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PREMIUM

Behind LVMH’s Himalayan wine project: the villages of Ao Yun

The extraordinary Chinese winery, Ao Yun, is set to release a series of single-village wines that encapsulate the complexity of its high-altitude vineyards.

It’s no easy task to establish a super-premium wine in an entirely new region, particularly when inviting potential retail partners or distributors to the vineyard involves journeying to a distant corner of the Himalayas in the outer reaches of the Yunnan province, southwestern China.

For my journey, after four flights from Bordeaux to Shanghai, Chengdu then Shangri-La, it was a four-hour drive up through stunning mountain passes to the foothills (here, that means 2,200m above sea level) of the Meili mountains.


Scroll down to read Jane’s Ao Yun profile and her verdict on its wines


It’s hard to imagine a vineyard as breathtaking as Ao Yun, the LVMH (Moët Hennessy) project set in this improbably remote region.

The name (which means ‘flying above the clouds’) takes on a whole new meaning when you realise that oxygen is packed into the back of the car just in case you start to feel dizzy from altitude sickness.

Perfect Location


See Jane’s tasting notes and scores for Ao Yun’s wines


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