Exporting wine to China. The back label changes rules on 16 March 2027.
When exporting wine to China the part most often got wrong is the Chinese back label. And its rules change on 16 March 2027.
Wine in China follows two labelling standards. GB 2758-2012 regulates fermented beverages and requires the alcohol strength in %vol and the warning «过量饮酒有害健康». GB 7718 regulates the label of every prepackaged food, and requires Chinese characters and the importer registered in China.
From 16 March 2027 GB 7718-2025 applies. It replaces the 2011 version and adds to the label the foreign manufacturer's registration number in China, or the one issued by the authority of its country. A wine arriving after that date follows the new standard.
Wine does not show a best-before date. GB 2758-2012 exempts it, and GB 7718-2025 confirms the exemption when the production date is on the label. With the lot number, the 2025 version also exempts wine from the production date.
This page is part of exporting wine: the documents, who issues them and when they are needed, and covers the wine label for the Chinese market. Manufacturer registration with Chinese customs, which applies to every food, is in exporting food to China, with the decree in force and the portal.
How to export wine to China: the two labelling standards
To export wine to China the label must comply with two national food safety standards: GB 2758-2012 on fermented beverages and GB 7718 on the labelling of prepackaged food. GB 2758 refers to GB 7718 for everything except alcohol strength, warning and shelf life, which it regulates itself.
| Item | What it asks | Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Language | Standard Chinese characters. Foreign text corresponds to the Chinese and is not larger. | GB 7718-2011 §3.8 |
| Alcohol strength | Expressed in %vol. | GB 2758-2012 §4.2 |
| Warning | «过量饮酒有害健康», excessive drinking is harmful to health. | GB 2758-2012 §4.4 |
| Importer | Country of origin and importer, agent or distributor registered in China. | GB 7718-2011 §4.1.6.3 |
| Manufacturer registration | From 16 March 2027, the number on the label. | GB 7718-2025 §8.3 |
| Best-before date | Wine is exempt. | GB 2758-2012 §4.5 |
The Chinese back label: language and importer
The back label uses standard Chinese characters, as required by paragraph 3.8 of GB 7718-2011. The Italian text can stay on the bottle, but it must correspond to the Chinese and cannot be written larger than the Chinese characters. The brand, the name and address of the foreign manufacturer and distributor and the website are excluded from the correspondence rule; only the brand is excluded from the size rule.
For imported products GB 7718-2011, in paragraph 4.1.6.3, requires the country of origin and the name, address and contact details of the agent, importer or distributor registered in China. The Italian manufacturer's name and address may be omitted. That is why the back label is written with the importer, who puts their own name on it.
Alcohol strength and warning: GB 2758-2012
GB 2758-2012 is the Chinese standard on fermented beverages, wine included, and it regulates three label items. Alcohol strength is expressed in %vol. The sentence «过量饮酒有害健康», excessive drinking is harmful to health, is mandatory, and others may be added. Wine is exempt from showing the shelf life.
«应标示"过量饮酒有害健康"，可同时标示其他警示语» (GB 2758-2012, paragraph 4.4: it must show "excessive drinking is harmful to health", and may also show other warnings)
Dates on the wine label until 15 March 2027
Until 15 March 2027 GB 7718-2011 applies, requiring the production date on every prepackaged food. Wine is exempt from the best-before date: paragraph 4.5 of GB 2758-2012 says so for wine and paragraph 4.3.1 of GB 7718-2011 for alcoholic beverages with at least 10% alcohol.
The rule that costs most is another one. Paragraph 4.1.7.1 of GB 7718-2011 prohibits adding the date with a sticker, reprinting it or altering it. If the date is in a different place on the package from the back label, the label must say where. That is why the production date is printed in Italy, and the back label refers to it.
What changes from 16 March 2027: GB 7718-2025
From 16 March 2027 GB 7718-2025 applies, published on 16 March 2025, replacing GB 7718-2011. For wine three things change: the manufacturer's registration number on the label, the country of bottling when it differs from the country of origin, and the two date exemptions.
Paragraph 8.3 requires, for imported products, the name, address and contact details of the importer or agent, and the foreign manufacturer's registration number in China, or the registration number issued by the authority of the manufacturer's country. The Chinese customs registration number therefore becomes a label item.
