Australian Wines Roar Back in China As Buyers Restock

Chinese importers are buying Australian wine again in growing volumes, a sign that the flood of shipments that followed the removal of punitive tariffs has been absorbed by the market and buyers are beginning to restock.

China imported 45.2 million litres of Australian wine in the first half of 2026, up 30.27% from a year earlier, according to Chinese customs data compiled by Vino Joy News. Import value rose 17.72% to US$316.7 million, keeping Australia firmly in place as China’s largest wine supplier.

The increase marks an important turning point for Australian wine in China. After Beijing lifted anti-dumping and countervailing duties in March 2024, producers and importers rushed large volumes of wine back into the market, raising concerns that inventories would build faster than consumer demand could absorb them.

The latest figures suggest much of that initial stock has now moved through distribution channels and into consumption. Importers, distributors and retailers appear to be returning to the market to replenish inventories, indicating that demand for Australian wine has proved resilient despite weak conditions across China’s broader wine sector.

Australia’s renewed momentum helped push the value of China’s total wine imports back into growth in the first half of 2026, even as overall volumes continued to decline.

China imported 101.4 million litres of wine during the period, down 10.98% from a year earlier. Import value, however, edged up 0.83% to US$710.2 million, ending the prolonged decline of previous years.

Other pockets of growth also emerged. Sparkling wine was the only major category to record increases in both volume and value, while imports from New Zealand and Germany — two key suppliers of white wine — expanded for a third consecutive year.

The figures point to a market that remains smaller by volume but is becoming more selective. Importers are increasingly concentrating purchases on Australian wine, sparkling wine, white wine and better-quality products rather than chasing scale through low-priced offerings.

Bottled Wine Value Stabilises as Sparkling Wine Defies the Downturn

Sparkling wine was the only major category to achieve growth in both import volume and value during the first half of the year.

Imports reached 4.4 million litres, up 16.31% from a year earlier, while value rose 20.88% to US$39.08 million.

Bottled wine, defined as wine in containers of two litres or less, broadly followed the overall market trend, with lower volume but higher value. Import volume fell 14.61% to 59.55 million litres, while import value rose 1.94% to US$648.87 million.

Bulk wine imports remained substantial. China imported 36.92 million litres of bulk wine during the period, equivalent to 62% of bottled wine import volume. Yet its total value was only US$24.47 million, indicating that the category remains concentrated at the low end of the market.

Chen Hui, general manager of Tianjin-based wine supply-chain company Euphrosyne (Tianjin) Wine Culture Diffusion Co., Ltd , said the continued scale of bulk wine imports reflected a significant transformation in China’s entry-level wine market.

“Ten years ago, the low-end wine market was dominated by European table wines,” Chen said. “Today, imported bulk wine bottled domestically has largely replaced the market those European table wines once occupied.”

He said these products are sold mainly through e-commerce, one of the few channels in China’s wine market that remains relatively active. Many physical retailers, by contrast, continue to face considerable operating pressure.

Large retailers and well-known brands have also entered the imported-bulk-wine and domestic-bottling segment.

German discount retailer Aldi, for example, launched a Chilean wine bottled in China and sold at RMB99 for six bottles. The product became a market sensation and prompted similar offerings from specialist alcohol retailer Waima, grocery delivery platform Pupu Supermarket, Chongqing Department Store and other major retailers.

As Vino Joy News recently reported, Franzia, the internationally recognised boxed-wine brand and a popular name on Chinese e-commerce platforms, has also shifted from importing finished products from the United States to importing Australian bulk wine for bottling in China, allowing it to avoid the relatively high tariffs imposed on US wine.

Chen said the growth in sparkling wine suggested younger drinkers remained active in the market.

“Middle-class consumers are now more cautious, but there are still opportunities in both the silver economy and among younger consumers,” he said. “Many sweet sparkling wines are affordable, easy to drink and better suited to the preferences of younger drinkers.”

Price competition 

Australian wine’s recovery has been accompanied by intensifying price competition.

Although import volume rose faster than value, pushing the average import price down 9.64%, the data suggests importers are increasingly sourcing competitively priced Australian wines.

Vino Joy News previously reported that wines from premium regions including Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale and Hunter Valley are now retailing in China for less than RMB70 (US$10) a bottle.  

France, China’s second-largest wine supplier, continued to show signs of premiumisation.

Although French wine import volume fell 14.20%, import value declined by only 3.04%. Its average import price reached US$14.05 per litre, well above all other suppliers in the top 10 and 13% higher than a year earlier.

France was not the only source country to record a rise in average import prices.

Chile’s average import price increased 46.05%, while Spain rose 6.87%, Germany 2.10%, the United States 2.92% and Argentina 25.54%.

The changes among major supplying countries suggest that China’s imported wine market is becoming increasingly concentrated in mid- and high-end products. Although overall consumption has yet to recover, the consumers who remain active in the market appear more willing to pay a premium for quality, encouraging importers to increase purchases of better-quality wines.

Chen said the rise in average import prices was being driven not only by consumer demand but also by changes on the supply side.

“The global wine market is weak, and many wineries are proactively discounting their products,” he said. “One of my Italian suppliers previously sold wines at more than €10, but is now offering them to me for €5 to €6.”

“Many importers have realised that instead of continuing to buy the cheapest wines, it makes more sense to raise their purchasing budgets slightly and bring in better-quality products that are more closely aligned with the market.”

White Wine Demand Continues to Strengthen

While sparkling wine reflects the resilience of younger consumers, white wine represents another major structural shift in China’s wine consumption.

New Zealand, whose exports to China are dominated by white wine, continued to post rapid growth.

Its wine exports to China reached 3.6 million litres in the first half of 2026, up 59.94%, the highest growth rate among the top 10 supplying countries. Import value increased 18.55% to US$23.53 million.

New Zealand wine imports have now increased in both volume and value for three consecutive years since 2024, with growth accelerating further in 2026, indicating rising market acceptance.

Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of China’s three-year white wine boom. As the region’s reputation has strengthened and several star products have continued to drive consumer interest, more importers have begun sourcing value-for-money Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.

German wine has also benefited from the trend.

Although its growth has been less dramatic than New Zealand’s, 2026 marked the third consecutive year of growth for German wine imports. Riesling has gradually become an important category for major e-commerce platforms when sourcing imported wines.

The import data for the first half of 2026 shows that China’s wine market remains in a period of adjustment. Import volume has yet to return to growth, but the structure of the market is already changing.

The slight rise in import value, the strong performance of sparkling wine, continued growth in white wine and higher average import prices across several major supplying countries all suggest that importers and consumers are placing greater emphasis on quality and category selection rather than simply seeking the lowest-priced products.

For importers, the next stage of competition may no longer be about who can achieve the greatest scale, but who can most accurately respond to emerging shifts in consumer demand.

As inventories are gradually absorbed and purchasing strategies become more disciplined, China’s imported wine market may begin to move beyond the destocking cycle of recent years and towards a healthier and more resilient pattern of growth.