China alone is the biggest Red wine consumer and with a 1.1 billion adult population that accounts for 4% of grape wine consumption.
Drinkers in markets including China, Vietnam and India are sipping much more of what was once considered an elite European drink.
“Wine has infiltrated the lifestyle across Asia. From young professionals to the corporate world, to the wealthy elite, women and more,” says Debra Meiburg, a Hong Kong-based wine journalist and educator who is also a Master of Wine
In 2013, China became the largest global consumer of red wine, supping 155.4 million cases, compared with 150 million cases in France and 141 million in Italy, according to a 2014 report by Vinexpo, a wine and spirits exhibition company based in Bordeaux, France.
The popularity of red wine is largely due to the symbolic importance of its color. Red is a very positive hue in Chinese culture, associated with wealth, power and good luck. In business circles, these three values are fundamental. Red wine is therefore an obvious choice for business hospitality, where partners drink to each others’ health, the study explains.
