the end of the Eldorado for foreign wines

Xin Yi, head of exports to Asia for the Alliance Aquitaine cooperative winery, which brings together more than a hundred winegrowers in Dordogne and Gironde, readily admits: “The period is complicated for us in the Chinese market. » This cellar, which sells bottles of Bergerac between 5 and 10 euros, hoped to achieve 2% of its turnover in China, or around 1 million euros. A modest goal. And yet, Xin Yi admits it: for the moment, he is not reached.

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Like her, many wine merchants, from France and other countries, became disillusioned. The numbers from the International Organization of Vine and Wine are stark. After fifteen years of growth, wine imports into China have fallen from 750 million liters in 2017 to 400 million today. Production in the country also almost halved during the same period, from 1.1 billion to 600 million.

We are there because wine consumption in China is falling sharply, going from 1.9 billion liters to 1 billion in five years. The year 2022 did not allow the trend to be reversed. Over the first seven months of the year, the drop in consumption would have been 27% in volume and 7% in value. In 2018, Vinexpo, which has since become Vinexposium, predicted that“over the next five years, China will become[it] the second wine market by value ». The country, which occupied fifth position in 2019, has, on the contrary, fallen to seventh place.

Beer and whiskey in ambush

Why do the Chinese produce, import and drink less wine? There is of course the zero Covid policy, which is a disaster for the hotel and restaurant sector and business meetings. A policy that has, moreover, reshuffled the distribution cards, giving a boost to online sales, forcing many intermediaries to rethink their strategy.

“In China, wine is not a popular drink and it is not the alcohol preferred by young people” Xin Yi, head of exports to Asia at Alliance Aquitaine

But the fall having started before the pandemic, the problem is not only cyclical. The taste of wine would have difficulty in seducing beyond the bourgeoisie of large urban centres. “Consumers are disengaging in favor of beer, especially craft beer”, believes Lionel Legal, a specialist based in Shanghai. Whiskey also seems increasingly popular. In Beijing, some wine bars have also been transformed into whiskey bars. “Wine remains a luxury product, especially appreciated by Chinese people born in the 1980s. It is not a popular drink and it is not the alcohol preferred by young people”, notes Xin Yi.

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