Sept 20, — While red wine, particularly Bordeaux, enjoys wild popularity among Chinese drinkers, former basketball star Yao Ming is hoping to broaden palates in his country with the introduction of white wine.

Following the recent launch of the Yao Family Wines' latest product, Napa Crest, group winemaker Tom Hinde told wine publication Decanter that Ming is eyeing white wine as his next venture for reasons that hit close to home. Namely, that his wife prefers white over red.

In fact, female consumers in China are credited with driving new demand for whites. According to figures from the UK-based International Wine and Spirit Research, the white wine market in China is expected to grow 69 percent between 2011 and 2015, compared to 53 per cent for reds.

As the wine-drinking community matures in China, consumers are gradually opening up to white wine as a more refreshing option.

Red wine enjoys a preferred status among the Chinese, however, for reasons that range from its perceived health benefits, as a fashion statement, and also because red is a lucky color in Chinese culture.

The wine industry predicts that white wine will find inroads among female and younger drinkers.

Meanwhile, the recently released 2010 vintage Napa Crest from Yao Family Wines is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot grapes and is priced at CN¥530 (RM274$87).

Though wine is seen as a status symbol among the country’s middle and affluent classes, beer and baijiu, a white spirit distilled from sorghum, wheat or rice, remain the most popular types of alcohol consumed in China. — AFP Relaxnews