BEIJING - Chinese
drinkers are knocking back wine as never before,
and the country's vintners are scrambling to keep
up with demand.
So conspicuous is
consumption that Robert Beynat, general manager of
Vinexpo, made a special trip to Beijing to invite
Chinese wine lovers to the annual event, which
will be held in Bordeaux, France, from June 17-21.
A 2007 research report published by
Vinexpo and the International Wine and Spirits
Report (IWSR) shows that China produced 385
million liters of wine in
2005, and is expected to produce 420 million
liters in 2010, up 9.09% from 2005.
In
2004-05, China's wine consumption grew 13.06% to
423.2 million liters (or 564.26 million bottles).
China's wine consumption grew 22.5% in 2001-05.
The country became the world's 10th-largest
consumer of low-alcohol sparkling wine in 2005 and
is expected to place ninth in 2010.
According to the new report, in the
2005-10 period, China's wine consumption may grow
by another 35.44%. In fact, the country's wine
consumption in the 10 years from 2001 to 2010 may
grow 65.52%, 6.5 times the global growth rate.
During the period 2001-10, retail sales of
low-alcohol sparkling wine are forecast to grow
95.17%, from US$848 million to $1.655 billion.
Of total wine sales in 2005, the sales
volume of wine priced below $5 a bottle made up
92.68% of the total. But despite this, the sales
volume of wine in this price range grew only
19.18% during 2001-05, while that of wine priced
above $5 a bottle grew 86.25%, and that of wine
priced above $10 grew 110.53%. This indicates that
consumer preference is shifting to higher quality
wine.
In 2005-10, sales volume of wine
priced between $5 and $10 a bottle may grow
154.59% and that priced above $10 a bottle may
grow 157.5%, Vinexpo/IWSR predicts.
By
variety, Vinexpo/IWSR estimates that 80% of wine
consumed in China in 2005 was low-alcohol red.
However, from 2001 to 2005, white-wine
consumption, making up 19% of the total, grew
36.91%, and may go on growing by 64.57% in
2005-10.
Meanwhile, China's rose-wine
consumption, making up only 1% of the country's
total wine consumption in 2005, will grow 36.59%,
said the report.
Of the world's top 10
wine consumers, China ranked 10th in 2005. By
2010, China is expected to rank first in the world
in sales volume and second only to Japan in sales
value.
Imports made up only 5.6% (some
23.7 million liters) of China's wine consumption
in 2005. However, it may grow 53.58% to top 36.4
million liters in 2010.
France's wine
exports to China grew 55.73% in 2001-05,
accounting for 40% of China's total wine imports.
Meanwhile, Australian and Chilean wine
exports to China grew 68.96% and 60% respectively.
Beynat predicts that by 2010, France will
still be a major supplier to China, as Chinese
consumption of high-grade brandy grew 83.11% in
2001-05 and may grow a further 83.27% in 2005-10.
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