Exports of wines from Italy’s Asti region to China rose 33.33% in 2025, highlighting the continued resilience of sweet sparkling wines in the Chinese market and pointing to new opportunities for premium sweet wines.
Giacomo Pondini, director of the Consorzio Asti DOCG, said in a recent interview with Chinese state broadcaster CCTV that wines from the Asti region in Piedmont have shown positive growth in China, supported by the country’s vast consumer market and a steadily improving business environment.
According to data from the Asti DOCG consortium, sales of Asti wines in China increased from around 1.5 million bottles in 2024 to approximately 2 million bottles in 2025. The sustained growth has reinforced the consortium’s optimism about the Chinese market.
Pondini said China’s large consumer base has helped Asti wines steadily expand their presence and gain wider recognition. Demand is particularly strong during traditional consumption peaks such as Chinese New Year, when festive purchasing significantly boosts sales.
He also noted that China has in recent years hosted a growing number of trade fairs and introduced a series of market facilitation measures aimed at simplifying import procedures and improving business matchmaking. These initiatives have provided institutional support for Italian companies seeking to deepen their presence in China and have further strengthened cooperation between the two countries’ wine industries.
Although the Asti region also produces still wines, its best-known product in China remains Moscato d’Asti, the region’s signature sweet sparkling wine. In recent years, the category’s growth in the Chinese market has been increasingly visible.
Previously, Moscato d’Asti typically retailed for more than RMB100, placing it somewhat outside the core consumer group seeking ultra-affordable “sweet wines.” In recent years, however, retail giants such as Sam’s Club and Freshippo (Hema) have introduced the wines through streamlined direct-procurement models, pushing retail prices below the RMB100 threshold and allowing the wines to reach a broader consumer base.
As a result, Moscato d’Asti has become a key product category for many retailers, helping increase shipment volumes at the production level.
At the same time, China’s broader trend toward premiumisation in wine consumption is beginning to extend to sweet wines, further supporting the growth of Moscato d’Asti.
Yu Hongjie, founder of sparkling wine-focused importer Sparkling World, said he has also observed the shift. In an interview with Vino Joy News, Yu noted that the company has significantly increased its purchases of Moscato d’Asti in recent years.
“Sweet wines in China are also starting to move upmarket,” he said. “This is driving growth for higher-quality sweet wines such as Moscato d’Asti.”
According to Yu, the main consumers of Moscato d’Asti are urban white-collar professionals in China’s first- and second-tier cities, with particularly strong demand in the Yangtze River Delta region.
“Interestingly, our research shows that more than 70% of Moscato d’Asti consumption actually takes place at home rather than in restaurants,” Yu said. “White-collar consumers in major cities increasingly prioritise a ‘self-reward’ lifestyle, and home drinking has become the primary consumption scenario. This group also overlaps significantly with shoppers at Sam’s Club.”
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