China Customs recently released wine import data for the first half of 2024, covering 34 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions. This data is categorized based on the registration location of the importers, meaning the volume and value of wine imports are attributed to the province where the importer’s headquarters are located.

The top ten destinations for wine imports are regions where the wine import market is relatively mature. Unlike the widespread declines seen in 2023, in the first half of 2024, only two provinces and cities experienced a decrease in import value, with wine imports in Anhui province in eastern China surging more than 1000% during the period.

Scroll through to discover the top 10 wine importing cities and provinces in China.

Shanghai continues to be the largest destination for wine imports in China, just as it has been since 2019. This is due to Shanghai being a major port city where many imported goods cleared customs through the city, and it is also home to the headquarters of many of the country’s leading wine import companies in our China’s Top 50 Wine Importers Report, such as ASC Fine Wines and EMW Fine Wines. Additionally, the Chinese headquarters of Treasury Wine Estates are in Shanghai, and their strategy of pre-positioning inventory in China boosted Shanghai’s figures, especially with the re-entry of Australian wines into the Chinese market in late March.

Furthermore, Shanghai is one of the most mature wine markets in China. The city’s fashion-forward nature and the presence of many foreign enterprises and expat community contributed to its robust wine market. The rise of wine bars and the popularity of Prosecco also began in Shanghai. With a population of 24.87 million and an urbanization rate of 89.3%, Shanghai’s is undoubtedly the wine capital of China.

Guangdong Province has the highest GDP in China, which surpassed over 6.5 billion RMB in first half of 2024. Guangdong has two first-tier cities, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, along with economically developed cities like Dongguan, Foshan, and Zhuhai. Guangdong’s proximity to Hong Kong has made it a gateway for Western culture since China’s opening up policy, leading to an early adoption of wine consumption and a mature wine market.

Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Zhuhai are key regions for fine wine imports, bolstered by their closeness to Hong Kong and Macau, which have zero tariffs on wine. This has led to the establishment of numerous wine import companies, such as Fook Lam Moon Trading Co., Ltd., King Power Wines Ltd., and Yesmywine. From 2015 to 2018, Guangdong was the largest destination for imported wines in China until Shanghai surpassed it in 2019.

Zhejiang Province ranks third and is also a wealthy region in China. Ningbo Port, the world’s largest port, and the Ningbo Bonded Area’s focus on the wine import industry have fostered many wine supply chain companies.

Other top wine-consuming regions such as Fujian, Beijing, and Jiangsu also are among the top 10. Fujian, the affluent Southern provine recorded over 104% growth in import value in the first six months of the year. Capital Bejing however was among the only two provinces that experienced drops during the period, down by 11.3% in value.

Shandong Province’s inclusion in the list is partly due to its port cities, Qingdao and Yantai. Yantai is the largest destination for bulk wine imports in China, with bulk wine imports far exceeding bottled wine. In the first half of 2024, Shandong imported 4.7655 million liters of wine in containers of 2 liters or less and 33.9802 million liters in containers of more than 10 liters. However, the large volume of cheap bulk wine imports has resulted in Shandong having the lowest average import price among the top ten destinations. Additionally, due to the competitive bulk wine market in China, Shandong experienced the largest decline in import value.

Anhui Province, which rarely appears in the top ten, saw its wine import value increase by 1067.72% in the first half of this year. Vino Joy News speculates this is due to the low base and the large-scale imports by a single importer. In the first five months, Anhui’s import value was low, but in June alone, it imported US$28.02 million worth of high-value wines, ranking fourth for the month and significantly boosting the half-year total.

Sichuan Province, ranking tenth, is an inland southwestern province with a registered population of 90.71 million, including 21.403 million in its capital, Chengdu. Despite not being a wealthy province, its large market has given rise to wine importers such as Sichuan Saint Jimitu Wine Co., Ltd. and Chengdu Youzi Xifang International Trade Co., Ltd.