Wine consumption is increasing significantly in China, according to information from the China Vintage Industry Association (CVIA).

Wine consumption is increasing significantly in China, according to information from the China Vintage Industry Association (CVIA).

Statistics show that Chinese people consumed 390 million liters of wine in 2001, with per capita consumption reaching 0.27 liters.

China's wine output rose by 30 percent between 1994 and 2000. It produced 300,000 tons in 2001, a rise of 19 percent on a yearly basis.

China also imports about 50,000 tons of wine annually.

Although wine production in the country dates back more than 2,000 years, wine consumption in the past was very low. Influenced by traditional habits and customs, and mode of production, Chinese people greatly prefer distilled wine and millet wine.

But these days more and more Chinese people were drinking wine,a result of rapid economic development, marked improvement in people's living standards and people's awareness of health needs, said Geng Zhaolin, a CVIA senior executive.

Yantai city in east China's Shandong Province is the only Chinese wine city named by the Office International De La Vigne etdu Vin. However the managers of several restaurants told Xinhua that the number of people drinking white wine had dropped drastically compared with the past.

At present, China has about 450 wineries. Among them, 10 are capable of producing more than 10,000 tons each annually.

Geng said China's annual wine output was expected to reach 500,000 tons by 2005.