Is China poised to rival the world’s great historic wines? Many smile when I raise the idea, yet my experience in the luxury industry compels me to wonder. Let us not forget: luxury is no longer solely a matter of lineage and tradition, but of imagination, storytelling, and the ability to capture new consumers.
Take cosmetics, for instance—an arena once dominated, unchallenged, by France. Then came the Koreans with their K‑Beauty revolution, and today they stand among the global benchmarks. But this week, an article in The Korea Times introduced a new contender: Chinese brands. They first conquered their domestic market through the guochao movement—a patriotic wave celebrating Chinese aesthetics and craftsmanship. Between 2020 and 2024, Chinese beauty exports rose by 18% per year, compared to only 6% for South Korea. By 2024, Chinese companies held 55.7% of their national market, and their expansion did not stop there: in Southeast Asia, Chinese brands recorded a compound annual growth rate of 115% in mass‑market cosmetics between 2019 and 2024.
Will Chinese wine follow the same inexorable arc? What is now unfolding in the beauty sector might well echo in the vineyard. The parallel is far from accidental. Both industries were once thought impenetrable fortresses, guarded by heritage, savoir‑faire, and cultural mystique. Sceptics invoke terroir, that quintessentially French idea binding a wine’s greatness to its birthplace. Yet let us recall that California’s vineyards barely existed before the 1960s—and within fifteen years, they had won over the greatest Bordeaux loyalists. China today possesses formidable strengths we too readily dismiss: 870,000 hectares of planted vines, immense investment capabilities, and, above all, a vast domestic market.
The Ningxia region—perched on the 38th parallel north, precisely the latitude of Bordeaux and Napa Valley—stands as a symbol of this rise. One need only read Jancis Robinson, James Suckling, or Michel Bettane to see that quality is now unmistakably present. The true turning point will come when China discovers its “cultural carrier,” to borrow a term from cosmetic‑industry analysts. Chinese beauty brands found theirs in the phenomenon of micro‑dramas—these ultra‑short series that reach 662 million viewers in China and are spreading worldwide. Chinese wine, too, will find its vehicle. It may well emerge through Chinese cinema, now the world’s second‑largest market, or through a reinvented Chinese art de vivre—one that Beijing will know how to promote with its usual strategic precision.
When I last visited Shanghai two years ago, the avenues of Lujiazui were still ruled by German sedans—symbols of imported prestige. On my most recent trip a few months ago, the picture had utterly transformed: BYD, NIO, and XPeng now dominate the boulevards with a technological poise and elegance that relegate Mercedes and Audi to relics of another era. The impression is striking: on Shanghai’s boulevards, Mercedes and Audi have become scarce. In China’s cellars and restaurants, the historic names of the Wine World would be wise not to await the same fate before adapting.
This is not a warning.
It is a new variable to integrate into your 2030 strategic roadmap.
Contact Guillaume Jourdan via LinkedIn
