A little over an hour’s flight from Kunming, the journey to Meili’s vineyards begins in Shangri-La City, 10,500 feet above sea level. From there, a four-hour drive follows the Mekong River—known locally as the Lancang—through the mountains of Deqin County. Roadworks, wandering cattle and yaks slow the trip, while landslides and rockfalls offer reminders that this spectacular landscape can also be dangerous. One year earlier, two winery workers had been swept from the road by a landslide.
In northwestern Yunnan, the river winds through the UNESCO-protected Three Parallel Rivers region, between the Yangtze and Salween. Above it rises sacred Meili Mountain, crowned by Kawagebo Peak. Villages cling to steep slopes, and vineyards occupy small terraces scattered across the valleys. The landscape is breathtaking, but its remoteness and harsh conditions make winegrowing a formidable undertaking.
A recent wine history
Grapevines first arrived in the area with French Catholic missionaries in the late 19th century. They planted vines for sacramental wine in Cigu and later Cizhong, where a red hybrid grape known as Rose Honey—believed to be Baco Noir—still survives. An account of wine made for mass in 1947 recorded a total production of just 660 liters.
Modern winegrowing developed much later. In 2001, the government renamed Zhongdian as Shangri-La to encourage tourism, while Deqin County promoted grapes as a way to diversify agriculture. Cabernet Sauvignon and other varieties were brought in from Shandong, but the first local winery struggled to pay growers sustainable prices. A survey in 2002 found that local grapes grew quickly and could provide good returns, prompting authorities to encourage villagers to replace some wheat and barley fields with vines.
Production became closely tied to the state-backed Shangri-La Winery, which received preferential access to local grape crops. The broader Meili region now includes about 470 hectares of vineyards, involving 34 villages and nearly 3,000 growers. Shangri-La Winery has since withdrawn from much of its land, partly because of sales pressures. Some former vineyard plots have returned to corn, while others have been taken over by new producers and by Penfolds for its Chinese wine project. In 2024, Deqin began inviting wineries and winemakers to take over some of the abandoned sites.
A landscape of small, distinct vineyards
Meili’s vineyards sit between about 1,800 and 3,000 meters above sea level. Hundreds of small plots follow river terraces and mountain benches, creating a mosaic of sites with different elevations, exposures and soils. The geology ranges from sandstone, slate and limestone to schist, gneiss and granite.
The climate is equally varied. The region lies between the influences of the South Asian and East Asian monsoons and the westerlies. Mountain ranges and deep gorges produce sharp differences in rainfall over short distances. The eastern valleys are sheltered from the heaviest monsoon rains, while altitude brings cooler temperatures and strong ultraviolet light.
Ripening is slow and varies greatly from village to village. Cabernet Sauvignon veraison may begin in mid-July in lower, warmer sites, but not until late August at higher elevations. Harvest can extend from mid-September to late November. Long, sunny days help fruit develop flavor and tannins, while cool nights preserve acidity.
Farming is largely manual. Plots are too small and steep for machinery, and many growers use compost from livestock kept beneath their homes. Villagers combine grape growing with other forms of agriculture, maintaining a close relationship between the vineyards, households and surrounding land.
Xiaoling and the revival of Cizhong
One of the region’s early modern pioneers is Bertrand Cristau, whose interest in Meili grew from research into the area’s missionary history. He was drawn to Cizhong and its preserved winemaking traditions, where he met Tibetan Catholic farmer Wu Gongdi.
Wu learned winemaking from his grandmother’s sister, Teresa, a Tibetan nun who had been taught by French missionaries. In the late 1990s, he revived the local Rose Honey grape and trained villagers in winemaking. His son, Hongxing, has since removed the government-introduced Cabernet Sauvignon from the family vineyards and returned to organic Rose Honey, producing around two tons a year.
Cristau joined the Xiaoling project in 2015 and later relaunched it with a focus on small-lot wines from local vineyards. Xiaoling now works with about 75 tiny plots across 12 villages, covering roughly five hectares. The vineyards range from 1,900 meters in Cizhong to 2,850 meters in Jiangpo. Most were planted in the early 2000s, mainly with Cabernet Sauvignon, alongside smaller amounts of Merlot, Chardonnay and Syrah.
The company leases plots from local families, often through informal agreements built on trust. Many vineyard tasks are handled by women, while men commonly work in construction or transport. Growers can earn several times more from grapes than they once did from cereals.
Since 2020, winemaker Feng Jian has overseen Xiaoling’s wines. Grapes are harvested by hand and carried down steep paths to the winery. Fermentations begin with native yeasts, and malolactic conversion can take more than six months. The wines are aged for 18 to 22 months in French oak, with about a quarter of the barrels new.
Xiaoling’s flagship Grand Vin is typically 90 percent Cabernet Sauvignon and 10 percent Merlot, with cassis, herbs and savory, saline notes. Other bottlings include the more Merlot-led Sentiers de Xiaoling, the concentrated Rizui and the approachable Tsekou. Its Chardonnay, aged on lees in oak, impressed tasters at a blind tasting in France in 2024, where it was mistaken for white Burgundy.
Ao Yun’s high-altitude ambition
Ao Yun, meaning “Flying Above the Clouds,” was conceived as an attempt to produce a Chinese grand cru. The project began in 2008, when Moët Hennessy asked winemaker and consultant Tony Jordan to assess China’s potential wine regions.
