Asti flies to China defying the trends of the rest of wine. And Asia becomes third market

The sweet sparkling wines of Asti and Moscato d’Asti are toasting in Asia: in 2025, sales in the East grew by an impressive 55% for Moscato d’Asti, making the “Celestial Empire” the third-largest market for this type of wine (with Asian markets now accounting for 18% of total sales). Asti Spumante also grew significantly in the Asian region (+20%), thanks especially to Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Kazakhstan, and China. These figures come from the Asti DOCG Consortium, headed by Stefano Ricagno and directed by Giacomo Pondini, which outlines a sharply countertrend scenario in the “Far East” for the denomination, especially considering China, where global wine imports fell by -14.6% in value and -26.7% in volume, with Italy recording -15.5% in value and -14.1% in volume (Oive data).
The figures coming from Asia in general, and from China in particular, “sweeten” a difficult year for the wine market and for Piedmont as a whole, penalized above all by negative performance in the U.S. which absorbs nearly 60% of exports as well as in Russia and Europe.
“Asti DOCG closed a complicated 2025, squeezed between U.S. Tariffs - the main market for Moscato d’Asti - and the conflict in Ukraine, with Russia being the top destination for Asti Spumante. According to NielsenIQ data, this resulted in a 9% drop in global sales volume in large-scale distribution and retail (almost 75 million bottles)”, explains a note by the Consortium.
“That this is a difficult phase, not only for our denomination, is nothing new  - said Consortium president Stefano Ricagno -  but for us, the overall contraction in consumption is worsened by tensions in two markets which alone represent more than 40% of our sales, and that weighed heavily. Still, in a year full of challenges, there were also positive notes, starting with the clear growth in Asian demand, especially from China, which is taking on significant proportions and is encouraging. We urgently need to broaden our commercial reach”.
According to the Consortium analysis, Asti Spumante is the most affected (-12.4%, at 49.3 million 0.75 L bottles), while Moscato d’Asti ends with a more contained decline of -1.8% (25 million bottles).
“Excluding the drop in the U.S. (-7.6%, with a 58% share of total sales)  - reports the Consortium director Giacomo Pondini -  Moscato d’Asti would have closed in positive territory, supported by relative stability in Europe (-0.6%) and, above all, by growth (+11.3%) in Asian countries, starting with China, which posted +55%, becoming the third-largest market for this type of wine. Asia share of total exported bottles thus rises to 18%”.
The situation is more complex for Asti Spumante, weighed down mainly by declines in Europe (-14%, -4.2 million bottles sold compared to 2024) and the U.S. (-50%, -2.6 million bottles), even before Russia, where the drop is contained at -3% with 14.1 million bottles sold. There were sharp contractions in key European destinations such as the UK (-13%), Germany (-49%), and Poland (-26%), while Hungary and Lithuania grew significantly in the East. Outside the EU, Asia confirms strong appreciation also for Asti Spumante (+20%, 3.3 million bottles sold), thanks especially to Japan, the United Arab Emirates, Kazakhstan, and China. In the Americas, Mexico positive trend continues, surpassing one million bottles sold, followed by Peru at 750,000 bottles, a one-third increase in its demand for Asti sparkling wines.
Finally, the domestic market, which is worth 10% of the total production, is also down: -5.7% for Asti Spumante (4.25 million bottles) and -6.9% for Moscato d’Asti (2.5 million bottles).
To relaunch one of Italy historic wine denominations, the Consortium is focusing on promotion in international markets (for years, it has also been the Official Sparkling Wine of the widely followed Nitto ATP Finals tennis tournament, which will again be held in Turin in 2026 and elsewhere in Italy in 2027, ed). The Consortium will invest over 1 million euros in initiatives mainly targeting the United States, including events, tastings, and promotional campaigns throughout the year.