[vc_row full_screen_section_height=”no”][vc_column][vc_column_text]Long invoked as the future frontier of consumption – with a potential pool of over half a billion consumers – the dragon He is shaking off his torpor and is ready to fire.
Despite the oldest winery in the state, Château Changyu, dates back to 1892, however China has only begun to invest continuously and massively in winemaking in the last decade, becoming in 2016 the second wine producing country after Spain and the fifth wine consumer in the world (data OIV – International Organisation of Vine and Wine).
A huge amount of capital at an economic level has allowed investments that would be unthinkable elsewhere: just think of the manpower needed to cover the vineyards with earth every autumn, in the coldest regions, and then bring them back to light every spring.
The economic capital also allowed the acquisition in a very short time of a know-how of the highest level: the big Chinese companies have as consultants Masters of Wine and Bordeaux oenologists: from John Salvi MW winemaker at the Baron Balboa project of Château Changyu in Xinjiang, to Jean-Claude Berrouet, former winemaker of Pétrus serving in Rongzi where he produces mostly Cabernet, up to Château Hansen, located in Mongolia, which benefits from the experience of Bruno Paumard, former winemaker in Loire.
In recent days, moreover, the news has emerged of the first Chinese winery with Australian participation: Seppeltsfield, a winery in the Barossa Valley, has in fact started a joint venture with Minquan Jiuding Wine Company Ltd. in the province of Henan.
The region of greatest importance in terms of winemaking is Shandong, with a dry temperate climate, where over 40% of Chinese wine is produced.
The French names of the wineries, built in the likeness and image of the most famous French Châteaux, are no coincidence: to this day, wine remains a status symbol in China (the first wines to arrive were the reds of Bordeaux) and is consumed mainly outside of meals.
The the design it can be read in this light, with colours such as yellow and red, which being imperial chromatics are auspicious and help sales, even at an unconscious level – and the most recent neuroscience studies reveal how purchasing is a mostly unconscious act.
Today, China consumes around two billion bottles of red wine each year – while white wine struggles to find equal footing.
In this market, Italy has only a small portion of Chinese imports, which are around 5% in value (2,5% in volume), compared to the 40% held by the French brand and the 20% of countries such as Australia and Chile which, thanks also to special agreements that reduce duties, have managed to reach considerable goals in a short time.
But China is not only importing but also starting to export: the news from these days, reported by Drinks Business, is that the English supermarket chain Tesco has put on sale a 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon from the company Changu Moser XV at £.7,00.
And if in Europe the sale of wine continues to be a physical event, which takes place in a wine shop or supermarket, in Asia the main medium is increasingly the internet, especially when taking into consideration Millennials, second only to large-scale retail trade.
The most important search engine is Baidu, which holds approximately 70% of the market.
It is no coincidence that some of the biggest entrepreneurs on the web have decided to expand their offering to alcoholic beverages with dedicated days: from Jack Ma at the head of Alibaba with his event last September 9th at the distribution giant O2O (Online to Offline) 1919 which has recently entered into a collaboration with Vinitaly 2016.
The portal, which guarantees home delivery to the recipient in just 19 minutes and provides various discounts for every minute of delay, is witnessing exponential growth that has led it to be present in over 500 locations in China.
If up to now China – despite the opening of fairs such as Prowine on Chinese soil (the appointment in Shanghai with Prowine Asia (it is for the next 14-16 November) – did not yet have a real recognition, now this imprimatur has also arrived from the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles which has chosen, for the 2018 edition, the Beijing venue.
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