Ao Yun (敖云) (meaning flying above the clouds) is a winery in Deqin County, Yunnan. It is majority owned by LVMH, and released its first vintage, the 2013, in 2016. The location was the product of a four-year search by Australian winemaker Tony Jordan to produce red wines comparable to that of Bordeaux in China. It is the most valuable Chinese wine for collectors. Factors associated with the above 7000 ft elevation create a plurality of terroirs and unusual conditions which results in a unique blend.
History
Pre-winery
French Catholic missionaries staying on the outskirts of Tibet planted French grape vines in the 1840s,[1] including Cabernet Sauvignon, in the Cizhong churchyard for use in mass. The last missionaries were expelled by the Chinese government in 1952, but the Catholic locals persisted in the upkeep of six hundred vines for use in mass as they were taught by the missionaries.[2]