White wine reaches half of sales in parts of coastal China

White wine is gaining market share in parts of China’s coast as consumers order it with seafood, late-night meals and small gatherings, a shift that importers, distributors and wine bar operators say is moving wine consumption beyond the formal banquet culture that has long favored red.

Interviews published by Vino Joy News point to stronger demand in coastal Zhejiang province and in cities such as Shanghai and Suzhou, where merchants say white wines are becoming a more common choice in restaurants, bistros and neighborhood bars. The change is not uniform across the country, and red wine still dominates business entertaining and wedding banquets. But in a market historically identified with red wine, the reported shift suggests a growing place for whites in everyday drinking, with possible implications for producers, importers and distributors looking for growth in casual dining and retail channels.

In some coastal markets in Zhejiang, wine marketing consultant Shen Yi told Vino Joy News that white wine has risen to roughly half of sales, compared with an earlier share of 20% to 30%. He said the change has been most visible in cities including Ningbo, Wenzhou and Taizhou, where seafood plays a central role in local eating habits. According to Shen, some consumers who would once have chosen beer with seafood are now turning to white wine, often at an accessible price point of about RMB50, or roughly US$7.5, per bottle.

That lower price band appears to matter. Merchants interviewed by the outlet said affordable whites are finding demand as a meal accompaniment rather than as a status purchase. Warm summer weather has also helped, they said, but operators in Shanghai and neighboring Jiangsu province reported that the pattern is no longer limited to hot months.

A Wenzhou-based importer identified by Vino Joy News as KAKA, who also runs a Jiuxiaoer drinks-delivery franchise, said sales of the lower-priced whites the company has promoted over the past two years have climbed about 150% to 200%, even though red wine still accounts for most of its wine business. The importer also said some livestream sellers now buy red and white wine in equal quantities, a sign that online retail channels may be broadening the audience for the category.

At the restaurant level, operators described white wine as a better fit for relaxed occasions than for formal entertaining. William Zhu, who runs the Shanghai wine bistro Forage, said white wines once led in summer and then lost ground to reds in winter, but this year they kept pace with reds in colder weather and sold far more strongly in summer. At YesiVino Bistro in Suzhou, co-founder Gu Yuping said whites, including sparkling whites, account for about 80% of wine sales.

Importers serving the on-premise market reported similar patterns. Wang Shaolian, a senior executive at Shenzhen-based importer King’s Wine, told Vino Joy News that several Shanghai clients said whites now make up nearly half of their annual wine sales by volume. At the specialist Shanghai retailer and bar Pudao, that share was reported at 70%.

Operators interviewed by the outlet linked the demand to who is drinking and how they are drinking. Several said white wine buyers in their venues are often women, and that many customers see whites as easier to approach than reds. Sweeter or off-dry styles, sparkling wines and bottles with strong visual presentation have drawn particular interest, according to the report. Zhu said off-dry Riesling has been especially attractive to newer wine drinkers, while Gu said customers often respond to whites with a slight touch of sweetness.

The product mix also appears to be widening. New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and German Riesling remain key categories in China’s imported white wine market, but importers told Vino Joy News that consumers are also showing more interest in premium Australian Chardonnay, Hunter Valley Semillon and South African Chenin Blanc.

Trade data in the report underline the strength of New Zealand’s position. China imported 7.81 million liters of New Zealand wine in the first nine months of 2026, up 92.7% from a year earlier, while the value of those imports rose 23.9% to US$41.7 million. According to New Zealand Winegrowers, white wines now account for about 80% of New Zealand’s wine exports to China. The increase follows two straight years of growth in both volume and value.

Shanghai-based importer Pran Cellar said demand this year has expanded beyond the most familiar white categories. Chief executive Hong Boyong told Vino Joy News that premium Australian Chardonnay has grown quickly and that more customers are specifically asking for Hunter Valley Semillon. He said some of that demand comes from Burgundy drinkers seeking alternatives with lower prices and a different style. Gu made a similar point, saying Burgundy has become too expensive for some buyers and that the removal of Chinese import tariffs on Australian wine has improved the price position of Australian bottles.

South African Chenin Blanc has also gained attention because it spans a wide range of price points, from inexpensive everyday bottles to higher-end offerings, while still allowing healthier margins for merchants than wines from more crowded categories, according to Pran Cellar.

For the drinks business, that matters because the reported growth is happening in channels that can support both volume and experimentation. Casual seafood restaurants, bars, direct-to-consumer delivery and livestream sales offer a different route to market than banquet-driven wine sales. If the trend holds, it could create more room for suppliers of white wines that are positioned for informal meals, entry-level exploration and premium trading-up, rather than for gifting or corporate occasions.

The shift, however, has clear limits. Merchants interviewed by Vino Joy News said white wine still has not made comparable gains in business entertaining, where red remains the default choice. Dai Pengxuan, general manager of Hangzhou Zhuoyuan International Trade, said whites have increased their share in that channel but still remain well below half of sales. He also said the bigger issue is that the business occasion itself has weakened. As economic pressure reduces banquet spending, wine sales in that part of the market are shrinking, and buyers are focusing more narrowly on products with strong brand recognition and established demand.

That leaves white wine in a stronger position at restaurants and bars where staff can explain the category and recommend pairings, especially with seafood and lighter food. In Wenzhou, KAKA told the outlet that consumers at informal seafood stalls now readily order beer or wine, but formal dinners and weddings still default to red.

What emerges is not a national overturning of China’s red wine culture, but a measured change in where and why wine is being consumed. On the coast and in urban hospitality venues, white wine is becoming part of routine social drinking, helped by seafood pairings, approachable styles, lower entry prices and a consumer base that is more willing to drink wine outside the banquet table.