China's wine production up in 2004

China brewed 370,000 tons of wine in 2004, up 14.8 percent over the previous year. It was revealed at a national trade fair on sweets and alcoholic drinks which ended Monday in Chengdu, Sichuan Province.

Last year, the country witnessed the sales value of 7.4 billion yuan (892 million US dollars) in wine, up 17.1 percent from the previous year, according to statistics released at the trade fair in Chengdu, a city in southwest China's Sichuan Province.

China's six biggest producers made 54.6 percent of the total wine in the country, up from 51.6 percent in 2003, showing a trend of industrial converging, said experts. The profits and taxes earned by these companies accounted for 83.8 percent of the country's total, up from 78.2 percent in the previous year.

Experts said that China's potential market has attracted more overseas wine brands and companies to do business here. Chinese companies will have to further improve their product quality and marketing strategies to keep up in the increasingly competitive wine market.