Jordan identified the Deqin area as unusually promising. The mountains shield its vineyards from the worst monsoon rainfall, while relatively mild winters mean vines do not need to be buried for protection, as they are in many northern Chinese regions. Different village elevations also allow growers to select sites with distinct temperature profiles and growing seasons.
After several years of research and field visits, the project settled on Deqin. Bordeaux-trained Maxence Dulou joined in 2013 to lead the vineyard and cellar teams, working with local farming families.
Ao Yun’s 27 hectares are spread across four Tibetan villages: Xidang, Sinong, Shuori and Adong, at elevations from about 2,100 to 2,600 meters. The vineyards are divided into hundreds of blocks and sub-blocks, each with its own soil and microclimate. The estate uses detailed vineyard monitoring and relies on manual labor, with roughly 2,400 hours of work required per hectare.
Ao Yun’s winery was completed in Adong in 2014. Fruit is sorted carefully, and fermentation relies on indigenous yeasts. Individual parcels are vinified separately in stoneware, glass jars and oak before blending. The use of new oak has steadily fallen: from 50 percent initially to 20 percent in 2022, and none by 2025, as the winery seeks to emphasize the fruit and site character.
Only the best fruit—about 59 percent of the harvest—is selected for Ao Yun Grand Cru. The blend draws on hundreds of vineyard sub-blocks, while small quantities of village wines provide a more direct expression of individual sites. Annual production ranges from 20,000 to 40,000 bottles.
The 2020 Ao Yun showed deep color, cassis, mint and herbs, with a firm structure that gradually softened in the glass. A 2024 pre-blend from the four villages was concentrated and savory, with bright cassis and supple tannins. The village wines each offered a different profile: Shuori was fresh and herbal, Xidang showed dark berries and pronounced acidity, Sinong combined dark fruit and mint with a structured palate, and high-altitude Adong was rich in cassis with juicy acidity.
A new generation explores other varieties
Meili’s next wave of winemakers is beginning to look beyond Cabernet Sauvignon, the dominant grape planted during the region’s early development. Their experiments include Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Cabernet Franc, Syrah and Malbec.
At Domaine Yitong in Hongpo, winemaker Shi has taught himself much of the craft after working in tea. The estate farms Chardonnay and Merlot with local families and is planting Pinot Noir and Riesling at elevations above 3,000 meters. Its wines include a savory, saline Chardonnay, a bright young Malbec and a Pinot Noir with sour-cherry fruit and firm acidity. Production remains small, at about 20,000 bottles a year.
Li Da, known as Mathieu, founded Mingyi with Feng Jian in 2020. The project works with 70 families across 75 vineyard plots. Li Da sees potential for different grapes at different elevations: Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in sandy riverbank soils, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc on gravelly mid-slopes, and Chardonnay in higher, heavier clay soils. He hopes to add varieties such as Syrah, Nebbiolo, Riesling and Chenin Blanc.
Mingyi’s Pinot Noir already shows the region’s bright sour-cherry character and taut acidity. The winery’s first vintage, in 2022, produced only 3,000 bottles, though output is expected to grow. Its Chardonnays, made from old vines in Jiangpo and Adong, have received significant attention.
In Mingyong, Jin Lin founded MuHan Winery in 2020 after working at Ao Yun. His small vineyards are spread across a dozen micro-plots. MuHan emphasizes early harvesting, gentle extraction and freshness. Its wines include a stainless-steel-fermented Chardonnay, restrained Cabernet Sauvignon, a Cabernet and Syrah blend, and a Syrah with peppery Rhône-like character. Production grew from 1,400 bottles in 2023 to 6,000 in 2024.
Dan Sheng Di and Célèbre
Another ambitious project is Dan Sheng Di, with its sister brand Célèbre, founded by brothers Zhan Huangen and Zhan Hangrun with winemaking consultant Patrick Valette. Winemaker Vianney Jacqmin joined in 2021, bringing experience from France, Spain and Chile.
The vineyards cover around 40 hectares across four villages in the Yangtze and Mekong valleys. Sites range from about 2,200 to 2,700 meters and include gravelly, rocky, chalky and clay soils. Long-term contracts with growers typically span 25 to 30 years.
White wine is an important part of the portfolio, making up roughly a quarter of production. Grapes are harvested in the morning and transported at high altitude before reaching the winery cool. Red wines ferment with native yeasts after careful sorting and a period of cold soaking. The prestige Chardonnay is fermented in new oak, with each barrel representing a separate vineyard plot.
The range includes Dan Sheng Di’s premium village wines, mid-tier Baozhuang (Célèbre) and the more accessible All of Me wines. The latter includes a red blend of Rose Honey and Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as white and rosé bottlings. The top range also includes a botrytized Chardonnay and an experimental traditional-method sparkling wine.
Tastings reveal the breadth of the project: Baozhuang White combines freshness with smoky, honeyed richness; Dan Sheng Di Chardonnay is concentrated and expressive; and the Cabernet-based reds are aromatic, restrained and balanced. The botrytized Chardonnay is particularly distinctive, with citrus, honey and orange notes.
Meili might seem an unlikely place for a fine-wine region, given its latitude, altitude, climate and isolation. Yet within a little over two decades, government policy and the work of pioneering producers have helped transform its vineyards and improve local livelihoods. The region’s future may depend on preserving its diversity—of villages, soils, grape varieties and traditions—rather than relying on Cabernet Sauvignon alone.