By Andy Young
After peaking in 2012 China's wine market witnessed two falling years thanks to the government's austerity drive, but it is growing again.
This crucial market for many Australian wine producers looks to be returning to its rapid growth according to Chinese customs data.
In a presentation made at ProWine China, Wine Intelligence's Richard Halstead said that China has seen around 50 per cent year-on-year volume growth and 30 per cent value growth.
He explained that the volume/value differential came as a result of growth in bulk wine imports, which have more or less doubled in the nine-month period compared to the previous year.
There was also significant growth in bottled wine, which increased in volume by 39 per cent, but sparkling wine fell by seven per cent in 2014.