and time-consuming task, luckily the abundance of labour in China means that it is much easier than in other parts of the world, adding a human element to the overall terroir of Ningxia.

The land at the base of Helan Mountain is part of the Yellow River floodplain, the soils have been deposited over time by both the river and from sediment washed down from the mountains. These pebbly, sandy soils are free-draining and have low fertility, which lessens both vigour and yield in the vine, leading to smaller, more concentrated berries.

Kanaan Winery is located at the foot of the Helan Mountains. Kanaan means ‘the land of milk and honey’, signifying the hope for Ningxia to be one of China’s leading regions for the production of fine wine. The winery was established in 2011 by Fang Wang, also is also known as Crazy Fang since she opened a winery with no previous experience!

The vines are trained in the upturned ‘L’ training system, where the cordon, the part of the hard wood where new wood sprouts from in spring, is kept close to the ground to facilitate vine burial. All vineyard work is done by hand as this training system is not suitable for mechanisation. The final blend is 90% Cab Sauv and 10% Merlot which is fermented in stainless-steel tanks. The aging is 12 months in used French oak barriques.

Bright ruby red in colour, this wine is characterised by fresh notes of blackcurrant, coffee, cinnamon, and chocolate, which give way to an elegant and refined palate, with finely structured tannins. Just be careful, you are on 15% ABV here! This is a great wine for coal kissed ribeye steak.