What China’s Top Wine Importers Are Saying About CNY Demand

Fond Wine

Founded in 2007, Xiamen-based Fond Wine represents international brands including Cono Sur from Chile, Trapiche from Argentina and Boschendal from South Africa. The company operates more than 100 branded retail stores nationwide and works with over 300 distributors.

General manager Wu Yonglei said the main driver of sales during this year’s Lunar New Year season came from wedding banquets and birthday celebrations in rural areas. Many people who work or do business away from home can only gather relatives and friends around the New Year, concentrating banquet consumption into this period and supporting sales.

In contrast, festive spending in urban areas was weaker. A softer atmosphere and economic pressure led to the cancellation of some banquets, resulting in more subdued sales performance.

Cono Sur remains Fond Wine’s best-selling brand, benefiting from its long-standing presence in the market. Sales are concentrated in three core SKUs priced at around RMB 50, just over RMB 100 and just over RMB 200.

Wu added that distributors have become noticeably more cautious, favouring smaller but more frequent orders. “As a result, we no longer shut down early for the holidays as in previous years, but remain on standby to serve customers at any time,” he said.

Pran Cellar

Pran Cellar focuses on mid- to high-end Australian wines. Headquartered in Melbourne, the company has offices in Shanghai and Guangzhou and represents more than 20 five-star wineries. Its clients include luxury hotels, high-end restaurants, boutique retailers and private customers, and it also handles a selection of South African wines.

CEO Hong Boyong said traditional group-buying channels remained the strongest performers during the Lunar New Year, with wines retailing at RMB 80 to RMB 200 showing the best sell-through. He added that the festive nature of the season had lifted the share of sparkling wine and non-alcoholic sparkling wine, mainly for family and corporate dining occasions.

Sparkling wine is typically used for celebratory moments, while non-alcoholic sparkling wine appeals to women, drivers and non-drinkers, helping maintain a festive atmosphere while reducing alcohol intake.

Overall shipments exceeded those of the previous Lunar New Year, Hong said. He attributed this partly to the later timing of the holiday, which effectively extended the sales cycle from early January through early February.