Wine producers are pinning their hopes for growth during the financial crisis on a country that only recently entered the ranks of the world's top ten wine drinking countries -- China.
Wine bars and specialty wine stores have flourished in Shanghai, which prides itself of being the nation's most cosmopolitan city, and have quickly become part of the landscape.
"More and more people are coming through the door, especially after a dinner with friends," said Marc-Antoine Malia, head of sales and marketing for Enoteca, a small chain of wine bars in Shanghai and Beijing.
No longer a luxury just for foreigners, wine has become a status symbol among China's fast-growing middle class.
"China was one of the ten biggest wine consumers in 2008 and should be ranked number seven by 2012," said Xavier de Eizaguirre, president of Vinexpo, the world's biggest wine and spirits exhibition, which takes place in Bordeaux in southwest France.
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