COLOUR
Orange
TYPE
Still
VINTAGE
2021
GRAPE
Chardonnay
PRODUCER
Xiao Pu
REGION
Ningxia
CHARACTERISTICS
Body
Medium
Sweetness
Dry
Acidity
Medium - High
Finish
Medium - Long
Intensity
Mid - Pronounced
Tannins
Medium - Low
AROMAS & FLAVOURS
ABOUT THIS WINE
Xiao Pu, meaning 'Little Grape', is the nomadic winemaking project of former sommelier and wine educator Ian Dai. Founded in 2017, Xiao Pu operates without a permanent physical winery. Instead, Ian travels across China's diverse wine regions, renting cellar space and collaborating with local growers to produce expressive, minimal-intervention wines. Sourced from high-altitude vineyards in the rugged Doves Mountain area of Ningxia, 'Tangerine' (known in Chinese as 'Da Ju Da Li') has become a benchmark release, widely celebrated as a pioneer of the modern Chinese skin-contact wine movement.
ALCOHOL
13.0%
AVG. PRICE
€28
STYLE
Natural
VEGAN
YES
SULPHITES
NO
When to drink
Now or Later
Ideal temperature
8-10°C
INTERESTING FACTS
Fact 01
The wine's Chinese name 'Da Ju Da Li' is an auspicious pun on a traditional Lunar New Year greeting that translates to 'Great luck and prosperity'.
Fact 02
Founder Ian Dai is a 'nomadic winemaker' who owns no vineyards, traveling thousands of miles across China to rent cellar space for his cuvées.
Fact 03
This orange wine has earned a spot on the wine lists of elite global dining venues, including Shanghai's famous Michelin three-star Ultraviolet.
FOOD PAIRING
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WINE MAKING PROCESS
Crafted with a natural, low-intervention philosophy, the Chardonnay grapes are harvested from high-elevation desert vineyards. The fruit undergoes spontaneous fermentation using 100% indigenous yeasts. To extract its signature amber hue and complex phenolic structure, the juice remains in contact with the grape skins for approximately one week. Following maceration, the wine undergoes natural malolactic fermentation and is aged for 8 to 12 months in seasoned, neutral French oak barrels to encourage gentle micro-oxygenation. The wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered with minimal sulfur additions.
