China’s burgeoning wine industry
Parmesan cheese you want from Italy. Champagne from France. Smartphone components and quite a bit else, China. But what about Chinese wine?
The BBC’s Celia Hatton in Beijing says while wine is still seen by many average Chinese people as a bit of a novelty, interest for it is growing. French wine is popular among Chinese consumers, but many also seek out wine from countries like Australia and the United States. And China itself has a burgeoning local industry, with three major wineries of their own. In fact, Hatton says, the bulk of wine that’s sold in the country is Chinese wine.
But, she says, don’t expect large exports of wine from China.
“Interestingly there’s a huge shortage of quality wine grapes in China so actually domestic demand for wine in China seems to be outstripping supply at the moment especially the high end boutique wineries simply cannot keep up with the demand,” Hatton says.
Click the audio player above to hear more from the BBC’s Celia Hatton.
There’s a lot happening in the world. Through it all, Marketplace is here for you.
You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible.
Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.
