Californian winery E & J Gallo has entered into a three-year contract with e-commerce giant Alibaba.

Alibaba’s B2C Tmall service will host the winery’s flagship store on the Chinese platform, featuring 20 of its premium brands. The move intends to broaden Gallo’s market beyond the US – where it commands the largest market share at 21 per cent – to reach Alibaba’s extensive customer base in Asia.

VP and GM for Gallo Asia, Bill McMorran, said “As we have witnessed the rising sophistication of wine consumers in China, we are continuously looking for new ways to meet growing consumer demand.”

E & J Gallo’s expansion into Asia-Pacific corresponds with industry forecasts that predict solid growth in wine consumption largely driven by sales in China and the US. China is predicted to become the world’s second largest consumer of grape wines over the next five years.