Wine Consumption in Asia

A look at changing beverage preferences in China, Japan, and southeast Asia.

According to Tony Le Ray-Cook in his recent article in "Wine & Dine" magazine,

India has 123,000 acres of vineyards (most are planted to table grapes). China now has over a hundred wineries and wine is beginning to replace more traditional beverages in urban areas. It's been said that if every Chinese household purchased one 750ml bottle of wine a year, the amount of wine consumed in China would be greater than that of the entire rest of the world. See our article on

Wines for Asian Foods for more details.

Think you have to take tea with your Chinese stir-fry? Or sake with your sushi? You might be surprised to find that many wines suit these foods as well or even better. And as consumers of Asian foods continue to search for attractive wine and food pairings, look for wineries to begin to style wines to accompany the cuisines of half the world - wineries both in Asia and the West.

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