May 22, 2023
Uncorking China's Wine Industry: Challenges and Opportunities

The following paragraphs are just a glimpse of the formal report. Please contact us at contact@chemlinked.com to learn more about the complete report.

Wine consumption

China's wine consumption has shown a downward trend. According to the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV), after peaking at 1,930 million liters in 2017, wine consumption in China has been declining since 2018. The volume dropped by 16.2% YoY to 880 million liters in 2022, making China account for 3.8% of global wine consumption and with a global ranking of No.8.

Wine consumption in China, 2017-2022

Wine importation

Due to the abundance of imported wine before, importers faced unsold stocks, leading to the decrease in import volume in 2018 aiming for destocking. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on the wine import industry, causing a sharp decline in both import volume and value, after which wine imports stagnated because of weak wine consumption. In 2022, the import volume and value decreased by 20.9% and 12.3% respectively.

Volume of imported wine in China, 2017-2022

Value of imported wine in China, 2017-2022

While the total import value is on a downward trend, the import value of bulk wine has been rising in recent three years. On one hand, importers seek to optimize their profits by leveraging bulk wine as a means to reduce procurement costs. On the other hand, they aim to tailor wine packaging and promotion to suit the preferences of local consumers. Therefore, importers import bulk wine and locally package in bottles.

Value of imported bulk wine in China

It is also worth noting that the import value of sparkling wine has remained resilient and even experienced a remarkable surge of 47.6% in 2021. This can be, in part, attributed to the burgeoning presence of bistros across major cities in China, leading to the increased demand for sparkling wine.

Value of imported sparkling wine in China, 2017-2022

Importation source

Old-world wines from traditional European countries such as France, Spain, and Italy dominated the Chinese market for decades. However, because of the preferential tariff and duty-free policies, as well as the shifting drinking habits of Chinese consumers, new-world wines from regions like Australia, Chile, U.S., Argentina, and South Africa become increasingly popular for their fair price, fresh and diverse taste, and drinkability.

Market Intelligence Solution

From 2017 to 2021, based on import value, the top five wine importation sources include France, Australia, Chile, Spain, and Italy, among which Australia and Chile are new world countries. As the biggest winner among new-world countries, Australia surpassed France in 2019 and 2020, becoming China's largest source of imported wine. Nevertheless, harsh tax penalties were imposed in 2021 on Australian producers who were accused of dumping, which made the wine imports from Australia plummeted. As a result, China’s imported wine market share was re-seized by French and Chilean competitors. In 2022, the top five wine importation sources were France, Chile, Italy, Spain, and the U.S.

China’s major wine importation sources based on import value, 2017-2021

China’s top 10 wine importation sources in 2022

From the perspective of import volume, it can also be observed that while old-world wines are still favorable, they no longer dominate the Chinese imported wine market like they used to, as new-world wines from Chile and Australia have become sought-after by Chinese consumers. From 2017 to 2022, the total volume of imported Chilean and Australian wines amounted to 801.6 and 572.4 million liters respectively, ranking No.2 and No.3 behind France with a volume of 863.2 million liters.

China’s major wine importation sources based on import volume, 2017-2022

Market share of Chinese domestic and imported wine 

Despite declines in both volume and value, imported wine has been gaining a larger share in the Chinese wine market. By comparing the volume and value of imported wine with the production and sales of Chinese domestic wine, it can be seen that the market share of imported wine has exceeded Chinese domestic wine in recent years. This is partly due to import duty reductions which enable wine importers to offer lower prices compared to local producers, resulting in intensified market competition.

Market share of Chinese domestic and imported wines in China by volume, 2017-2021

Market share of Chinese domestic and imported wines in China by value, 2017-2021

Regulatory Requirements

As long as alcoholic drink products meet corresponding national standards in China, they are allowed to be placed in the Chinese market.

If these products are imported to China, their overseas manufacturers shall register with the General Administration of Customs of China (GACC) prior to importation.

Want to learn more about the national standards or detailed compliance procedures? Please contact us contact@chemlinked.com.

China's Wine Industry Market Analysis Report
This report analyzes China's wine industry, mainly covering two parts - market analysis and regulatory requirements.The market analysis part includes market size, consumption, importation, sales channels, consumer analysis, etc. The regulatory requirements part gives the latest updates of Chinese governments' requirements for wine.
Rita Bao
ChemLinked Regulatory Analyst
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