Wuhai has developed a small but serious wine industry since the 1990s, exploiting the combination of high solar radiation, low humidity, large diurnal temperature variation, and the mineral-rich alluvial soil of the Yellow River terraces to grow wine grapes of unusual quality. The Helan Mountain Winery and several smaller producers in the Haibowan District have established vineyards on the desert margins where irrigation from the Yellow River makes viticulture possible.
The wines produced here are primarily red — Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and the local Yan73 variety — and have won recognition at national Chinese wine competitions. For visitors, the wineries offer tastings and vineyard tours from late spring through autumn; the harvest in October is the best time to visit if you want to see the operation in full swing. The Wine Cultural Tourism Festival in late August or September brings wine tastings, food markets, and outdoor performances to the lakeside area and is Wuhai's most popular annual event. The wine may surprise you: desert-grown Cabernet at this latitude and altitude can be genuinely good.