All hail the modern-day conquistadors

Spanish wine is set to come in second behind French wine in terms of foreign wine consumed in China last year, according to a study by Vinexpo and the International Wine and Spirit Research.

The report, issued at a news conference in Beijing last week previewing Vinexpo Hong Kong in May, found that Spain was the top performer in China last year in terms of the increase in sales.

The study, jointly published by Vinexpo, billed as the world's largest wine fair, and the International Wine and Spirit Research looked at the worldwide wine and spirits market. For 14 years IWSR has carried out the research for Vinexpo, with forecasts covering five years.