\n<\/p>\n
One possible reason, he thinks, is that people switched because imported wine simply became trickier to find due to the pandemic.<\/p>\n
Wine import volumes into China slumped 32% in the first half of 2020 compared to the previous year, according to industry figures. Imports by value also declined sharply over the same period, down 31% to $752m (\u00a3565m).<\/p>\n
But according to Janet Wang, author of The Chinese Wine Renaissance, it’s unlikely to account for the entire change, because most stores and distributors would have had months worth of existing imported stock. <\/p>\n
Instead, she thinks the shift is about Chinese producers being savvy enough to sense an opportunity. <\/p>\n
“Anecdotally, you do hear people saying ‘we’re seeing a lot more promotions around Chinese wine, or a lot of distributors are taking up Chinese wine, or inquiring about Chinese wine’,” says Ms Wang.<\/p>\n
For many years, expats in China turned up their nose at the local wines<\/a>, and as recently as five years ago one Chinese executive even candidly admitted his company’s wines were “not very good”, external<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n