Discover China: FIVE Exciting Wineries Join C&C Wines
For many UK wine drinkers, China remains one of the great undiscovered countries of the wine world. That is beginning to change.
Carson & Carnevale Wines is delighted to announce a major expansion of our international portfolio as we become the new distributor for five outstanding wineries from China, bringing together wines from dramatically different regions, climates and terroirs, introducing a new generation of Chinese fine wine to our customers.
The new portfolio includes Silver Heights, Célèbre, Longting Vineyard, Copower Jade and Chateau Nine Peaks.
Want to taste the wines? Existing customers and prospective accounts are warmly invited to get in touch with their C&C Wines Account Manager, or contact the company directly, to arrange a tasting. We firmly believe that the best way to understand what is happening in Chinese wine today is simple: get the wines in the glass.
For C&C Wines, this is much more than the addition of another country to the portfolio. It reflects our belief that China is becoming one of the most fascinating emerging wine nations in the world – and that the time has come for more UK sommeliers, buyers and consumers to experience these wines for themselves.
A Country, Not a Style
Perhaps the greatest misconception surrounding Chinese wine is the idea that it represents a single category or style.
China's sheer geographical scale makes that impossible.
From the continental conditions of Ningxia, to the maritime influence of Shandong, and the extraordinary high-altitude vineyards of Yunnan, the wines emerging from China demonstrate increasingly pronounced regional differences.
That diversity is precisely what makes the category so exciting.
Silver Heights – Ningxia
Few estates have done more to establish the international reputation of Ningxia than Silver Heights.
One of China's most recognised fine-wine producers, the estate has attracted sustained international critical attention and helped demonstrate that Ningxia is capable of producing wines worthy of a place alongside serious wines from established regions around the world.
Jancis Robinson MW has followed Silver Heights extensively, reviewing numerous releases across varieties including Chardonnay and Marselan - important international validation at a time when relatively few Chinese producers were familiar to Western fine-wine audiences.
Today, Silver Heights combines that pioneering reputation with an equally forward-looking approach in the vineyard, including certified biodynamic viticulture.
For sommeliers encountering serious Chinese wine for the first time, Silver Heights provides a compelling introduction: wines with depth, precision and identity, but also a story that demonstrates just how far Chinese fine wine has progressed.
Copower Jade, Ningxia
Another exciting addition from Ningxia is Copower Jade, whose wines offer truly exceptional value.
The estate is located close to the southern end of the Helan Mountains and has quietly established itself as one of the region's increasingly exciting volume orientated producers. Its portfolio demonstrates an impressive breadth, encompassing varieties such as Pinot Noir, Marselan, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay. We will distribute a 100% Chardonnay to the trade, along with a fruit forward red blend incorporating Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Dunkelfelder.
Both options are excellent by the glass options for those that want customers to discover something new…
Célèbre – The Himalayas, Yunnan
And then there is Célèbre.
If any wine challenges preconceived ideas about where great vineyards can exist, it is this.
Founded by the Zhan brothers, Célèbre's story began with an extraordinary search for suitable vineyard sites across the Himalayan plateau of Yunnan. The team studied hundreds of villages and more than a thousand individual plots before identifying the handful of sites capable of delivering the quality they sought.
The resulting vineyards sit at extraordinary elevations of approximately 2,200–2,700 metres above sea level, placing them among some of the world's most remarkable high-altitude vineyard sites.
To put that into perspective, many vineyards considered exceptionally high altitude in Argentina sit significantly below the upper elevations farmed by Célèbre.
Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay take on a distinctive identity here, shaped by intense mountain sunlight, dramatic diurnal temperature variation, altitude and the extraordinary landscape of Yunnan.
These are not curiosities produced simply because the vineyards are in China.
They are serious wines with a remarkable sense of place – and precisely the kind of discovery we want the C&C portfolio to represent.
Longting Vineyard, Ningxia
Another exciting addition from Shandong is Longting, whose wines offer a distinctive introduction to the coastal vineyards of Penglai.
Located on the Shandong Peninsula, the estate benefits from the moderating influence of the nearby sea, with cooling coastal breezes helping to preserve freshness and balance throughout the growing season. Longting has established itself as an exciting producer within this emerging region, combining modern viticulture with a focus on expressive, characterful wines.
We will distribute two expressions of Petit Manseng to the trade: LongTing Jade Petit Manseng and LongTing ‘Sea Breeze’ Petit Manseng, each offering a different interpretation of this distinctive grape variety.
Both offer sommeliers and buyers something genuinely different and provide an exciting opportunity to introduce customers to the increasingly diverse world of Chinese wine.
chateau NINE PEAKS, LAIXI, QINGDAO, SHANDONG
Chateau Nine Peaks, situated in Laixi near Qingdao in Shandong Province, draws upon the maritime influence of one of China’s oldest and most established wine regions. Cooling sea breezes, moderate temperatures and mineral-rich soils help preserve freshness and aromatic character while encouraging balanced ripening throughout the growing season.
Joining the C&C portfolio is Nine Peaks Pinkker Rosé, an elegant, fruit-driven expression that demonstrates another side of the estate and the versatility of Shandong’s coastal terroir.
Where Ningxia frequently provides the drama of a continental climate and mountain landscapes, Shandong offers a fresher, more maritime-influenced expression of Chinese viticulture.
For the sommelier, wines such as Pinkker Rosé provide an exciting opportunity to introduce customers to this regional diversity and reinforce why we should increasingly think about Chinese regions, rather than simply “Chinese wine”.
Five Producers, Three Regions, One Extraordinary Story
What excites us most about bringing these producers together is not their similarities – but their differences.
Silver Heights demonstrate different interpretations of Ningxia.
Célèbre takes Chinese wine to extraordinary elevations in Yunnan.
Longting captures the distinctive character of Petit Manseng in Penglai.
CoPower Jade offers incredible value for money - possibly the best available from Ningxia.
And Nine Peaks, demonstrating the freshness of rosé from Shandong.
Together, they begin to tell a much richer story about Chinese wine: one of region, terroir, experimentation, ambition and rapidly increasing quality.
Changing Perceptions, One Glass at a Time
The challenge for Chinese wine in the UK is not simply availability. It is familiarity.
Many sommeliers and buyers have still never had the opportunity to taste a serious Chinese wine – let alone compare wines from several of the country's leading regions and producers.
We intend to change that.
Our priority will be simple: get these wines into people's glasses.
Through customer tastings, masterclasses, sommelier engagement, staff training and events, we want to give the trade the opportunity to approach Chinese wine without preconceptions and judge the quality for themselves.
The arrival of these five wineries marks an exciting new chapter for C&C Wines – but more importantly, we believe it gives our customers the chance to discover a wine country whose international story is still only beginning.
Speak to your C&C Wines Account Manager or contact us directly to arrange a tasting for you and your team.
We cannot wait to get these wines into your glass.