Chinese enthusiasts made up the largest number of visitors at the world’s leading wine and spirits exhibition, Vinexpo 2015 in Bordeaux, with visitors from China up 14 per cent to nearly 4,000 since the last biennial trade show in 2013.

Chinese outnumbered the US, in second place among 48,500 professionals arriving from 151 countries, despite a 14.5 per cent increase in the number of buyers – followed by Spain and Italy. The economy may be slowing, but the middle class continues to grow and a survey by Vinexpo showed that, by 2018, Chinese wine consumption will grow by a further 24.8 per cent, twice as fast as that of the US.

China is the world’s fifth largest wine consumer overall, but the biggest consumer of red wine, having quaffed 1.865 billion bottles last year. The survey also shows that the Chinese find wine to be a healthier drink than the staple baijiu liquor, and also a more sophisticated tipple.

“Exhibitor confidence was boosted by the long-awaited recovery of the Chinese market after two years of decline,” said the fair’s chief executive Guillaume Deglise.

China’s position as number one source of visitors outside France “brought renewed confidence” in the global wine and spirits market.