High-quality Italian wine is synonymous with culture and tradition in China.
It is particularly popular with people in their 30s with medium-high incomes, who see uncorking a bottle of Amarone, Barolo or Chianti as a way of experiencing Europe.
It has a different market position to French wine, which is the most in demand along with China's own wine, although consumers of fine wines have a higher propensity to buy 'made in Italy' brands.
These findings come from a study by Wine Intelligence for the Consorzio di Tutela Vini Valpolicella (Consortium for the Protection of Valpolicella Wines), which looked at how well known the wines are among high-level consumers in some markets, such as China, and the propensity of these consumers to buy them.
"French wine remains the market leader in the wine sector," said Consortium Director Olga Bussinello.
"But it is a status symbol for those buy it, who are in their 50s and 60s, rather than something that they want to discover, which, on the contrary, is the case for an Italian brand".
The different positioning is also down to the wide range of vine varieties that Italy can offer and that young Chinese people are getting more and more interested in.
This is shown by the large number of applicants this year for the second 'Valpolicella Education Program', a high-level training course on wine and the Valpolicella area taking place January 29-31, 2019.
Bussinello said that, of all of the consortium's best-loved wines in China, Amarone is a top-quality product that is present on the wine lists of Asia's best restaurants, from Shanghai to Hong Kong, in part because it is able to 'wed' perfectly with their palates.

In collaboration with:
Consorzio per la tutela dei vini Valpolicella