The 4th Ningxia Helan Mountain East Foothill International Wine Competition, incorporating the 2nd Marselan Selection by CMB, got underway in Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui autonomous region on Tuesday.

Judges assess the wine at the 4th Ningxia Helan Mountain East Foothill International Wine Competition in Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui autonomous region. [Photo by Liu Tianyi]

The competition is entrusted to the organizing committee of the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles (CMB). The participating products include conventional wines as well as grape fruit (dew) wine and grape pre-mixed wine. Based on the retail prices reported by producers, the products will be evaluated in four categories: Table wine, regional wine, premium wine and grand reserve wine, ensuring that the competition results provide a more accurate purchasing guide for consumers.

Judges assess the wine at the 4th Ningxia Helan Mountain East Foothill International Wine Competition in Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui autonomous region. [Photo by Liu Tianyi]

The competition uses digital evaluation technology and employs a digital scoring system, with scores from the competition site transmitted in real-time to the technical department at the Brussels headquarters for immediate processing and approval. The competition will also provide unique expert comments, wine aroma analysis charts and body structure analysis tables for all participating wines.

Judges assess the wine at the 4th Ningxia Helan Mountain East Foothill International Wine Competition in Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui autonomous region. [Photo by Liu Tianyi]

According to organizers, the competition received a total of 1,222 wine samples from 18 countries and 33 regions, including 1,075 domestic and 147 imported wines. This is the largest number of wine samples received in a competition hosted by Ningxia, representing an increase of 14.5 percent compared to 2023.

Judges assess the wine at the 4th Ningxia Helan Mountain East Foothill International Wine Competition in Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui autonomous region. [Photo by Liu Tianyi]

Zhan Jicheng, one of the competition judges and a professor at the College of Food Science & Nutritional Engineering at China Agricultural University, said that the contest is based on almost 100 percent blind tasting. The only information provided is the vintage of the wines. Therefore, judges evaluate based on three main criteria: Appearance, aroma and taste. The appearance is judged based on color, clarity, shine and the presence of sediment. Aroma is evaluated based on its intensity and complexity, while taste is judged on concentration, complexity and the length of the aftertaste. Finally, there is an overall score to comprehensively evaluate all the wines.

Judges sample the wine at the 4th Ningxia Helan Mountain East Foothill International Wine Competition in Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui autonomous region. [Photo by Liu Tianyi]

Tonny Tong, a Chinese Malaysian judge said that such competitions are a great help in bringing together winemaking techniques and wines from different countries around the world, creating a unique exchange and interaction with the wine culture of Ningxia. This not only promotes the improvement of wine from Ningxia but also fosters exchange and development in the global wine industry, he added.