This past decade has been tough to swallow for China's wine producers; quality and variety have soared to new heights while production and sales have crashed to new lows.
No doubt, China is making more wine at international standards. Anyone touring the country's wineries will find walls of framed awards from global contests and high scores from leading critics.
Producers have also made major strides with labels, branding and distribution. Sourcing many local wines was once a struggle but China's ecommerce and logistics sectors makes it a snap. Chinese wines are even finding homes overseas, including in New York.
Yet, the numbers tell a dire story.
Production fell from 1.38 billion liters in 2012 to 118 million liters in 2024, the lowest output this millennium, per official stats. While the counting method might exaggerate the decline somewhat, the industry is in crisis, with snail-paced sales and dusty stockpiles.
Fingers point to plenty of culprits. A crackdown on the entertainment budgets of officials. A lack of economic confidence by consumers. A surplus of alternative alcohol choices. New generations of buyers that, in line with global trends, drink less. Even an enduring hangover from the pandemic.
But what one hears most is that Chinese wines are simply too expensive.
Unlocking value
In a world where supermarket wines in Europe cost just a few euros, and Two-buck Chuck helped build volume sales in the United States, bottles from Ningxia priced at $40-60 are a tough sell.
Still, Shuai Zekun, who critiques Chinese wine for James Suckling, argues some premium wines offer good value.
Shuai cites low-production Yunnan province Chardonnays like Xiaoling and Mingyi, priced $140 to $210, as examples.
"If you compare them with top Burgundy, the Premier Crus and Grand Crus, the quality is very similar and the prices are actually attractive."
Along those lines, a recent Suckling dinner in Hong Kong pitted China against the world. It featured five wines per side, priced $120-500, including powerhouses like Catena Zapata, Marchese Antinori and Lynch-Bages.
The 24 attendees gave the imports a narrow 3–2 win, with Shuai posting: "These top wines from China and top wines from around the world were on par."
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