On dates, paragraph 10.1 exempts wine from the best-before and end dates when the production date is on the label. Paragraph 10.2 exempts it from the production date when the lot number is shown. How to combine the two exemptions on one bottle is agreed in writing with the importer, who is responsible for the label in China.
| Item | GB 7718-2011, until 15 March 2027 | GB 7718-2025, from 16 March 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Production date | Mandatory, never with a sticker. | Exempt if the lot number is shown. |
| Best-before date | Exempt. | Exempt if the production date is shown. |
| Manufacturer registration number | Not provided for by the labelling standard. | Mandatory. |
| Country of bottling | Not provided for. | To be shown if different from the country of origin. |
The European label stays underneath the Chinese one
The Chinese back label is added, it does not replace. Article 119 of Regulation (EU) 1308/2013 also applies to wine intended for export, as explained on the page about wine documents and its label. The differences between destination markets are in the export label, market by market.
The template, to download
One file, two sheets. The first is the back label item by item, with the Chinese standard and the paragraph next to each line. The second takes the date the wine reaches the Chinese market and tells you which version of GB 7718 applies, and what changes on production date, best-before date and registration number.
| File | What it contains | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Wine in ChinaExcel, two sheets | Thirteen back-label lines with the standard, and the version of GB 7718 that applies on your date. |
The files are free. There is no form in front of them, we don't ask for an address and we receive no notification when someone downloads them. The sheet is not an official translation of the Chinese standards: the draft back label is approved by the importer before printing.
Questions and answers
What does the label need to export wine to China?
A back label in Chinese characters with the alcohol strength in %vol, the warning about excessive drinking, the country of origin and the importer registered in China. This is required by GB 2758-2012, the Chinese standard on fermented beverages, and GB 7718, the standard on the labelling of prepackaged food.
From 16 March 2027 GB 7718-2025 adds the foreign manufacturer's registration number. Registration with Chinese customs applies to every food and is done before shipment.
Does wine exported to China have to show a best-before date?
No. Paragraph 4.5 of GB 2758-2012 exempts wine from showing the shelf life, and paragraph 4.3.1 of GB 7718-2011 exempts alcoholic beverages with at least 10% alcohol.
From 16 March 2027 GB 7718-2025 confirms the exemption for wine when the production date is on the label.
What changes for the wine label in China from 16 March 2027?
From 16 March 2027 GB 7718-2025 applies, replacing GB 7718-2011. For imported products it requires the foreign manufacturer's registration number in China, or the one issued by the authority of its country, and the country of bottling when it differs from the country of origin.
On dates, wine is exempt from the best-before date if the production date is shown, and from the production date if the lot number is shown. How to combine the two exemptions is agreed with the importer.
Can the production date be added with a sticker?
No. Paragraph 4.1.7.1 of GB 7718-2011 prohibits adding the date with a sticker, reprinting it or altering it. If the date is in a different place on the package from the label, the label must say where.
That is why the production date is printed on the bottle in Italy, and the Chinese back label refers to it.
Who writes the Chinese back label for wine?
It is written together with the importer. Paragraph 4.1.6.3 of GB 7718-2011 requires, for imported products, the name, address and contact details of the agent, importer or distributor registered in China, while the manufacturer's name and address may be omitted.
The importer is responsible for the label in China: the draft is approved by them before the lot is printed.
Notes on sources
- National Health Commission of China, GB 2758-2012, national food safety standard for fermented beverages, paragraphs 4.1, 4.2, 4.4 and 4.5. The quotation is taken verbatim from the Chinese text; the translation is ours.
- National Health Commission of China, GB 7718-2011, general standard for the labelling of prepackaged food, paragraphs 3.8, 3.8.2, 4.1.6.3, 4.1.7.1 and 4.3.1.
- GB 7718-2025, published on 16 March 2025, in force from 16 March 2027, replacing GB 7718-2011: read in the Chinese text published by the US Department of Agriculture (GAIN report), paragraphs 8.3, 8.4, 10.1 and 10.2, and in the foreword on the replacement.
- The standards were read on 25 September 2026. The translations from Chinese are Itria's and have no official value: the draft back label is approved by the importer.
For wine in China the first question is the draft back label.
Asking the importer for it before printing costs an email. Finding out it's wrong at customs costs the lot. With Itria we start from the outside to build custom digital systems for exporters. For you that translates into more requests, fewer losses and less manual work. Write us a line about what weighs on you. We take the first step: what a buyer sees when they look you up, and what we found there. Even if we don't end up working together.