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Fei Tswei · Terroir
Our Vineyard

Our Vineyard

Shaped by Nature

Fei Tswei · Portrait view of the winery's wines
Terroir · The Land Beneath

Winemaking Led by the Fruit

Terroir embraces the natural conditions that shape a wine's character: soil, terrain, location, sunlight, warmth, rainfall, temperature variation and microbial life. At Fei Tswei, it also speaks to the Helan Mountains and the waters of the Yellow River, the hands that bury the vines for winter and prune them in spring, and the winemakers who listen to the fruit. Their care brings the character of this place into the glass.

Biodiversity · Living Together

A Haven Among the Vines

Wildlife shares the vineyards, with birds the most frequent visitors. Crested larks, jackdaws, magpies and sparrows are common, while bearded vultures and common kestrels sometimes soar overhead. Pheasants, hares, foxes, hedgehogs and the winery's cats also make their home here.

Crested Lark Jackdaw Magpie Sparrow Bearded Vulture Common Kestrel Pheasant Hare Fox Hedgehog
Fei Tswei vineyard · Biodiversity
Fei Tswei · Grape leaves in the vineyard
Circularity · A Greener Cycle

Nourishing the Land with the Land

Fei Tswei follows traditional vineyard practices in step with the natural environment. Weeding is done by hand, and biological materials are returned to the soil as part of our approach to vineyard care. After harvest, vine prunings, grape stems and skins, lees and silage are aerobically fermented into organic fertilizer. The compost reaches 75°C to kill unwanted microbes, weed seeds and insect eggs. Once mature, it is applied to the vineyards the following year, helping build healthy soils through a circular approach to farming.

75℃

High-Temperature Sterilization

1000metric tons

organic fertilizer produced annually

100%

self-sufficient

Varieties

Twelve Varieties,
Planted to Suit the Land

In 2012, Fei Tswei began developing a 100-hectare stretch of barren land for a large-scale, multi-variety vineyard project. Following the land's natural contours, we planted 12 commercially grown varieties in 17 separate plots. After four vintages of single-variety, single-plot winemaking trials, we identified our premium single vineyards.

Fei Tswei vineyard · Grape varieties
Fei Tswei · Five single vineyards at Huangyangtan
Single Vineyard

Five Single Vineyards,
Five Expressions of Terroir

Fei Tswei's five single vineyards lie in Huangyangtan, Yongning County, Ningxia, with the Helan Mountains to the west and the Xixia Reservoir to the east, at an elevation of around 1,120 meters. Sunshine is abundant, the climate dry and day-to-night temperature shifts pronounced during the growing season. From gently sloping, gravel-rich ground to level sandy loam, each plot's soils and terrain shape its single-vineyard wine.

Block 1

Cabernet Sauvignon Single Vineyard

Approx. 1,120 m elevation | 13-year-old vines | gentle east-southeast-facing slope

In Block 1, Cabernet Sauvignon grows on a gently sloping bed of sand and gravel laid down by floods from the Helan Mountains; the gradient is around 1°–1.5°. The soils are mainly gravelly sandy loam and gravelly sand, with approximately 35–55% gravel in the top 100 cm. They drain readily but hold little water, so drip irrigation supplements the vines' supply.

Ample sunlight and free-draining soils provide a foundation for this relatively late-ripening variety. We focus on full fruit and tannin ripeness, seeking a balance of ripe fruit, firm structure and fine detail that brings out Cabernet Sauvignon's depth.

Fei Tswei · Block 1 Cabernet Sauvignon single vineyard
Fei Tswei · Block 6 Merlot single vineyard
Block 6

Merlot Single Vineyard

Approx. 1,120 m elevation | 11-year-old vines | gentle east-southeast-facing slope

The Merlot in Block 6 grows on a gentle slope of around 1°–1.5°. Gravelly sandy loam and gravelly sand deposited by mountain floods drain readily; gravel makes up about 35–55% of the top 100 cm of soil. Drip irrigation helps make up for the soil's limited water-holding capacity.

A measured water supply is important to the expression of Merlot. Here, gravelly soils and careful irrigation work together. We seek the variety's rounded, generous fruit and supple texture while retaining a clear structure.

Block 10

Marselan Single Vineyard

Approx. 1,120 m elevation | 11-year-old vines | level terrain

Block 10 is level, with mainly sandy loam soil. Gravel makes up around 10–20% of the top 100 cm and is relatively fine. Compared with the gravel-rich slopes, the greater proportion of sand and fine earth helps the soil retain water. Alongside drip irrigation, this supports the later-ripening Marselan.

Marselan's small berries can develop deep color and a rich aromatic profile. We manage water and vine growth through ripening, seeking generous fruit and supple tannins with fine detail beneath the wine's fullness.

Fei Tswei · Block 10 Marselan single vineyard
Fei Tswei · Block 16 Syrah single vineyard
Block 16

Syrah Single Vineyard

Approx. 1,120 m elevation | 11-year-old vines | level terrain

Syrah grows on level sandy loam in Block 16, on parent material deposited by floods from the Helan Mountains. The top 100 cm contains around 10–20% gravel, mostly smaller stones. The soil's relatively good water retention, together with drip irrigation, provides a basis for water management as the fruit ripens.

Syrah ripens relatively quickly, making the timing of harvest especially important. We look for balance among fruit, aroma and texture: ripe fruit set against layers of spice, with freshness at the heart of its intensity.

Block 17

Pinot Noir Single Vineyard

Approx. 1,120 m elevation | 11-year-old vines | level terrain

Pinot Noir grows in level Block 17, where sandy loam contains around 10–20% fine gravel in the top 100 cm. With more sand and fine earth, the soil retains water relatively well, and drip irrigation supplies additional moisture as needed.

In this sunlit setting, Pinot Noir's delicate expression calls for close attention to ripening. We manage fruit exposure and harvest timing, seeking a balance of ripe fruit, freshness and fine texture that reveals the vineyard's elegant layers.

Fei Tswei · Block 17 Pinot Noir single vineyard
Fei Tswei vineyard · Vineyard workers
Viticulture

Bury in Winter, Prune in Spring;
Tend Every Vine with Care

Every ripe grape begins with the hands that tend the vine. Winter burial, spring pruning, weeding and harvest all follow the seasons and respect the land, carrying the gifts of the Helan foothills into each wine.