It might be surprising to a lot of foreigners that there should be vineyards in the capital city of Beijing. But yes, to some extent, Beijing is surrounded by vineyards. Due to the shortage of land, most of these vineyards are very small, and located in the suburb of Beijing, with the closest one- Chateaux Lion being just an hour drive from the Forbidden City(traffic jam is not taken into account).
Chateaux Lion
Beijing is located at 39°N in the northern tip of the North China Plain, shielded by mountains from the encroaching desert steppes to the north, north west and west. The northwestern part of the municipality, especially Yanqing County and Huairou District, are dominated by the Jundu Mountains, while the western part is framed by Xishan or the Western Hills.
Beijing has a continental climate, with hot and humid summers, cold and dry winters. Most vineyards are planted in gravel and sandy carbonate brown soils, with rich minerals and good drainage. In winter, vines have to be buried in earth for insulation.
There are three subregions in the suburb of Beijing: Fangshan County in the southwest with 733 ha of vineyards, Yanqing County in the northwest with 60 ha of vineyards, and Miyun County in the northeast with 120 ha of vineyards.Main varieties grown in these regions are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Chardonnay.