The 47th World Congress of Vine and Wine will be held in Yinchuan, in China’s northwestern Ningxia region, in 2026, marking the first time the global industry event organised by the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) will take place in China.
The OIV said the congress will run from Oct. 12 to 16, 2026, alongside the organisation’s 24th General Assembly, following an invitation from the Chinese government.
The event comes as China seeks to raise its profile in the global wine industry. China is currently the world’s third-largest grape-growing country and remains a major wine importer and consumer, while regions such as Ningxia have gained increasing international recognition for premium wine production.
The congress will focus on the theme: “Shaping new paradigms for the global Vine and Wine sector: transforming to meet challenges, innovating to ignite vitality, and sustaining to anchor a shared future.”
According to the OIV, the event will bring together international experts to discuss scientific, technical and economic issues affecting the grape and wine sector, including viticulture, winemaking, health, safety, law and economics.
Founded in 1924, the OIV is an intergovernmental organisation focused on scientific and technical standards for the global wine industry. It currently has 51 member states representing around 90% of the world’s vineyard area, 88% of global wine production and 75% of global wine consumption.
China officially joined the OIV in 2024, becoming the organisation’s newest member state and the first country to join since the body entered its second century.
China currently has the world’s third-largest vineyard area and ranks as the world’s 11th-largest wine consumer and importer. It is also the world’s largest producer of table grapes, accounting for 43% of global production.
Although China only recently became an OIV member, some of its wine regions have maintained ties with the organisation for decades. Yantai, in eastern Shandong province, obtained OIV observer status in 1987, while Ningxia became the organisation’s only provincial-level observer region in China in 2012.
The Ningxia Helan Mountain East Foothills region has emerged as China’s leading premium wine-producing area, attracting investment from domestic and international producers and gaining recognition in global wine competitions.
In a statement, the OIV said China has “developed, over a few decades, a production of high-quality wines expressing a diversity of terroirs.”
Recent first-quarter trade data released by the China Chamber of Commerce of Foodstuffs and Native Produce showed China’s wine exports rose 136.9% year-on-year in value to US$22.2 million, while export volumes fell 3.31% to 920,900 litres, suggesting growing overseas demand for higher-value Chinese wines.
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