One of the most striking features at this year's Vinexpo Asia was the maturity of Chinese wine. Chinese wine, which had long been seen as showing potential, has now truly entered its stride. The key challenge going forward will be how to overcome the image of "Chinese wine."
Rodolphe Lameyse, head of Vinexposium, said in an interview with ChosunBiz on the 29th in Hong Kong, held to mark the Vinexpo Asia alcoholic beverage fair, that Chinese wine has now reached a stage of completion. This is effectively the first time Chinese wine, which has persistently knocked on the door of the global wine market, has been assessed not just as having growth potential but as "complete."
Chinese wine has recently increased its presence on the international stage. In 2023, it won three gold medals at the Berlin Wine Trophy and accumulated wins at more than 60 international wine competitions. At the 2026 Win Signature Chinese Wine Awards (WSCWA), dedicated exclusively to Chinese wine, judges and participants offered high praise. A sommelier who attended the event said that even the expression "a complete transformation" falls short compared with 20 years ago.
Chinese wineries also took an active part in the Vinexpo Asia event. They presented the largest variety among the wines poured at the VIP lounge. Offerings ranged from Xige Estate, a winery seen as emblematic of Ningxia's rise, to "Ao Yun," a top-tier Chinese wine brand launched in 2013 by French luxury group LVMH.
Multiple blind tastings were held on-site. Some Chinese wines received high marks even in side-by-side comparisons with Bordeaux from France. A Japanese sommelier said they were "hard to distinguish from Bordeaux and, in some respects, superior."
Chinese wine's entry into the premium market did not happen overnight. Over the past two decades, the Chinese wine industry has strengthened its quality competitiveness on the back of large-scale investment from the government and private capital, recruitment of overseas winemaking experts, and advances in viticulture.
In particular, the eastern foothills of Helan Mountain in Ningxia, which has emerged as the center of China's wine industry, is now regarded as a leading premium wine region representing China. With elevations around 1,000 meters, large diurnal temperature swings, abundant sunshine, and a dry climate, it offers favorable conditions for cultivating high-end varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon. Though entirely different from Bordeaux in France, it is even considered advantageous for disease and pest control and for managing grape quality.
Since the early 2000s, the Chinese government has strategically fostered Ningxia, building an industrial base by attracting a large number of overseas winemakers and consultants. Today, hundreds of wineries operate there, and a significant share of China's international wine competition winners come from the region.
Beyond Ningxia, Xinjiang is conducting large-scale grape cultivation based on vast land and a dry climate, and Shandong is regarded as the birthplace of China's wine industry. Hebei is growing on the strength of its proximity to the capital region market, and more recently, Yunnan wines produced at elevations around 2,000 meters in high mountain areas have drawn attention with a distinctive terroir. As production systems have advanced around key regions, Chinese wine has begun to gain recognition for its competitiveness in international markets.
In Korea, there are signs of growing interest in this shift. Dongwon Wine Plus brought in Silver Heights, a Chinese premium wine brand, last year. A Dongwon Wine Plus representative said the idea arose from a discussion that if domestic Chinese restaurants sold Chinese wine at Chinese dinners, a new market could open, adding that a site visit and tasting revealed quality far higher than expected.
More recently, Ayoung FBC has expanded distribution channels by selling wine from Changyu, one of China's largest wine corporations, through GS25. While Chinese wine was once consumed as a curiosity, the view now is that it has entered a phase where its market potential is being seriously evaluated.
However, the industry sees the national image of "China," separate from quality, as the biggest hurdle to expanding the premium wine market. Unlike consumer trust in traditional wine-producing countries such as France, Italy, the United States, and Australia, Chinese wine still carries a strong image of a manufacturing nation centered on industrial goods.
Lameyse also said that while the quality of Chinese wine is already at a considerable level, the key from here is ensuring consumers perceive the regions as worthy of premium prices. In practice, premium wine is not consumed on taste alone. The history and culture of the producing area, brand story, and scarcity are consumed together. Especially in Asian markets, where gifting accounts for a large share of demand, perceptions of origin significantly influence purchase decisions.
A liquor industry official said it is not easy to catch up in a short time with the centuries-old reputations of Bordeaux or Burgundy in France, adding that Chinese wine should now be seen as having moved beyond a competition of quality into a competition of brands and stories.