At the recent launch event in Chengdu, Xige Winery not only unveiled its new product but also expressed profound aspirations for the future of China’s wine industry — to redefine Chinese wine. When discussing Chinese wines, price remains an unavoidable topic. While high-quality wines are increasingly available, their prices often soar to staggering levels. Conversely, the market is flooded with suspiciously cheap options that barely qualify as genuine wine. So, what defines a Chinese wine that balances quality and affordability? Xige Winery’s N18, priced at around 100 RMB, provided an answer at its “Return of Trust” launch on March 23. 

The event stood out in several ways: local government representatives from multiple regions attended; debates over the attire of Xige’s founder, Zhang Yanzhi, sparked pre-event buzz; and Zhang’s hour-long speech broke records. Most notably, the N18 reflects an extraordinary investment of time and resources. As Zhang explained, the wine aims to address the market’s dual pain points of “low quality at low prices” or “exorbitant prices for premium products.” The goal is to create a Chinese wine that is both delicious and accessible. 

Zhang emphasized the importance of “trust” — both in the industry’s potential to cultivate a large-scale wine market and in consumers’ willingness to choose domestic products. “The lack of trust isn’t the fault of consumers,” he admitted. “It’s our industry’s failure to deliver reliable products.” The N18’s red glass bottle symbolizes hope and fragility: red represents wine and China, while glass signifies the delicate nature of regained trust. 

To achieve its “high standards of taste,” N18 incorporates premium ingredients, including grapes from single-vineyard plots like N28 and N50. Backed by 30,000 acres of vineyards, an annual production capacity of 10 million bottles, and certifications like BRCGS and IFS, Xige employs cutting-edge technology, such as a digital vineyard management system and an automated temperature-control fermentation process. Its proprietary “3126” method — three months of fermentation, 12+ months in oak barrels, and six months of bottle aging — ensures consistent quality. 

Since its founding in 2017, Xige has rapidly emerged as a leader in Ningxia’s wine region, hailed by *Decanter* as “China’s largest and fastest-growing boutique winery.” Its wines have won hundreds of international awards and graced prestigious events, including state banquets and royal ceremonies. 

In China’s bifurcated wine market — where imports dominate the mid-price segment — Zhang sees strategic opportunities. As consumers increasingly prioritize value, the 100-RMB tier offers a chance to rebuild trust and establish a “new blue ocean” for domestic brands. By combining affordability with uncompromising quality, Xige aims to reshape the industry’s logic and usher in an era where Chinese wines are both trusted and beloved. 

In the words of Li Jun, director of the Ningxia Wine Industry Development Bureau: “If the Helan Mountain East Foothills are the ‘plateau’ of China’s wine industry, Xige is its ‘peak.’” With N18, Xige signals the dawn of a “high-quality, high-value” era for Chinese wine.