What Are Wine Drinkers Like in China?
Almost everyone knows that China is a rice wine-loving nation. However, developments in the past several decades have shown China to be a force to reckon with in the growing wine industry. China was the world’s fifth-leading wine consumer in 2019, consuming about 470.23 million gallons of wine. With this development, it would be interesting to know what wine drinkers are like in China.
Wine as a Trendy Status Symbol
The number of Chinese who are taking on the role of ‘status seekers’ is growing. It is a new consumer segment that describes members of the population who will never mind spending more on an excellent wine to highlight their social standing.
There are also the ‘social newbies’ that account for the largest segment of Chinese wine consumers. They are the experimenters who are more than willing to try different wine varietals to grow and expand their wine-drinking experiences.
More Chinese Women are Drinking Wine
Since 2012, the number of Chinese women wine drinkers is growing steadily. What is more remarkable is the fact that women are more open to experimenting with different wine varietals. Today, at least 38 million Chinese women import their wines.
What is fascinating is that close to 70 percent of Chinese women wine drinkers are below the age of 30. It is a considerable jump from the figures in 2012, where only a third of Chinese women wine drinkers are below 30 years old.
Social Media Influencers are Driving Wine Consumption
The rise of micro-blogging platforms and social media channels in China continues to drive interest in wines. It is especially true among Chinese women wine drinkers.
They now have Wang Shenghan to quench their thirst for wine knowledge. Known as the ‘Drunk Mother Goose,’ Wang has stoked Chinese wine drinkers’ growing curiosity and interest in wines.
The Churan and Chufei twins are also making a significant impact on the wine-drinking habits of Chinese millennials. Hundreds of other Chinese social media influencers also use their online base to drive Chinese wine consumption.
The Chinese Love Red Wine
In 2014, China surpassed France as the world’s largest consumer of red wine. Fast-forward to 2018, and the country consumed more than 64 billion US dollars’ worth of red wine.
Next year, 2022, wine experts say red wine retail sales can reach more than 120 billion US dollars. On the other hand, the annual white wine retail sales only amount to less than US$4 billion.
In summary, most Chinese consumers consider wine as proof of their social standing. It is especially true among Chinese women who are finding more success than their male counterparts. They love red wine and will always try recommendations from their favorite wine influencer.
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