SEOUL, (Yonhap) -- South Korean demand for white wine jumped in the first half of the year as consumers sought more diversity in their preferred brands, a leading local wine retailer said Friday.

Winenara Co. said 17 white wine brands were included among the top 100 best sellers at its nationwide stores in the January-June period, compared with just five a year earlier. The company sold 330,000 bottles of wine during the period.

"Traditionally, 90 percent of all wine sold in the country were red wine brands, but there has been a surging preference for white wine," said the company. "Seven brands of sparkling wine made the top selling list during the six-month period, up from just four a year earlier."

The company also said that consumers started to buy more mid-quality class wine with prices ranging from 30,000 won (US$28.30) to under 100,000 won, with demand for lower-end table wine, priced between 10,000 won to 20,000 won, falling off.

Only 16 table wine brands made the top 100 list in the first half compared to 37 the year before. The number for the mid-quality class jumped from 42 to 69, making up the bulk of all sales at Winenara stores.

The company, meanwhile, said the best-selling wine in the first half was La Ciboise red imported from France with a price tag of 29,000 won.

Although French wine had been on the defensive with the influx of cheaper Chilean wine, it has started to make a strong comeback recently even in the table wine sector, said the company, which opened its first store in 2000.

By country of origin, 33 French brands were on the top-selling list, followed by 23 from Chile and 22 from Italy, the retailer said.

(Yonhap News)