Italian sparkling wines toast to China: +53.8% in volume in the first 9 months 2026 (on 2025)

Italian sparkling wines are gaining ground in China, both in value and volume, in a market with considerable potential (and one that is also showing growing interest in Italian organic wines), although in recent years it has fallen short of the expectations many had for it. The good news, however, is that while still far from the peak levels of the past, wine exports to China returned to growth in value during the first nine months of 2026, with sparkling wines leading the recovery. According to data from Chinese customs analyzed by Del Rey Analysts of Wine Markets (Awm), between January and September this year, China wine imports increased by 5.6% in value compared to the same period in 2025. This recovery, however, is mainly attributable to higher average prices rather than an increase in volumes, which continued to decline. The overall value of wine imports reached 1.16 billion dollars, an increase of 61.9 million dollars over the same period of the previous year. Imported volumes, by contrast, fell by 5.5% to 156.9 million liters, representing a decline of 9 million liters. The average import price rose by 0.78 dollars per liter to 7.44 dollars, at +11.7% year-on-year, reflecting a shift toward higher-value wines.
China renewed “appetite” for sparkling wines has nonetheless been a boon for Italy, which outpaced France in terms of volume growth despite the significant price gap between the two countries’ offerings. Between January and September 2026, Italian sparkling wine exports to China surged by 53.8%, reaching 4.4 million liters, equivalent to approximately 489,000 nine-liter cases. French sparkling wine shipments, meanwhile, grew at a more moderate pace, rising 21.3% to a total of 1.3 million liters, or about 144,000 cases. In value terms, from January to September 2026 Italian sparkling wines generated sales of 20.4 million dollars in the Chinese market, an increase of 8.7 million dollars over the same period in 2025, while French sparkling wines generated 37.7 million dollars (+8.7 million dollars). The two countries, however, occupy very different price segments: Italian sparkling wines enter China at an average price of 4.66 dollars per liter, compared with around 30 dollars per liter for French products. This disparity highlights Italy positioning in the more accessible segment of the market, where demand appears to be strengthening. For Italy, the increase was particularly significant in volume terms, reinforcing its role as a key supplier in the expanding sparkling wine segment, supported by robust growth and a more affordable price point than French sparkling wines.
More broadly, sparkling wines emerged as the best-performing category in China, recording a 31.6% increase in import value to reach 64.5 million dollars in the first three quarters of the year. Still bottled wines, which account for the vast majority of China wine imports, posted more modest growth of 5.7%, reaching just over 1 billion dollars. Imports of “bag-in-box” wines and bulk wines, by contrast, declined.
The contrast between categories is equally evident in volume terms. Sparkling wine imports increased by 27.4% to 7.1 million liters, while imports of still bottled wines fell by 10.8% to 94.6 million liters. According to the analysis, these figures suggest that sparkling wines are playing an increasingly important role in China imported wine market, combining growing demand with higher revenues.
Nevertheless, the market as a whole remains under pressure, as the increase in import value has yet to translate into a recovery in overall volumes. The latest figures, notes the analysis, provide some relief after years of contraction in the Chinese wine market. The value of wine imports fell from a peak of nearly 2.9 billion dollars in 2018 to less than 1.2 billion dollars in 2023. A recovery in 2024 proved short-lived, with imports declining again in 2025. The positive results recorded in 2026 therefore provide grounds for cautious optimism. Yet the undisputed stars of the recovery are Italian sparkling wines.