China has overtaken France and Italy to become the world’s number one consumer of red wine, although the US remains the world’s biggest tippler of all types of wines, the wine and spirits trade association Vinexpo said.

China drank 1.865 billion bottles of red wine last year, or in trade terms 155 million nine-litre cases, contributing to a 136 per cent increase in consumption over five years.

That beat France into second place for red wine and Italy into third, Vinexpo said, based on figures compiled by the London-based International Wine and Spirit Research firm.

The reason for the massive surge in red wine drinking in China, apart from growing affluence, is the Chinese preference for red over white on cultural grounds based on the colour, said Guillaume Deglise, the new CEO of Vinexpo.

Red is the colour of luck and good fortune

“Red is the colour of luck and good fortune, and white is the colour of death in China,” Deglise said.

“So you don’t want to drink white, why would you?”

As the Chinese market matures, Deglise said he also expected an increase in consumption of white wines and champagne.

Overall, the US remains the world’s top wine consumer, Vinexpo said, with China remaining in fifth place and not expected to change that ranking in the immediate future, the organisation said.

Since 2011, the US has been the world’s largest wine consumer, with consumption expected to hit 385 million cases by 2017.