Chinese wine consumption got a huge boost as economic developing

Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, headquartered in Woodinville, Wash., was one of the first U.S. winemakers exporting to China 15 years ago.

At that time, China was a nation of bikes rather than cars, and Al Portney, the company's vice president of international sales, recalls thinking: "How do you sell wine to people on bicycles? First, it's difficult to carry. Second, it's difficult to consume it and then get back on your bicycle."

Yet, as China's economy developed, income levels rose and cars increasingly replaced bikes, solving this logistical problem. The country's wine industry also got a boost as the government encouraged Chinese to drink alcohol made from grapes rather than grain so the latter could be used for food production.