According to Vino Joy News and Wine Meridian, a recent survey found that out of the 100 best-selling wines in China in 2021, 95 had corks. This confirms the strong preference of Chinese wine consumers for this closure system. The survey was commissioned by the Portuguese Cork Association (APCOR) based on data collected and provided by market research company NielsenIQ.
Portugal is the largest cork producer in the world, supplying around 50 per cent of the global cork supply. The ‘Top 100’ best-selling wines were compiled on the basis of 2021 retail sales data collected from hypermarkets, supermarkets and convenience stores in 24 Chinese cities (including Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Hefei, Wuhan, Changsha, Nanjing and many more). The results confirmed what wineries and merchants have always thought: Chinese wine consumers prefer corks over screw caps, as they associate cork with quality. The best wines on the list range in price from RMB 22 (USD 3.4) up to RMB 1570 (USD 247), with an average of RMB 202.4 (USD 31.6) per litre.
The survey also reveals that prices of corked wines are higher than those with screw caps. The 95 wines with corks have an average price per litre of RMB 208.51 (USD 32.6) compared to RMB 86.56 (USD 13.5) for the five wines sealed with aluminium caps. Compared to the same survey also done by APCOR in 2016, the prices of corked wines increased from RMB 138.4 ($21.6) to the current RMB 208.51 ($32.6). APCOR’s recent survey showed another important result: 56 of the 100 best-selling wines in China are from domestic wineries, imported wines in the ranking are the minority, 44.
Further results emerged from the survey:
100% of the 56 domestic wines in the ranking have a cork closure, while 39 of the 44 imported wines (89%) have a cork closure.
In terms of sales volume, all 21 best sellers among these 100 wines have cork closures, the screw cap appears in 22nd place;
In terms of value, all 10 wines with the highest prices have cork closures.
Commenting on the survey results, João Rui Ferreira, Vice President of APCOR, said: ‘We are very pleased and excited about this strong preference for cork stoppers in China. Cork is a sign of quality and an important element in wine culture. Its innate sustainability ties in with the consumer trends of the new generation’.
Wine Joy News – Wine Meridian
