Despite an unprecedented downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, several factors have helped drive the wine industry in China of late, such as the acceleration of e-commerce sales and robust at-home consumption.

Last year, hampered by the pandemic, business performance of wine and liquor retailers globally and in China was nothing to write home about. 

But global alcohol sales are showing signs of recovery, and are projected to grow in volume by 2.9 percent by the end of this year, according to a new report by wine and spirits analytics firm IWSR.

China has long had an established online market for alcoholic drinks.   Last year, sales of wines and spirits via e-commerce channels in China grew by around 20 percent year-on-year, IWSR data showed.

"These are the trends that will underpin the industry's resilience as it pivots to meet consumers where they are in the years to come.   Additionally, across many markets, some segments of the population now have significantly more disposable income than they did in 2019, some of which will be spent on alcoholic beverage products," said Mark Meek, CEO of IWSR.