At a time when China’s wine imports remain sluggish, one unlikely origin is quietly gaining ground. While traditional heavyweights struggle with slowing demand and mounting channel pressure, Georgian wine is moving in the opposite direction, posting two consecutive years of growth in both volume and value.
The numbers tell a striking story. In 2025, China imported 2.95 million litres of Georgian wine, worth US$9.89 million, up 15.95% and 7.63% respectively year-on-year, making Georgia the country’s ninth-largest wine supplier.
That momentum has only accelerated. In the first two months of 2026, imports surged 46.72% in volume to 672,633 litres, while value rose 18.75% to US$1.93 million, one of the fastest growth rates among all wine origins entering China.
What makes this rise particularly notable is that it runs against the broader market trend. Among China’s top 10 wine suppliers, only three countries – New Zealand, Germany and Georgia – achieved growth in both volume and value in 2025. But unlike New Zealand and Germany, which are riding the wave of rising white wine demand, Georgia’s growth is being driven by a very different playbook.
Brand-led momentum
What is driving Georgia’s sustained outperformance in China?
Much of that momentum can be traced to a handful of brands and operators that have found a way to connect with Chinese consumers, based on research and interviews conducted by Vino Joy News.
In recent years, a Georgian label called Ranina has gained strong visibility across major retail channels, including Alibaba’s Hema, Meituan’s Waima Alcohol Delivery and Jiu Xiao Er. Its positioning is clear: affordable, accessible and easy to recognise. Most of its wines retail below RMB 100, with some priced as low as RMB 50 per bottle, while its fairy-tale-inspired branding helps it stand out in a crowded market.
According to its China representative Zhou Yuan, Ranina has become the largest Georgian wine brand by import volume in China, maintaining annual sales growth of around 20%.
Zhou is no stranger to building wine brands in China. Previously involved in developing the influencer-driven “Knock Knock” (Torre Oria), he has applied a similar strategy, focusing on wide distribution, strong visual identity and consistent market exposure to build consumer awareness at scale.
He said the brand’s growth has been underpinned by long-term investment in both channel expansion and brand development.
Douyin as a growth engine
Beyond traditional retail, content-driven e-commerce has emerged as another key driver.
A prominent example is the Douyin account “Kainuo & Menglu Couple,” a Chinese-Georgian duo who began introducing Georgian wines to China in 2022. Their account has since attracted more than 12.1 million followers.
While their content centres on lifestyle storytelling, wine sales are driven primarily through livestreaming. Within just three months of launching in 2022, they helped sell more wine than the family business had achieved over many years. In March 2023, the couple were received by Georgia’s deputy prime minister and minister of economy.
By 2025, sales had begun to scale. One semi-sweet red wine priced at RMB 138 for two bottles has sold 36,000 units, while another at RMB 99 for two bottles has exceeded 10,000 units. Several other products have reached sales in the thousands.
Sweet wines find an audience
Across both brand-led and influencer-driven channels, one pattern stands out: the dominance of sweet wine styles.
In China, sweet wines have long served as an entry point, particularly among female consumers. This trend has also supported the rise of German Riesling and Italian Moscato, making them key categories in mainstream retail.
Against this backdrop, Georgian sweet wines known for their aromatic intensity and competitive pricing are carving out a niche.
Zhou said the company deliberately entered the market in 2020 with semi-sweet wines, recognising that retail channels are dominated by entry-level consumers who are more receptive to softer, sweeter profiles.
“In Chinese cuisine, flavours rarely exist in isolation. Acidity and astringency are usually balanced with sweetness, spice or umami,” he said. “For many consumers, the structure of dry wines can feel unfamiliar or even challenging.”
By contrast, softer, sweeter profiles are easier to accept especially in retail environments where many consumers are still at an early stage of wine discovery.
A similar trend is evident among other importers. A representative from Shanghai Heritage Wine Company Limited said demand for semi-sweet wines has risen markedly since 2025.
“Georgian wines are naturally aromatic, and many high-quality semi-sweet styles are produced through fermentation rather than added sugar,” the representative said. “Combined with strong value for money, this makes them highly attractive to both consumers and e-commerce distributors. Some of our brands have even been bought out entirely by online channels.”
Pricing has also played a role. Under the China–Georgia free trade agreement, Georgian wines also benefit from zero tariffs, reinforcing their price competitiveness.
Growth off a low base
Still, the rapid rise of Georgian wine should be viewed in context.
“Georgia’s overall footprint in China is still limited, so strong growth by a few leading players can have an outsized impact on the overall figures,” Zhou said.
The numbers bear this out. In January–February 2026, Georgian wine imports were valued at US$1.93 million, compared with China’s total wine imports of US$255.6 million over the same period—equivalent to just 0.76%.
At this scale, incremental gains by a handful of players can drive headline growth. Over the longer term, whether this momentum can be sustained will depend on the strength of brands, the depth of distribution, and how consumer preferences continue to evolve.
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