From January to June this year, China imported 254 million litres of bottled wines, representing a 13.9% increase in volume and a 3.34% increase in value over the same period last year.
France still ranks as the biggest wine exporter to China in terms of volume and value, taking up more than 40% of market share with exports of 98.23 million litres of wines shipped to China during the period, followed by Australia, Chile, Spain, Italy, the US, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina and Portugal.
Among the top 10 wine countries which export to China, New Zealand registered a marked climb in ranking, rising from last year’s No. 9 to this year’s No. 7, showing that Kiwi wines are rising in popularity in China. New Zealand and China signed a Free Trade Agreement in 2008.