Image: Vineyard under careful management, Xinjiang, credit LI Demei
The 20,000mu (1,333ha) of wine grapes planted in Turban and Hami (Kumul) forms the Turban Basin Region.
Major planting areas include the Hongliuhe Horticultural Farm and Yiwanquan of the city of Turban, Shanshan County and the city of Hami.
Turban area
The Turban area started the harvest of seedless white grapes in mid-July for distilled liquor production. The picking of white grapes (for winemaking) started at the end of August; red variety picking didn’t start until the beginning of September, later than the previous years. The harvest in this region has now been finished.
Shanshan County
Shanshan County started its white picking on 22nd August and reds on 6th September. The harvest is finished by now. This is also the first region in Xinjiang to plant wine grapes in the modern era, with the first vitis vinefera grapes planted in 1970s.
Hami (Kumul) area
The Hami area started its white harvest on 8th September and reds on 12th. The harvest is expected to finish by the end of September, earlier than previous years. This is also the only region in the Turban Basin Region to harvest early.
4. Ily Valley region
The wine grape vineyards along the Ily River are mainly cultivated by the 62, 63, 64, 67 and 70 regiment of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC), accounting for 30,000mu (2000ha) of wine grapes.
This region enjoys cooler summers and more rainfall than the other Xinjiang wine regions. The harvest therefore started later—not until 25th September for the whites and 26th for the reds. The region expects to finish the harvest by mid-October, same as previous years.
Grapes meant for icewine production, however, will not be picked until early December.
Increased rainfall in August has caused wide-spread downy mildew in the region, before hail hit some of the vineyards. The local growers are expecting a 30% decrease in production.
Image: Red grapes affected by rot, Xinjiang, credit LI Demei
To sum up
Generally speaking, in 2016 Xinjiang has seen more rainfall and lower average temperature.
For a region with abundant sunshine and warmth in growing season, these conditions have extended the growing period for grapes, therefore are beneficial for improving the quality of the fruit.
However, downy mildew and powdery mildew have ravaged vineyards that were less prepared for diseases, causing significant decrease in yields. Some Chardonnay and Syrah vineyards were affected by grey rots.
The 2016 vintage has been a mixed success for the wine growers in Xinjiang, as carefully managed and monitored vineyards are likely to achieve higher fruit quality than an average year. For producers less prepared for vineyard diseases, however, reduction in yields is almost inevitable.
Demei LI, associate professor of Wine Tasting and Enology in Beijing Agriculture College and invited lecturer at ESA Angers, France. He obtained master's degree in Fruit Tree Science, and Engineer status for...
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