Aussie labels dominate Amazon China's wine sales

A little-known Australia red wine was the second biggest seller on Amazon China’s list of ‘Most Popular Directly Imported Wines’ in China in 2016.

The Lyrup Shiraz Cabernet scored the prime spot in a report released by the e-commerce site.

The vineyard may be a quiet achiever, but it has a long history: winemakers Carl “Skipper” Angove and Ronald Martin created the Lyrup Wine Company in 1914. 

Australian wines dominated the Amazon list, with five in the top 10.

However, it was a Rhône red blend by French chef Joël Robuchon that scored the No.1 spot on the list. Joël Robuchon Ventoux is a blend of 85% Grenache and 15% Shiraz and sells for US$22 on the Amazon China site.

Amazon China sells around 200 wine brands, mostly from the United States, France, Italy and Australia. It launched its direct import business in September 2013. 

The number of wine brands sold directly by Amazon China has "quadrupled" in the last three years, with sales increasing by more than 100% every year, SHI Jianjun, vice president of Amazon China, told DecanterChina.com last year.

Here are Amazon China’s top sellers for 2016:

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)