Export wine to China: the 2026 guide

The market in numbers

China imported USD 1.42 billion of wine in 2025, down 10.9%, and 207 million litres, down 26.7%: volume is now a third of 2019. What remains is more expensive, with the average import price up from USD 5.63 to 6.85 per litre. Australia leads again (41% of value) since China removed its duties in March 2024, ahead of France (30%) and Chile (9%). Full ranking by country, 2025 data.

Duties and taxes

1. Customs duty on the CIF value: 14% for bottled still and sparkling wine, 20% for bag in box and bulk. 0% for wine from Australia, New Zealand, Chile and Georgia (free trade agreements). No agreement covers France, Italy, Spain or Portugal.
2. Consumption tax: 10%, calculated on (CIF + duty) divided by 0.9.
3. VAT: 13% of (CIF + duty + consumption tax).

Computed from the GACC tariff query on 31 October 2026. Many importers keep wine in bonded warehouses and pay duties when it leaves for distribution.

Registration: Decree 280 replaced Decree 248

Every foreign producer of food exported to China must be registered with the General Administration of Customs (GACC). Since 1 June 2026 the rules are in GACC Decree 280, which repealed Decree 248. For wine:

• No recommendation from your home authority is needed: wine is not in GACC's recommendation catalogue. The winery registers itself, or through an agent, in Chinese or English.
• Only one official address: cifer.singlewindow.cn. It is free; GACC warns about fake registration sites.
• Registration is valid 5 years and renews automatically for wine.
• The package can show either the China registration number or the one from your home authority.
• Customs refuses the declaration if your registration number is missing from it.

The importer files with its local customs office, and the overseas exporter (or its agent) files with GACC.

Labels

• A Chinese back label may be affixed; the Chinese text must match any foreign text on the bottle.
• It shows the country of origin and the name, address and contact of the importer or distributor registered in China. The foreign producer's details may be left out.
• Alcohol in « %vol », and the warning « 过量饮酒有害健康 » (excessive drinking is harmful to health).
• Wine of 10% vol or more is exempt from shelf-life marking under the current standard.
• From 16 March 2027, the new labelling standard GB 7718-2025 applies (allergen rules, dates in year-month-day order, optional QR labels). Plan new back labels for shipments arriving after that date.
• There is no pre-filing of labels since 2019: the importer checks compliance, customs inspects at entry, and a non-compliant label means the goods are refused.

Documents and samples

• Your GACC registration number in the customs declaration, plus the exporter and importer filing numbers.
• Certificate of origin for the 0% rates (for Australian wine, issued through Wine Australia under ChAFTA).
• Whether EU wine still needs an official health certificate in 2026, and the current rules for samples, could not be confirmed from an official text: ask us before you ship, we check with importers on the ground.

How the market works

Local importers and distributors, many using bonded warehouses; then restaurants and hotels, supermarkets, specialty shops and e-commerce; membership retailers source directly. The market is vast and regional, and retail prices are visible online, so importers compare yours.

Fairs: ProWine Shanghai every November; the China Food and Drinks Fair in Chengdu each spring.

Mistakes we see

• Still quoting Decree 248, or waiting for a home-authority recommendation that wine does not need.
• Paying for registration on a site other than cifer.singlewindow.cn: registration is free.
• Pricing bag in box or bulk at 14%: those lines pay 20%.
• Shipping without the registration number in the declaration.
• Holding back exclusivity from a serious importer: in China it often costs the market. See our FAQ.

How we work in China

China is our first market: the Shanghai office opened in 2019. We work importers city by city, in Mandarin, and run private trade tastings in top-tier cities. For our Shenzhen tasting, over 200 South China trade contacts were approached, 43 signed up and around 28 came. How we work an importer list.

Sources

1. Import tariff and tax query, HS 2204, General Administration of Customs of China, link (primary)
2. GACC Decree 280 on registration of overseas food manufacturers (full text), GACC, reproduced by the HK Trade and Industry Department, link (primary)
3. GACC Announcement 2026 No. 27 (Decree 280 catalogue, CIFER), GACC, reproduced by the HK Trade and Industry Department, link (primary)
4. Administrative Measures on Import and Export Food Safety (Decree 249), GACC via gov.cn, link (primary)
5. GB 7718-2011 labelling of prepackaged foods, National standard, text on FAO FAOLEX, link (primary)
6. GB 2758-2012 fermented alcoholic beverages, National standard, link (primary)
7. Removal of duties on Australian wine, Wine Australia, link (official, secondary)
8. New Chinese food labelling standards for 2027 (GB 7718-2025), MPR China Certification, link (secondary)
9. Wine Market Update 2025, USDA FAS Shanghai, link (secondary)
10. ProWine Shanghai, Messe Düsseldorf (Shanghai), link (primary)

This guide summarises official texts for exporters; it is not legal or tax advice. Rules change: check with your importer or with us before shipping.