Xiao Pu
小圃
Ian Dai is a man who doesn’t know when to quit.
Founded in 2017, Xiao Pu is the ‘nomadic winery’ by négociant, travelling winemaker, educator, and wearer-of-many-hats Ian Dai. Partnering with over a dozen growers across 6 provinces, he makes lo-fi, natural-style cuvées including orange Chardonnays, light red Gemischter Satz, and flor-affected whites.
His bold, unapologetic style has placed him at the forefront of the natural wine movement in China. With dozens of small-batch cuvées every year, he has earnt a cult following and undoubtedly changing the direction of Chinese wine domestically and abroad.
By moving growers towards sustainable farming methods and regenerative agriculture, Xiao Pu operates under a deep respect for the land - capturing the unique characters of each region in China where he operates. He aims not to make a ‘perfect’ wine, but a true, living wine that reflects the land and its moment in time.
Winemaker: Ian Dai
Established: 2017
Location: Chengdu, Sichuan (Négociant)
Farming Method: Sustainable, Regenerative
Vineyard Size: Négociant / 50,000 bottles per annum
Vineyards: Ningxia, Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Hebei, Sichuan, Yunnan
Ian seeking sanctuary in a local house, Yunnan, 2024
Never sure of what he wanted to do growing up, Ian found himself working in Shanghai’s emerging wine retail market in 2008. Enchanted by the opportunities offered, he followed a traditional sommelier education - completing his WSET Diploma and working his way up sommelier positions in Shanghai and Hong Kong. Eventually, Ian found himself a leading wine educator in China, travelling the country and teaching wine appreciation to younger generations in the aftermath of the Bordeaux bubble in the early 2010s.
After feeling unfulfilled in retail and education roles, Ian established Xiao Pu in 2017, initially operating out of Shanghai.
At the time, few people in the industry understood the travelling négociant model - most believed that in order to make high-quality wine, you needed a big Château, state-of-the-art winemaking equipment, and rows upon rows of vines. Ian proved that with the bare necessities, some improvisation, and a bit of grit, high-quality wine could still be achieved.
The freedom provided by négociant winemaking allows Xiao Pu to evolve in ways that traditional estates cannot: access to underutilised varieties such as Dornfelder and Welschriesling, and opportunities to make wine across diverse terroirs and microclimates from Hebei to Yunnan.
Ian is now based in Chengdu - a more centralised location closer to his growing partners and vineyards in Ningxia, Yunnan, Gansu, Inner Mongolia, and Sichuan. However, vintage is spent dancing across the country - a night in one place picking, lunchtime on a plane, the afternoon in another place crushing, and repeat.
His enthusiasm to work with local growers and educate them on the goals of grape growing (quality, not quantity) has has an unmissable impact on China’s wine industry. Ian’s goal now has been moving growers towards sustainable farming methods and regenerative agriculture, encouraging them to realise the benefits of farming organically with rising climate issues.
Ian’s bold and unapologetic style - rejecting Chinese fine wine trends of heavy oak and standard international varieties - has placed him at the forefront of the natural wine movement in China. He has paved the way for younger innovative, experimental winemakers through the Young Generation China Wine group. He doesn’t see his wines as ‘natural wine’, opting instead for ‘minimal-intervention’, ‘slow-winemaking’, or ‘natural-style’ wine.
Always collaborating with industry leads and restauranteurs to champion Chinese wines in their venues. He is also one of the faces of the successful Chinese-speaking wine podcast, Wine Wave (自然浪潮).
Vineyards
Ningxia
Gathering & Tangerine Range
Gansu
Perdue Pinot Noir Range
Inner Mongolia
Syrah / Marselan Range
Hebei
Huailai Range
Sichuan
Experimental Range
Yunnan
Domaine de la Gyalthang Range
Wines
Tangerine 2023
60% Chardonnay, 20% Petit Manseng, 12% Viognier, 8% Gewürztraminer from Ningxia. Fermented with indigenous yeasts. MLF encouraged with aging in old oak for 8 months. Small portion of Yunnan Chardonnay added.
Gathering MV.6
51% Syrah, 25% Pinot Noir, 10% Chardonnay, 5% Welschriesling, 5% Muscat Hamburg, 2% Marselan, 2% Dunkelfelder from Ningxia. Bottled in 2024.
Domaine de la Gyalthang Chardonnay 2022
100% Chardonnay from Shangri-La, Yunnan. Wild ferment, extended maceration for 14 days on skins. Aged in neutral oak for 12 months.
Domaine de la Gyalthang Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
100% Cabernet Sauvignon from Shangri-La, Yunnan. Slow, wild ferment, destemmed and macerated for 14 days. Aged in neutral oak for 12 months.