Joël Robuchon wine tops Amazon China’s ‘most popular’ list

A Rhône red blend by renowned French chef Joël Robuchon has topped Amazon China’s list of ‘Most Popular Directly Imported Wines’ in China in 2016, a recent report released by the e-commerce company has revealed.

A blend of 85% Grenache and 15% Syrah, the wine is produced by Paul Jaboulet Aîné for Joël Robuchon and sells for 150 RMB (US$22) on Amazon China.

Among all the top 10 most popular wines that are directly imported from overseas, five of the wines are from Australia including Penfolds, Wolf Blass, The Lyrup, Murray Street Vineyards and Tahbilk, outranking France (with two wines), the US (two) and Italy (one).

Amazon China also stated that consumers from cities in southern China are bigger alcohol drinkers than their counterparts in northern China. Sales of alcoholic beverages in general in southern China were almost twice that of those in northern China. Meanwhile, wine sales in particular were two and a half times bigger in the south than in the north of the country.

Chengdu in southwestern China is named the most ‘xiaozi’ city, meaning ‘petite bourgeoisie’, which refers to a popular Chinese term describing a lifestyle characterised by western tastes such as wine and French food etc. The southwestern city is the biggest consumer of imported olive oil, Italian pastas, steaks and tends to pair food with wines, the company said.

Nanjiang, another southern Chinese city along the Yangtze River, is the biggest consumer of Baijiu, a clear liquor made primarily from sorghum and rice.

Amazon China has close to 200 different wine brands, mostly from the US, France, Italy and Australia.

Here is the complete list of Amazon China’s top sellers:

1. Joël Robuchon Ventoux (France)
2. The Lyrup Shiraz Cabernet (Australia)
3. Tahbilk Shiraz (Australia)
4. Penfolds Bin 2 (Australia)
5. Murray Street Vineyards The Barossa (Australia)
6. Wolf Blass Red Label Cabernet Merlot (Australia)
7. OneHope Merlot (US)
8. Dal Cero Corte Giacobbe Soave (Italy)
9. Castoro Cellars Muscat Canelli (US)
10. Amiral de Beychevelle (France)