County's conditions unique for producing quality wine

Danfeng county of Shangluo city in Shaanxi province is located at latitude of 33 degrees north. Here, grapes enjoy an average of 2,056 hours of sunshine each year. Combined with the unique geological, water and climatic conditions of the Danjiang River valley, it nurtures wine grapes that are rich in pulp, high in sugar content, full of juice and delicious in taste.

A local resident of Shangluo, Zhang Peiyu, said that she didn't get to taste any of Danfeng county's grapes this year because, during the grape season, "you have to go to the market before 7 am to buy them", and she woke up too late.

As early as 1911, Italian missionaries discovered that Danfeng's grapes had a rich and sweet flavor. They introduced European wine-making techniques to Danfeng, leading to the establishment of a grape wine production company that continues to this day.

The winery became the second centenary wine production enterprise in China. In the 1980s, Danfeng wine became popular nationwide and was exported to more than ten countries, including Japan and France. However, in the 1990s, like many state-owned enterprises at the time, Shaanxi Danfeng Wine Co Ltd faced layoffs and even went bankrupt for a period. At the end of 2007, the winery was revived.

In recent years, Danfeng county has regarded wine as its most important industry. It has developed a new mode that integrates grape cultivation, tourism, grape picking, wine production, storage, sales and wine culture experience.

Currently, Danfeng county has established a high-quality grape planting base of 35,000 mu (about 2,333 hectares), with an annual wine storage capacity of 30,000 tons. It has registered 53 trademarks, developed nine fruit wine companies, four cork stopper companies, and 80 stores and e-commerce outlets. The comprehensive output value has exceeded 1 billion yuan ($136 million), benefiting over 2,100 households and engaging more than 3,600 people in grape cultivation, wine production and related work.