YINCHUAN - A Sino-French wine institute was inaugurated on Thursday at the third Sino-French Wine Culture and Tourism Forum held in Northwest China's Ningxia Hui autonomous region.

Initiated by the Ningxia regional government, the Sino-French Culture and Art Research Center, and some other institutions, the Sino-French Wine Institute is aimed at deepening cooperation between French wine regions and the wine region of the eastern foothills of Helan Mountain in Ningxia, covering the fields of wine-making, cultural exchange and talent cultivation.

The wine production base in Helan Mountain has become a rising star on the world's wine map in recent years.

Christine Cayol, vice-president of the Sino-French Culture Forum and honorary president of the Sino-French wine institute, said the institute will not copy existing education models, but serve as a platform for exchanges in areas such as art, culture, design and tourism centered around wine.

The institute started its first online training course on Thursday.

The first stage of the training is expected to cultivate 50 promoters of Ningxia wine with 20 different courses, covering the wine culture and philosophy of the East and the West, matching wine with Chinese food, and wine promotion and sales. The lessons will be delivered by French winery owners, winemakers and university professors.