Grape expectations

Among the 96 wineries involved in the research, 28 are rated as A-level attractions. Zhou believes cooperation with scenic spots will become an inevitable trend for China's wine tourism.

Zhou says 68 percent of online comments about wineries in Ningxia are about Chateau Changyu Moser XV, which is a 4A-level scenic spot.

A rapidly growing number of comments are about Yuanshi Vineyard, which researchers expect will become another major destination.

Yuanshi features a Chinese-garden style. Its founder, Yuan Hui, spent six years starting from 2008 designing and building the winery in an abandoned sand quarry.

It was constructed using leftover quarry stones, abandoned firebricks and dead trees.

In 2015, his daughter, Yuan Yuan, who earned a tourism-management degree from Sun Yat-sen University, returned to Ningxia and took over the vineyard from her father, becoming the youngest head of a chateau in the Helan Mountains' eastern foothills area.

Developing tourism is one of Yuan Yuan's main goals. The area attracted over 150,000 visitors last year.

"We've arranged many activities. For example, in May, we stage a carnival for crabapples since we've planted crabapple trees along each of our vineyard's 17 main roads," Yuan Yuan says.

"We also organize free monthly wine classes for visitors."

About 60 percent of visitors buy wine there.

"After witnessing the whole process, visitors trust our wines," Yuan Yuan explains.

Yuan Hui built an admission-free leisure park next to the chateau. And the winery's hotel and restaurant will open at the end of the year so that visitors can stay longer.

"I hope our winery can become a must-see spot that brings travelers to Ningxia."