Wine Taste Through Ningxia
Deposit per person
Overview
Activity details
Discover China’s premier wine destination as we spend 2 days wine tasting our way through the northwest region of Ningxia. From exploring the area’s sprawling boutique vineyards situated against a rugged mountain backdrop, to enjoying copious amounts of lamb, beef, and noodles famous in the area, get ready for a delicious wine-filled adventure!
What's included
- Wine Tasting at 7 Wineries
- 2 Nights Accommodations
- All Meals
- 1 Day Accompanied by Wine Sommelier
- Transportation, Including to/from INC
- English Speaking Lost Plate Trip Leader
- China Travel Guide PDF
- Online Pre-trip Briefing & Q&A Session
Itinerary
Day 1
Yinchuan
Arrival & Check-In: Airport pick-up is available from INC airport. Flight arrivals should be at or before 3pm. If you arrive early, the nearby Ningxia Museum is a great way to spend the afternoon.
Dinner: Kick things off with a feast: roast lamb with wines featuring one of our favorite winemakers in the region.
Driving: Approx. 45 mins from the airport to the city center.
Day 2
Wine Tasting
Silver Heights: Perhaps the most well-known Chinese wines internationally, Silver Heights is owned by Bordeaux-graduated Emma Gao who is known as a pioneer of Chinese fine wine. Receiving international acclaim and awards, Emma is the 2nd generation of this family business which started in 1997 when her father started cultivating grapes here.
Lunch: Enjoy a selection of home-style dishes including wild veggies and stew.
Domaine Charme: This architect-owned winery was built at the foot of a mountain peak shaped like a Buddha’s face. Everything here was built with a purpose – from their “pyramid of Charme” which faces the meridian and brings “pyramid energy” to communicate with heaven and earth – to their wine cellar designed with natural ventilation and air flow. But their wine, made with organic cultivation and natural gravity brewing, is really something special too.
Mountain Wave: Ran by a couple who studied winemaking overseas, they took a big bet by planting “less popular” grape varieties when they started in 2015 (Malbec, Marselan, and Pinot Noir). Come find out how their bet has paid off.
Pu Shang: This small boutique winery is the type of place you dream of stumbling upon. The winemaker is so passionate about making wine, he’s too focused on that to open to the public. But his small-batch, high-end wine is truly something special (especially his Marselan, which has consistently received gold and silver awards at the Decanter World Wine Awards every year) and he’ll let us in for a private tasting.
Dinner: Tonight we’ll enjoy another local specialty – lamb hotpot prepared with a special soup made of local herbs and red wine!
Driving: About 45 minutes each way to/from our hotel and the wine region, with short drives between each destination.
Day 3
Wine Tasting & Departure
Sweet Dew: The spirited owner of this winery is Ningxia’s only millennial winemaker. He also manages the vineyard, designs the wine bottles, and personally packages and ships everything. Come see this passion project first-hand, where skill and humility shine through each bottle.
Xige Estate Wine Tasting & Lunch: As the largest producer of quality wines in the region, Xige Estate is impressive down to every detail. Sitting on 1,300 hectares of land, they boast a wide range of varietals including Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and Sauvignon Blanc. Not only will we tour their facilities and try their wines, we’ll also enjoy lunch at their in-house organic restaurant.
Stone & Moon: This passionate team is managed by their French winemaker, who has experience making wine in most of the world’s primary wine regions. With their first vintage only in 2021, it’s already become a guest favorite.
Airport Drop-off: Will be provided to INC airport. Flight departures should be at or after 7pm.
Driving: Today’s wine region is a bit further, so you can expect a 1 hour drive to our first winery and 30 minute drives between each one thereafter, then a 1.5 hour drive to the airport.
Highlights
- 2 Full Days of Wine Tasting
- Try Over 30 of Ningxia's Finest Wines
- Meet the Winemakers at Selected Wineries
- Private Tours of Boutique Wineries
Additional information
Extras
- Solo travelers not sharing a room will incur a single occupancy fee of $176 USD. See more details in our FAQ below.
Disclaimers
- Join-in trips require a minimum of 4 people to operate. You should only purchase your transportation to/from Ningxia after you receive a tour confirmation notice. Private tours (for an additional fee) are always an option if your join-in trip does not hit the minimum amount of people.
- A deposit of $300 USD per person is required to secure your spot. This deposit is non-refundable for any reason unless the trip is cancelled by Lost Plate due to the minimum group size not being met.
- Payment of your remaining balance will be collected 14 days before the trip starts.
- If you need to cancel, the amount you have already paid cannot be refunded. This is because spots on each trip is limited, and because we arrange accommodations when you reserve your spot. You are able to transfer your spot to someone else.
Payments can be made by credit card, WeChat, or Alipay.
FAQs
Do you offer private and/or customized trips?
Private trips can be arranged based on availability. This is ideal for families, large groups, or guests who don’t want to join with other travelers. An additional private trip fee will be charged (which is waived for groups of 8 or more). Simply contact us to book so we can check availability.
We are happy to make simple customizations to private trips, such as the start time/date or the duration of the trip.
Beyond that, we generally do not arrange customized tours. We work very hard to create our tour routes and build strong relationships with our vendors to ensure the quality and service they provide. It’s also important for us to share the stories of each destination and vendor that we visit. If your request involves visiting a destination or vendor that we don’t have an existing relationship with, we will politely decline.
Is this trip family-friendly and what is the price for children?
Children and teens under 21 are not recommended for this trip. Out of respect for our other guests, we strongly discourage children on this trip. Due to limited capacities on our join-in trips, discounts are not provided for children. Contact us with any questions or concerns and we will assess each situation individually.
Booking a private trip for your family is always an option, based on availability. This allows you some added flexibility on the timing each day and the ages of everyone joining.
Do you recommend this trip for elderly travelers?
We welcome elderly travelers, but ask that guests use their own judgement to determine whether the itinerary of this trip is appropriate without impacting the experience of other guests. We do not recommend this trip for anyone who is unable to be on their feet for 1-2 hours at a time, or requires mobility assistance such as a wheelchair or walker.
Booking a private trip is always an option. This gives you some added flexibility during the itinerary to make sure you have extra time when needed during the day.
Can solo travelers join this trip and why do you charge a single occupancy fee?
Yes! Our join-in trips are perfect for solo travelers because it gives you the ability to travel with others and the advantage of being able to try a large variety of food.
All of our join-in trips have a minimum of 4 people. Our website will accept your solo booking and we’ll keep in touch to let you know when the minimum number of people has been met. If it’s not met, and we are unable to reschedule you to another date that works for you, we will provide a full refund for your booking.
The single occupancy fee for this trip is $176 USD. This is necessary because accommodation is the largest cost of the entire trip, and it is designed to be split by two people. While we do our best to make this reasonable (the single occupancy fee doesn’t cover the entire gap), it is necessary for us cover this cost.
Feel free to contact us at any time if you’d like us to check your dates of interest and we’ll let you know if anyone else has booked the trip or if there are nearby alternative dates.
Cancellations
Deposits are required to secure your spot. Payment of your remaining balance is due 14 days before the tour begins. Deposits and balance payments are non-refundable for any reason unless the trip is cancelled by Lost Plate due to the minimum number of travelers not being met. If you need to cancel, your deposit and/or your balance payment cannot be refunded.