China emerged on to the global wine scene with unprecedented speed in recent years, both in terms of production and consumption. Currently, it vies with several countries for sixth-biggest wine country in terms of volume.
In terms of vineyard area, China comes second to Spain. In 2017 there were 847,000 hectares (2.09 million acres) of vines. However, while 90 percent of French vineyards grow wine grapes, in China table grape production accounts for a similar percentage.
However domestic production dropped for five years in a row to 2017. In that year one billion litres (264 million US gallons) were produced, down from 1.137 billion (300.4 US gallons) in 2016. In contrast, as of 2018 sales and consumption of imported wines continued to grow. Over US$2.7 billion worth of wine was imported in 2017, a year-on-year increase of just over 17.5 percent. By 2021, China is predicted to be the second biggest consumer market (after the USA) of still and sparkling wine. Smaller (by Chinese standards) cities are seeing most growth.
Red wine is more popular with the younger generation of consumers (25-36); women typically regard wine as more stylish than beer. Wine drinkers are becoming more educated regarding imported wines and rely less on distributors and retailers to inform their choices. Focus on Bordeaux has reduced as Burgundy – and many other varieties and regions – become more popular.
