The story of Songtsam is also part of a broader transformation sweeping across the Shangri-La region — now one of China's most promising wine-producing areas. With its high-altitude climate, abundant water and diverse soils, Yunnan's vineyards are yielding wines with distinctive character, drawing growing attention from critics and consumers alike.

That evolution is being closely watched by professionals like Liu Ding from the Wynn Signature Chinese Wine Awards, who visited several Shangri-La wineries this year. Some of their wines have already earned recognition at the awards, and Liu wanted to see firsthand how these mountain wineries operate.

To her, Shangri-La's terroir is unlike any other — "one mountain has four seasons, and the weather changes every 10 miles". Each vineyard, she says, expresses its own voice.