date:May 30, 2012
in 2011 there were 3,863 importers, up 73% from the year earlier and up 200% in five years.
Most firms have entered the market through partnerships, for example, in January this year, Australian wine firm Ferngrove partnered up with Chinese food company Pegasus to drive distribution in the key Asian market. Similarly, South-Australian wine producer Accolade Wines bought a majority stake in a Shanghai-based wine distribution business.