The Chinese Wine and Spirits Market(1)

 

 

 

 

Having consumed 67 million 9-litre cases of still and sparkling wines, the equivalent of 804.8 million bottles in 2007, China became the world’s 9^th largest consumer country.

 

According to the Vinexpo / The IWSR study, China will move up to 7^th place in the top world wine consuming nations by 2012 with total consumption of 103.5 million 9-litre cases.

 

Chinese wine consumption is therefore expected to increase by 36% between 2008 and 2012, topping the one-billion-bottle mark.

 

 

 

All market segments are growing, but the Chinese drink predominantly red wine.

In 2007, red wine had an 86.5% market share, up 75% compared to 2003. This growth will continue by a further 36.4% between 2008 and 2012.

 

While the Chinese will continue to prefer red wine, white wine consumption will nevertheless grow the most between 2008 and 2012. Volumes are expected to increase by 38.43% and reach 11.85 million 9-litre cases by 2012.

 

Rosé wine consumption will continue to grow but at a lesser rate of 21.87% from 2008 to 2012, compared to the 47.89% growth these wines achieved between 2003 and 2007. The proportion of rosé wines consumed however, remains symbolic and will only account for 0.83% of total wine consumption in China by 2012.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Having produced 73.88 million 9-litre cases of alcohol in 2007, China entered the top 10 wine-producing countries in the world.

 

90% of the wines drunk in 2007 were Chinese, which is 51.84% more than in 2003. The consumption of Chinese wines in 2012 will be equivalent to 87.45 million cases, or 1.049 billion bottles.

 

As the Chinese middle classes become more and more populous and wealthier in the large urban centres of China, the market share of imported wines will be multiplied by 3.9 between 2003 and 2012.