Chinese opening their palate up to broader tastes

China’s wine market is finally showing signs that consumers are opening their palate up to broader tastes and away from branded wines to pursue quality and perceived value, writes Jessica Lam Hill Young.

“As Chinese consumers become more educated, they will be driven towards less prestigious wines with good value. We’ve already seen that with Chinese demand for lesser wines like Grand Puy Lacoste and Lynch Bages, which have appreciated drastically in the last six months,” says Adam Bilbey, direct sales manager of Berry Bros & Rudd Hong Kong, which has 30% of its clientele based in mainland China. Bilbey predicts that the Chinese middle class, as it becomes more knowledgeable, will drive the trend toward other iconic wines from around the world instead of only Bordeaux.

China is one of the largest potential wine markets in the world for exporters. Bottled imports numbered 16.2 million cases in the last year, of which France, particularly Bordeaux, comprised nearly half of the imported wine market, according to Impact Databank. But other countries are catching up, including the US, which saw its share price rise by 27% to $45 million (HK$350m) last year. While savvier wine consumers in metropoleis like Beijing and Shanghai already enjoy a wide selection of wine, demand for wine variety in the country’s second- and third-tier cities is growing rapidly.