Small cheer for high-end wine sales during economic slump

Sales of high-end imported wines have cooled because of China's slowing economy and the government's crackdown on lavish spending with public funds, industry insiders said on Monday at the three-day China-Guizhou International Alcoholic Beverages Expo.

"The growth of high-end wine imports, especially from France, slowed down in the first half of the year, because of the overall economic slowdown," said Wang Xuwei, secretary-general of the China Association of Importers & Exporters of Wine and Spirits.

"On the other hand, imports in the low-end wine sector have increased. As a result, overall bottled wine imports are still growing."