Chinese winemaker who studied oenology at the University of Bordeaux and runs Silver Heights, a boutique winery in Ningxia set up in 2007 with her father, Gao Lin. Silver Heights wines have been served to Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel by Chinese officials.
The winery has won prizes at the Decanter World Wine Awards for its Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon. It has expanded beyond the dominant Cabernet Sauvignon, Marselan and Merlot varieties to plant 23 others, including Petite Sirah, Dornfelder Riesling and Spanish Tempranillo. Its bestseller in 2025 was an orange wine with strong acidity and hints of grapefruit; a floral pétillant naturel made with rice wine from Ningxia also proved popular. Bottles cost up to $250.
Gao hopes "to discover the beauty of our terroir": beyond mastering Bordeaux-style wines, she wants to work out which other grapes thrive in China's soils. She has been driving all over the country in search of new vineyard sites: "It may take us hundreds of years to find our niche and direction."
First Rule of History: History doesn't repeat itself -- historians merely repeat each other.