Volume 45 Number 3 Article 15
Year 1991 Month 7
Title: Turpan: China's Prime Grape Producer
Author: W. Qinghua
Abstract:
China may not be a foremost viticultural
country or a top wine maker,
but it produces some the world's best
grapes, from Turpan, a basin on the
famous Silk Road.
The basin drops 156 meters below
sea level amid the arid Gobi desert
that covers much of the country's vast
northwest.
It lies 140 kilometers east
of Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang
autonomous region.
On a 1988 trip to Turpan to evaluate
grape quality, a group of grape experts
from California judged Turpan's *Wuhebai'
grape (white seedless) as "the
sweetest in the world." With a sugar
content of 20 to 24 percent, the 'Wuhebai'
grape is much sweeter than grapes
grown in California.
Turpan's 'Wuhebai'
was first introduced to California in
1870 and named 'Thompson's Seedless.'
The 'Wuhebai' grape, which covers
more tha 80 percent of Turpan's total
grape acreage of 11,760 hectares, is
important for many reasons, especially
its suitability for raisin processing.
Compared with other varieties of
grapes, 'Wuhebai' grapes are firmer,
sweeter, and have less juice.
Their
yield—45 tons per hectare—is three
times that of other varieties.
Often
compared to pearls, the yellowish white
grape is also good to eat fresh.
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