China has applied to become a full member of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV).
The group confirmed to Just Drinks that it had received “the adhesion request by the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs”.
It added that China’s full membership would come into force from 14 November, as long as no objections are brought forward by its member states, who were first informed about the application in May.
If the application is successful, China will become the 51st member state of the intergovernmental organisation.
Headquartered in Dijon, France, the OIV is made up of more than 50 member states across the Asia-Pacific, Europe, Asia, Americas and Africa. The group works with grape and wine producing countries and international organisations to help them develop and comply with regulations as well as limit barriers to trade.
The trade body also has a group of “observers”, which up until now have included the government of China’s autonomous region Ningxia, and of the prefecture-level municipality Yantai. These two regions have been able to take part in OIV meetings but were not permitted to vote on resolutions brought forward by the group, which could include updates to the OIV’s wine production standards.
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By GlobalDataOther territorial bodies on board as observers include the European Union and Texas Department of Agriculture.
When asked by Just Drinks to explain how China’s membership will affect its own research as well as what benefit it will bring the country’s wine industry, the OIV said it could not comment on “specific aspects until the membership process is finalised”.
To become a member state of the OIV, prospective applicants are required to send a “request of adhesion” via their respective embassies in Paris, to the OIV’s director general, copying in France’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Member states are then informed of the application and have six months to approve or decline the admission.
The news of China’s OIV membership comes as China faces an ongoing decline in wine production and consumption. While still the largest winemaker in Asia, according to the OIV’s State of the World Wine and Vine Sector in 2023 report, the country saw an estimated 33% slump in wine volumes year-on-year, at 3.2m hectolitres. The country is expected to have lost around 2m hectolitres a year since 2018.
In its annual report released earlier this year, the OIV found that declining wine consumption in China was driving a general dip worldwide.
While global wine consumption was down 2.6% in 2023 to 221m hectolitres, around 24.7% less wine was consumed in China than in 2022. As with its wine production, Chinese consumption figures have also been dropping consistently since 2018, according to the OIV’s statistics.
2024 has marked a year of significant change in China’s wine market. In March, the country announced an end to its three-year trade dispute with Australia as it lifted tariffs on Australian wine.
Speaking to Just Drinks in April this year, Ian Ford, founding partner of Hong-Kong-based drinks consultancy Nimbility said: “The China wine market is unlikely to boom again any time soon”.
He stressed, however, that “grassroots” consumer interest in imported wine was still present, and that reopening its market to Australia could offer an “inflection point”.
