by Jamie Kim
After rising by nearly 20% in 2005 to 1.75 million cases, wine imports in South Korea grew even faster in the first half of 2006, posting gains of almost
a quarter to nearly 40 million dollars (31m ), according to Korean International Trade Association. Chile, which benefits from a free trade agreement with South Korea, led the rise with growth of 55% to over 350,000 cases, overtaking the United States at 340,000 cases for second place in the charts, but was still not able to outdistance French wine, which remains in spite of a 6% decline in volume the market leader with 470,000 cases. Italy and Spain both grew at over 40% as well, while Australia, like America, lost market share in posting only 12% gains. The potential for further growth is enormous and most analysts expect this pace to continue over the new next few years.
