Location :

Making remarkable wines since 1844.

Making remarkable wines
since 1844.

Remember me

You confirm you are aged 18 years or over, are of legal drinking age and that any purchases you make will be for personal use only. By selecting the “Remember Me” option, you consent to us using cookies to remember the validation of your year of birth. See our Privacy Policy for information on how we handle your personal information.

Penfold's vineyards in China

Penfolds First Chinese Winemaking Trial

21 JULY 2023

Inspired by curiosity

The Penfolds philosophy of curiosity and experimentation continues with the launch of our Chinese Winemaking Trial 521. Adhering to Penfolds time-honoured and distinctive House Style, this Chinese Winemaking Trial combines the essence of cabernet sauvignon from the Shangri-La region and Marselan from Ningxia.

As a trial wine, the numerals 5-2-1 refer to the sourcing of the wine from “five” geographical areas (four from the Yunnan region and one from the Ningxia region) and the first commercial vintage of this trial wine – “21”.

Contact us to express interest in securing a bottle of this wine.

Penfolds winemaker Matt Woo in China

Unique Terroir

Shangri-La is in the Yunnan province, one of the most beautiful locations in China. The high altitude of the mountainside vineyards makes ideal cool, dry conditions for ripening cabernet sauvignon.

Ningxia is a province in north-central China and has been at the forefront of modern Chinese winemaking since 1982. The region benefits from the proximity of the Yellow River and a south-north ridge called Helan Mountain which protects Ningxia from extreme weather from the west.

The Blend

This multi-regional blend was crafted using traditional Penfolds winemaking techniques. Meticulous attention to detail was applied to fruit selection, fermentation management and post-vintage classification. The Ningxia marselan and Shangri-la cabernet sauvignon components were blended to complete maturation in French oak.

Penfolds Trial Wines

For almost two centuries, innovation, experimentation and trial continue to be a key driver in the creation of many Penfolds ‘trial’ wines. Many flagship wines originated from this approach including; Grange (experimental 1951), Yattarna Bin 144 (for the 144 winemaking trials), and RWT Red Winemaking Trial) Barossa Valley Shiraz.

This curiosity and experimentation has been showcased more recently with the Californian, and French releases and now continues with the first Penfolds Chinese Winemaking Trial.

As with all Penfolds trial wine programs, initial release is small, albeit the animated engagement in remote Chinese vineyards already offering much positivity and potential.

Penfolds relationship in China began in 1893 and continues. Our winemaking focus on the ground is a demonstration of our continued commitment.

Penfolds CWT, Chinese Winemaking Trial bottle on red background

"CWT represents an expression of Penfolds House Style through a Chinese lens. The wine speaks to both Penfolds, varietal characters and is expressive of regions from which it was sourced. The opportunity to overlay time-honoured Penfolds winemaking philosophy in a completely new part of the wine world is both rare and exciting."

- Matt Woo, Penfolds Red Winemaker 

The Penfolds House Style

Since 1844, Penfolds has had an uncompromising commitment to quality. The Penfolds House Style, (stamp) and limitless approach based on multi regional sourcing and blending.

This allows us to venture across borders to find the best fruit available from the finest regions.

Explore Penfolds Regions

Discover More

3 Penfolds wine bottles floating against red coral background

Our Wines

The 2023 Collection

Bottles in cellar

Our Wines

Cellaring Your Wine

Black Penfolds champagne against pink sparkle background

Collaborations

Thiénot

Winemaking team

About Penfolds

Our Winemakers

Create An Online Account

Become a Penfolds Member to receive great benefits, including complimentary shipping and exclusive offers.

Sign Up

Continue creating an account to join our 'Friends of Penfolds' club and receive great member benefits.

We will manage your personal information in accordance with our privacy policy available here.

Welcome, Eroka!

Thank you for creating an account with Penfolds

Request received.

Please reset your password

In order to access special member-only content and offers, we require you to reset your password.

Please check your email for your password reset instructions, it make take a few minutes to receive the email.

Having difficulty?

Contact us on 1300 095 930 between 9am-5pm AEST Monday to Friday. Read our Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy and Terms of Sale.

Search