Maria Teresa Romero Ponce was carefully trimming extra twigs on the grape vines in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China's prestigious wine production base.

The small vineyard has witnessed the 31-year-old Chilean's three years of hard work in Ningxia's Wangyueshi winery. A total of 12 kinds of wine, fermented from nine different varieties of grapes, were brewed by her over the past three years. This year, the wine she brewed finally came on the market.

"Marselan grapes are usually used to make dry red wine, but I tried them in brewing rose wine. I was super surprised that a lot of people came back and said that they like our rose wine, giving us more hope to keep producing and making good wine," said Ponce.

The wine she brewed has established a solid footing in Beijing, Shanghai, Shandong and Shenzhen, amid fierce competition in China's alcohol market.

For Ponce, wine is more than a drink, but an expression of cultures in different production areas. It tells stories about the locals and their lifestyles. Before settling down in China's Ningxia, Ponce had worked in 15 wineries in countries including France, Australia, Germany, the United States and Italy.

"Ningxia's experience is unique for me. Its hot summer is like those in southern Chile and southern Australia. However, the particular weather conditions throughout the year here are far more challenging for grape cultivation," she said.

Ponce is among some 60 brewers, connoisseurs and tasters from 23 countries who were invited by Ningxia to help develop new wine brands over the years.

The region is now widely recognized as a rising star on the world's wine producing map, with over 170 grape varieties imported from overseas apart from its home cultivated grapes.