“Now that China has ramped up its wine consumption, the Middle Kingdom is also gaining respect in the industry,” is how The Wall Street Journal introduced a recent article on Decanter’s 2011 ranking of the 50 most influential people in the wine industry.

“Not only do five people on the list reside in China or Hong Kong, but Asian consumption patterns are also changing the wine world,” the newspaper reported.

“The highest-ranked wine influencer in China is seventh-ranked Don St. Pierre Jr., the Canadian chief executive of ASC wines, the country’s biggest wine importer. Just behind him, in eighth place, is Wu Fei, chairman and general manager of Cofco Wines & Spirits, a Chinese state-owned company that owns the Chinese-made Great Wall brand of wines and has been on a global buying spree, snapping up vineyards in Chile and France.”