Xiaopu started in 2017, and Ian Dai might be the first person in China to transition from a sommelier to a winemaker. The initial idea was: what would Ningxia's grapes be like if he made the wine? Natural fermentation, no adjustment of acidity or tannins, aging in old barrels, achieving higher complexity through blending, making a wine with better drinkability, standing in opposition to the rich, full-bodied, boring wines with heavy barrel flavors. To this day, these remain his winemaking principles.
His love for wines extends to the making of wine in new regions. Now, Xiaopu is engaged in nomadic winemaking in Ningxia-Qingtongxia, Gansu-Tianshui, Hebei-Huailai, Inner Mongolia-Tuoketuo, Yunnan-Deqin, Sichuan-Xiaojin, moving with the grapes. Not being bound by land, he has the freedom to try more possibilities in winemaking. At the same time, he can bring pioneering styles to China.
Wine is the result of collaboration between people and nature. Making delicious, easy-to-drink wine relies on principles and also requires meticulous cultivation. Xiaopu started collaborating with small-scale grape growers, promoting more land-friendly scientific management methods, fair procurement, establishing stronger connections with people and land, exploring "slow wine," allowing deliciousness to continue over time.
In Ningxia, Yunnan, Sichuan, and Inner Mongolia, he has started experimenting with planting test fields, striving to match each region with the "right" varieties, extending the possibilities of terroir.
