Zhang Haixiao of Nine Coast is the man behind Aldi's viral 996 wine pack

Although China’s wine market has long been in a prolonged slump, a few players continue to defy the downturn. One of them is German retail giant ALDI.

Last year, ALDI launched a “99 RMB for six bottles” wine — made from Chilean bulk wine, bottled domestically — that became an instant sensation. On ALDI’s mini program, the wine consistently tops its “most repurchased” list. Soon after, other platforms followed suit, including Meituan’s Waima Alcohol Delivery, China’s largest instant retail platform, and the fresh food e-commerce player Pupu.

It wasn’t the first “99 yuan for 6 bottles” deal to hit the market. But it was the first to wear its truth with pride. Unlike many livestreamed “996 wines” that blur the line between imported and domestic, ALDI’s open admission of its origins became its biggest asset.

Behind ALDI’s success, however, is a lesser-known powerhouse: Nine Coast Network Technology Co. (九岸高升). Known as China’s largest bulk wine trader, the company supplies original wine, handles bottling and private-label sales, and represents Chilean brand Domus Aurea in China. ALDI’s viral hit brought Nine Coast out from behind the curtain, turning it into something of a “celebrity supplier.”

In an exclusive interview with Vino Joy News, Zhang Haixiao, CEO of Nine Coast’s sales subsidiary Vin Manson, described how ALDI’s 996 wine became more than just a commercial success — it became a case study in how China’s wine and retail industries are evolving.

ALDI’s Model Becomes the Industry’s Blueprint

According to Zhang, ALDI now stands in China’s first-tier supermarket league alongside Sam’s Club, Freshippo, and Pangdonglai.

“In a retail downturn, many purchasing managers are lost,” Zhang said. “What they do now is simple: look at what the top-tier players are doing — and copy it.”

ALDI, he added, “has a blockbuster mindset.” Its collaboration with Nine Coast yielded not just one success but an expanding product line, including a new 996 white wine. “If a brand like ALDI can thrive in a cutthroat market like Shanghai, it’s only natural others want to follow,” he said.

Soon, Pupu, Waima, Chongbai Mall, and Sanjiang Shopping began ordering similar products from Nine Coast. “Now purchasing managers have a benchmark,” Zhang said. “They know what works — match ALDI’s cost, quality, and price, and you’ll have a profitable, good-quality product that consumers accept.”

Solving Wine’s Pain Points

The RMB 99 pack for 6 bottles of wine is a hit for Aldi

So what made ALDI’s 996 wine click? Zhang believes it cracked the code on what has long alienated Chinese consumers from wine. For years, wine in China has struggled with perception: too expensive, too complicated, too foreign.

“When we do market research, the feedback is almost always the same,” Zhang said. “‘It tastes bad. I don’t get it.’”

He continued: “Most red wines are too sour or astringent. People used to mix them with Sprite, but now that’s seen as tacky. So they just stop drinking wine altogether.”

Then there’s the language barrier: “Front labels are in foreign languages, back labels in awkward phonetic Chinese. Consumers can’t understand them. Spending over 100 RMB to guess what’s inside the bottle? Too risky.”

Zhang cited Penfolds as an example of clarity: “The label is simple — numbers like Bin 389, Bin 407. It’s easy to remember. That’s why so many copycats sold well too.”

ALDI’s 996, he said, solved all of that: “The front label is in Chinese, clear and accessible. The price — 99 RMB for six bottles — makes trial and error cheap. And we control acidity, tannin, and sweetness to match Chinese palates. It’s pure consumer thinking.”

Critics of the 996 wine called it a symptom of “consumption downgrade.” Zhang naturally disagrees.

“If someone drops from a 50-yuan wine to 20-yuan wine, that’s downgrade. But if someone who’s never drunk wine before now buys six bottles for 99 yuan, that’s market expansion. These are new consumers — potential wine lovers.”

The Triumph of Consumer Thinking

Zhang argues that first-tier supermarkets like ALDI, Sam’s, and Fat Donglai have done more than redefine wine sales — they’ve changed the logic of Chinese retail.

“These stores start from first principles: what does the consumer actually need?” he said. “They curate fewer SKUs, keep stores tidy, and don’t charge listing fees. Traditional supermarkets have ten brands of bottled water on one shelf — nobody needs that much choice.”

Reducing SKUs also lowers costs: less shelf space, fewer staff, less waste. “It’s an entirely new business logic,” Zhang said, “and more supermarkets are catching on.”

The Fall of Traditional Distributors

The bottling line at Nine Coast

Yet despite the viral success, Zhang says Nine Coast’s overall performance this year has merely held steady.

For decades, China’s wine consumption revolved around business banquets and gifting — particularly during Mid-Autumn Festival and Chinese New Year. But as the economy cools, those occasions have sharply declined.

At the Nanjing Autumn Sugar & Wine Fair, Zhang described a telling scene:

“Half the people were livestreaming, the other half were just background extras — blank stares, no energy,” he said. “The livestreamers looked busy, but who knows how many viewers they had? When trade fairs turn into livestream studios, it shows the old distributor model has lost its purpose.”

“Know Whether You’re a Tiger or a Bear”

When asked how wine traders can endure the downturn, Zhang’s answer is characteristically blunt.

“Keep the company lean — even one person can run it,” he said. “Outsource finance, admin, logistics, and legal. The owner should handle sales and purchasing personally — that’s where the value lies.”

He also advised simplifying product structures.

“If your clients are group buyers, you don’t need 100 SKUs,” he said. “Keep a mix like Moutai, Lafite, Penfolds, and a few profit drivers. Hold 10–20 cases for profit wines, 100–200 for traffic drivers — that’s a balanced structure.”

Zhang stressed that wine merchants should also diversify offerings and carry baijiu brands: “Otherwise, you’re handing your customers to someone else.”

Then he offered a striking metaphor:

“Imagine it’s snowing outside. You must know if you’re a Siberian tiger or a bear. Tigers can hunt in the snow; bears can only hibernate. Get it wrong — and you die. Most wine traders,” he said with a grin, “are bears.”

As for livestreaming and e-commerce, Zhang cautioned that every new channel comes with tuition fees. “If you want to go digital, build your personal brand and livestream yourself,” he said. “Like driving — learn it before you hire someone, or you’ll end up in a ditch.”