Xinjiang wines to crow about

A trio of Skyline of Gobi red wines from Tiansai Vineyards was ready-made to pair with steak from the chefs at Aria.

The dinner was held at Aria in Beijing's China World Summit Hotel, and guests had a chance to enjoy both Skyline of Gobi's 2017 Zodiac Rooster chardonnay and the drier 2014 Zodiac Sheep chardonnay with a Mediterranean Caesar salad and a tomato soup.

Roasted halibut and Angus sirloin courses were served with three reds, the 2017 Zodiac Rooster cabernet sauvignon, 2013 Zodiac Horse cabernet franc and the winery's 2014 marselan, a grape that is enjoying increasing popularity with Chinese wineries for the silky vintages it produces.

Li told the assembly of about 30 diners that he would be presenting three Chinese marselans, including the 2014 vintage from Tiansai, at the global ProWein show in Dusseldorf, Germany, in March.

Besides winning awards from the French guide Bettane and Desseauve, Decanter magazine and multiple competitions, Tiansai has captured the wine world's attention by being one of the first wineries in the region to be certified organic by Chinese authorities. In July 2014 the Chinese Wine Industry Association named it the country's model company for wine-grape planting.

In recent years, China has tightened its standards for organic labeling, in the wake of food-safety scandals and growing demand for naturally produced foods. In the past, domestic labeling of "organic" produce has been widely criticized as slipshod. However, rules and monitoring have improved so much that China was able to sign a landmark agreement with New Zealand in November that will see the two countries recognize each other's standards for organic products.

The deal is the first of its kind for China and will boost development of the domestic organic industry and bilateral trade, according to the Certification and Accreditation Administration.

Wine has been one of the agricultural products that has fueled rapid growth in China's organic industry, along with dairy products, rice and vegetables. Total sales reached 60 billion yuan ($8.78 billion) last year, twice as much as in 2013, says Wang Maohua, an official overseeing food and agricultural product certification at the administration.

Wang Xiaodong contributed to this report.