Vineyard Light: Why build a stone chapel in your vineyard?

"The vine represents life." 
Mike Sauer, grape grower, Red Willow Vineyard, Yakima Valley AVA, Washington, USA

Mike Sauer, grape grower, Red Willow Vineyard, Wapato, Washington, USA. Red Willow Vineyard is part of a 4th generation family farm.

"There is a cooperation between the vine and humanity. In Catholicism at the Eucharist, the priest says, “The fruit of the vine and work of the hands.”

"One of our grapes makes the communion wine at our little reservation parish here in White Swan. So when I go to church, it somehow comes back to me this is the fruit of the vine and our hands are involved in producing this."
         Mike Sauer, grape grower.

 

Red Willow Vineyard, with its stone chapel, sits in the far western end of Yakima Valley AVA, within the Yakama Indian Reservation.

Red Willow Vineyard is one of Washington's oldest and most famous vineyards. The state's first Syrah was planted here in 1985. The vineyard is located in Yakima Valley AVA, which is the oldest, largest and most diverse wine growing region in Washington state.

Small stone chapel on top of Mike Sauer's Red Willow Vineyard, Yakima Valley AVA,  Washington.

This single language works around the world

At the May Cookbook Event in Beijing, a Swedish photographer and I were comparing the number of languages we each spoke. After we each listed the one we spoke fluently and those we barely knew, we both agreed that the best language is body language.

Like old friends, here I am hamming it up with a couple of vineyard workers at Domaine Chandon Ningxia. With my limited Chinese, I often rely on body language and a friendly smile. Notice, however, that my linguistic skills not very effective with the women. Yinchuan, Ningxia province.

Wineries in China's hottest wine region, Ningxia.

              
      Changyu Moser XV, Ningxia

Night-time light show at Chateau Changyu Moser XV in Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China.

Changyu believes in educating visitors at Chateau Changyu Moser XV in Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China.

Changyu provides a Disney-like experience at Chateau Changyu Moser XV in Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China.

  

Moët Hennessy's Domaine Chandon Ningxia

Moët Hennessy broke ground on April 2012 on Domaine Chandon Ningxia of this modern winery in Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China.

Formal dinning room at Domaine Chandon Ningxia in Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China.

     Silver Heights Winery, Ningxia

Tired of depending on local farmers, Emma Gao and her family of Silver Heights Winery have purchased land parcels near Helan Mountain to plant their own vineyard Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China.

While French-trained winemaker Emma Gao is in a business meeting, her winemaker husband Thierry Courtade and her father, Gao Lin proudly hold a photograph of their family-owned Silver Heights winery in the newly-released China The New Wine Frontier book. Far right is author and photographer of the book, Janis Miglavs. Silver Heights is located in urban Yinchuan, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China.

 Chateau Yuanshi Winery, Ningxia

Chateau Yuanshi (Yuan Shi) Winery designed in local Chinese architecture and build from local stone near Yinchuan, in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China.

Worker filling French oak barrels at Chateau Yuanshi Winery near
Yinchuan, in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China.

             Ningxia Chateau Lilan Winery

French-trained Chinese winemaker Deng Zhongxiang, sits under illustrations of the Ningxia Lilan Winery currently under construction near Yinchuan, in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China.

Chateau Lilan Winery currently under construction near Yinchuan, in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China.

Ningxia Chateau Lanny Winery and Resort

Local government-owned estate chateau Lanny (sometimes seen incorrectly spelled Lanyi) Winery and Resort near Yinchuan, in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China.

Ningxia XiXiaKing Chateau Yuquan Winery 

Chinese style Yuquan International Wine Chateau of Xixia King near Yinchuan in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China.

Lobby of newly opened hotel next to Xixia King Chateau Yuquan near Yinchuan, in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China.

COFCO's Great Wall Winery, Ningxia

COFCO's Great Wall Winery at the base of Helan Mountain in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China.

Ningxia Daylong Winery

With it's fairytale castle-like architecture, Ningxia Daylong Winery, run by the Thailand-based Daysun Investment group, has Helan Mountain as a background, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, China.

One spiritual being on a human journey in a Ningxia vineyard

Traveling throws me out into the big world. Away from the comfort of my couch and wine cellar at home, it's easier to confront and explore my inner world.

I think it was Teilhard de Chardin who said something like: "We had thought that we were human beings making a spiritual journey; it may be truer to say that we are spiritual beings making a human journey."

Here I am sharing the four Chinese words that I know with vineyard workers at Domaine Chandon in Ningxia, China. What is it that allows us to have great interactions without lots of verbal communication?

Time Lapse Architecture

I love photographing architecture. For exteriors, I like the times when Mother Nature is in  dramatic transition, such as sunrise, sunset and edges of storms. While photographing Platform 14 apartments for Holland Residential, Mother Nature totally surprised me. Watch the time lapse.

A peek inside the "Best in the World" book on Chinese Wineries

On May 19 of this year, at the international Cookbook Fair in Beijing, China, Janis’ most recent book, China the New Wine Frontier, received the “Best in the World” award in the “Special Award of the Jury for Wine” category.

For the cover, we searched long and hard to find a traditional Chinese painting a vineyard scene. The book itself is huge, weighting 2.2 kilos (nearly 5 pounds). It's all printed on heavy high-quality stock.

Besides the narrative-style body text, the rich photographs have detailed captions loaded with information about the vineyards and wine making in China. The copy is written with readers at all levels of wine enthusiasm in mind, from those just learning  to the very sophisticated aficionado.

Written in both Chinese and English, this book is undoubtedly the most complete look at Chinese Wineries to date.

Changyu—China's largest winery—hopes this bronze statue will sell wine in China.

In China's far-west desert not far from the Silk Road, this bronze rocker guitarist in garden on the east side of Changyu Chateau Baron Balboa, stands in stark contrast to images of the honorary president of the chateau, the grand Ol' Brit from Bordeaux, Count John Umberto Salvi, Master of Wine. All of this to provide the visitor Changyu's version of a "wine experience."

General Manager and Winemaker of Changyu Chateau Baron Balboa in Xinjiang, Hao Dongshu, holds a copy of my book China the New Wine Frontier to the chapter on sister winery, Chateau Changyu AFIP Global near Beijing. These are two of Changyu's current chateaux.

Changyu Chateau Baron Balboa near Shihezi, Xinjiang, is designed to be a Disney-like tourist destination under the shell of a European-style chateau. China's largest winery, Changyu,wants the visitor to experience wine culture at all of its four Sino-based chateaux, and then, of course, buy more wine. In the near future, Changyu plans to build at least two more chateaux, plus a whole wine city, which by itself will reportedly cost about 6 billion yuan (about US $1billion), near its headquarters in Yantai, Shandong Province.

A specially-designed-for-the-tourist-walkway totally encased in glass and Greek-style columns, showcases the bottling line on the left and a cellar housing French-oak barrels on the right. 

Two workers dig a hole for the concrete base for the bronze cowboy and his steady stead, which is reclining in the background.  Somehow, this must be part of the "wine experience" Changyu offers visitors. The workers found a more immediate and practical use for the statue—a hat hanging device.