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China’s Wine Market at a Turning Point

China’s Wine Market at a Turning Point

China’s uneven recovery, India’s tariff rethink, family power struggles and unexpected growth stories.

Natalie Wang
January 13, 2026

How did China’s top wine importers really experience 2025? The answers are far from uniform. In our latest interviews, leading players offer starkly different readings of a year defined by contraction, recalibration and quiet opportunity. Their verdicts reveal just how uneven - and unpredictable - the market has become.

In a moment rich with symbolism, Emmanuel Macron recently chose “Chinese Lafite” as a diplomatic gift for Xi Jinping, underscoring how China-made fine wine is beginning to enter global political and cultural consciousness.

China’s wine map is also climbing higher - literally. Tibet is emerging as the country’s most extreme new frontier, with vineyards at 3,700 metres above sea level now officially recognised by Guinness World Records as the highest in the world. Could this harsh plateau become China’s next sought-after terroir?

We also go inside one of China’s most enduring overseas wine investments. In a rare and candid interview, the China head of Bel Eden reflects on early ambition, costly missteps and hard-won survival - and explains why he still believes China’s wine market is entering a long “silver age,” not a decline. Bel Eden was among the earliest Chinese investors in Bordeaux and one of the few still standing.

Elsewhere in Asia, a policy shift could reshape trade flows. India is slashing wine import tariffs for New Zealand to as low as 20% under a free trade agreement, a move that could materially alter competitive dynamics in one of Asia’s toughest markets.

There is no shortage of drama at the global end of the industry. Heirs to France’s Castel Group have failed in their first attempt to oust the group’s CEO. In Argentina, Bodega Norton has pushed back against bankruptcy rumours, telling Vino Joy News it continues to operate normally after entering a court-approved preventive restructuring process.

Looking ahead to the festive season, Black Stallion is rolling out Year of the Horse promotions across Asia, while a leading Canadian icewine producer explains how the once-niche nectar has become an unexpected hit with Asian consumers.

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China’s Top Wine Importers on What 2025 Really Meant

We asked five of the country’s top importers to sum up 2025 in their own words. From “bifurcation” and “rectification” to “return” and endurance, their answers reveal how the market is shrinking, reshaping—and forcing hard choices about who adapts and who exits.

China-Made Lafite Wine Chosen as French State Gift to Xi

A bottle of wine made in China by France’s Lafite Rothschild group found its way onto the diplomatic stage, presented to President Xi Jinping as a French state gift during Emmanuel Macron’s visit to China last month.

China’s Young Consumers Put White Wine and Mulled Wine in the Spotlight

During the week spanning Christmas 2025 to New Year’s Day, sales of white wine and mulled wine surged on Meituan, China’s largest instant retail platform.

Winemaking at 3,700 Metres: Tibet Tests the Limits of Wine

At 3,700 metres above sea level, winemaking borders on the impossible — yet bottles from Tibet are now reaching international markets.

One Chinese-Owned Winery’s Quiet Stand in Bordeaux

As many Chinese-owned Bordeaux wineries struggle or are sold off, Bel Eden has stayed the course. In a rare inside look, the group’s China head reflects on survival, missteps, and why he still believes China’s wine market has a “silver age” ahead.

Riding the Festive Gallop: Black Stallion Bets on the Year of the Horse

Black Stallion is rolling out a coordinated Year of the Horse campaign across Asia — spanning restaurants, retail chains, VIP venues and digital platforms — to translate zodiac symbolism into real consumer engagement.

How Canada’s Icewine Pioneer Turned a Frozen Niche into a Major Asian Export

As icewine remains a niche category across China and Asia, family-run Pillitteri Estates Winery is quietly building a loyal following — and a business — around Canada’s most exacting dessert wine.

Norton Restructures Debt, President Says Business Remains ‘Fully Operational’

Bodega Norton’s president Joaquín Langes-Swarovski said the Argentine winery continues to operate normally after entering a court-approved preventive restructuring process, pushing back against suggestions that the century-old estate is facing imminent bankruptcy.

India to Slash Wine Tariffs on New Zealand Under Landmark Trade Deal

India could cut its steep wine tariffs of 150% on New Zealand wines to as low as 25% over the next decade, after India and New Zealand signed a landmark Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that promises what New Zealand officials described as “unprecedented” access to the world’s fourth-largest economy.

Hong Kong To Host Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2026

For the first time in its history, Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants will take place in Hong Kong, one of the region’s most dynamic and internationally celebrated culinary destinations.

Castel Family Fails in First Bid to Oust CEO as Power Struggle Intensifies

The leadership and succession battle at France’s Castel Group moved further into public view this week as family members failed in an initial attempt to unseat the company’s top executive.

China’s Top 100 Importers

The 237-page report offers an in-depth analysis of regional dynamics and market opportunities across North China, Northeast China, East China, South Central, Southwest, and Northwest China. It identifies the top 100 wine importers currently operating in mainland China. This regional breakdown provides a clear picture of where market influence is concentrated—and how each part of the country is shaping the growth and transformation of wine consumption in China.

European Billionaire Invests In Treasury Wine Estates

European billionaire Olivier Goudet has recently emerged as a major shareholder in Treasury Wine Estates (TWE), the owner of Penfolds, drawing market attention to whether the move represents opportunistic bottom-fishing or a longer-term vote of confidence.