MIR Global Wine Corner

Globowines has moved! New site, new host and a new chapter for Mir Global Marketing Marketing

2009-10-21T11:12:00.000-07:00

THE NEW AND IMPROVED GLOBOWINES

http://mirglobalmarketing.com/globowinesblog

China Wine!

2009-10-06T20:18:00.000-07:00

Ho Yeow Sun, better known as Sun Ho, is a Singaporean pop music singer. Sun started her Mandarin pop singing career in 2002 and has since exploded. She has worked with the likes of Wyclef Jean, Diane Warren, The Underdogs, David Foster and Carole Bayer Sager.

Although Globowines is a bit late on bringing the existence of this video to your attention, we no less thought our readers would get a kick out of this. This song a result of a 2007 collaborated with writer/producer and Fugees co-founder Wyclef Jean. The music video was directed by Wayne Isham and featured Tony Matterhorn and Elephant Man alongside Wyclef and Sun. Wyclef was also co-writer and executive producer of Ho’s English album, due for release in 2009.

In 2008, Ho was featured in an opening spot on Wyclef’s American and Canadian concert tour, and invited to appear in his music video “Fast Car,” featuring his duet with Paul Simon.[31] She also performed “China Wine” with Wyclef at the SonyBMG Europe Music Awards After Party.

Not bad a Singaporean pop star eh? Go China Wine!

Hong Kong overtakes NY in wine auctions

2009-10-06T20:11:00.000-07:00

[Source] - AFP

Hong Kong overtakes NY, London in wine auctions
Hong Kong has overtaken New York and London as the largest wine market for two of world's biggest auction houses, the firms said Tuesday, highlighting a trend spurred by surging demand from China.

Sotheby's said its wine auction held in the southern Chinese city over the weekend, together with another one in April, have raised 14.3 million dollars.

The figure surpassed those of New York and London, which respectively recorded sales of 10.5 million dollars from four auctions and of eight million dollars from seven auctions held this year, the auction house told AFP.

Christie's also said that its recent auction results have also shown that Hong Kong is taking over New York and London as its largest wine market.

"In Sotheby's first year of selling wine in Asia, Hong Kong has become (its) most important wine centre, ahead of very successful auctions in New York and London," said Serena Sutcliffe, head of Sotheby's international wine sales.

"Sotheby's have exciting plans to build on this momentum to bring to the market top collections in 2010," she added.

Sotheby's and its rival Christie's began to hold regular wine and champagne auctions in Hong Kong after the city's government abolished duties on wine imports in 2008 in a bid to establish the city as a regional wine hub.

China's economic boom and growing demand for top French wines has become the key driver of Hong Kong's wine market, as can be seen from the increasing number of mainland Chinese bidders at the auctions.

At Sotheby's weekend sales, a Chinese bidder splashed out a record 93,077 dollars for a bottle of 1982 Chateau Petrus Imperial.

Sutcliffe said 99 percent of buyers in the two-day auction were Asian buyers, including those from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines.

The latest auction fetched almost 30 percent more than Sotheby's estimate of 6.13 million dollars.

David Elswood, head of Christie's international wine department, said its Hong Kong wine auctions had the highest average lot values among its global sales, at 150,000 dollars per lot.

"Asian buyers are very active not only in Hong Kong, but also in the international wine market," Elswood told AFP.

This spring, Asian buyers accounted for 61 percent of Christie's global wine sales in New York, London and Hong Kong, whereas they made up only seven percent of global buyers in 2005, he said.

"Buyers from Hong Kong, Taiwan and mainland China also grew substantially between last autumn and this spring at our auctions. We expect this trend to continue."

Wine in China 2009: A Market Analysis

2009-10-04T11:05:00.000-07:00

For a pricey $1320 you can get your hands on the latest market analysis of China's burgeoning wine market.

This report covers the market for alcoholic wine in the People’s Republic of China. The report covers the red, white and blended grape and sparkling wines sectors. There is also some coverage of fruit wines (normally referred to as ‘berry wines’ in China) in the report. This report does not include yellow rice wine, or Shaoxing wine.

KEY REPORT FEATURES

This recently updated report includes:
- An overview of China’s total food market with sales statistics up to interim 2009;
- The total value and volume of wine consumption, including consumption channel breakdowns and by type of wine, up to interim 2009;
- The total value and volume of wine retail sales, including by sector, up to interim 2009;
- Leading manufacturer market shares based on revenues to 2008;
- Volume & value forecast the meat market in China up to 2014;
- The retail wine market background and current issues;
- Marketing & distribution;
- SWOT analysis
- Key manufacturer profiles
- Key contacts & trade events;
- Overview of China’s demographics and macroeconomics

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

China claims over 160,000 acres of vinyards nationwide, but much is in remote areas, such as those in Tibet near Kazakhstan, where Silk Road traders brought seeds centuries ago. There is also a small native grape (Vitus thunbergii) that grows wild north of Shanghai. And Russian visitors brought plantings of Muscat and Ratsiteli to China in the early twentieth century.

Although having been started at the beginning of the 20th century, the wine industry in China has only recently begun to develop into a significant market. Chinese consumers have tended to stick to what they know, being beer and grain spirits – drinks that offer a higher alcohol level per unit than wine.

However, wines have attained consumer acceptance, not least due to Chinese politburo member Li Peng, who decreed that state banquets should be lubricated with wine instead of spirits in 1996. The influence of western eating and drinking habits have been key in this, as have rising average incomes in China. Indeed, wine is now becoming the fashionable drink for the wealthy younger generations in China’s cities, and the “badge” drink of China’s wealthiest élite.

The value of the market has more than doubled over the last seven years, and has become much more sophisticated. Not only are there more foreign wine imports available in restaurants and in the shops, but the number, variety and quality of domestic wines has also increased. This has served the market by providing local consumers with a greater array of cheaper products to try.

However, the domestic market has moved on, and domestic wines are now reaching a level of quality that they can compete on price with imported wines, and even look to developing an export market. However, the domestic market is where most Chinese wineries are looking to develop their sales. With about 600 million young Chinese, all exploring new types of alcoholic drinks, the potential market for sales of wine in the future is great.

Click here to order your copy

Entrepreneur Newswire: Bringing ideas to the market

2009-09-17T16:09:00.000-07:00

Reuters Small Business presents expansion pitches from upstarts across the country:

The average consumer doesn't often think about how their favorite toothbrush ends up in their local shop, but for the five founders of Nulogy, the process of bringing products from idea to marketplace has become their expertise.

Armed with a web-based management software, the company has been helping major brands in the U.S. and Canada to work more effectively since 2001.

Now co-founder Jason Tham says they are looking to expand their business beyond North America.

Here is his pitch:

Wine in South Korea -- new market and company analysis

2009-09-15T14:52:00.001-07:00

Sorry folks. As they say, "there's no such thing as a free lunch." If you clicked into this site from some a search you just made on Google expecting to find a copy of this report for free, you have come to the wrong place.

Nonetheless, as a website which strives to keep readers current on wine markets in Asia I thought it would be a nice to share the existence of such a report with readers involved in the South Korean Wine Market. The report is described as follows:

The Wine in South Korea industry profile is an essential resource for top-level data and analysis covering the wine industry. It includes detailed data on market size and segmentation, plus textual and graphical analysis of the key trends and competitive landscape, leading companies and demographic information.

Scope
* Contains an executive summary and data on value, volume and/or segmentation
* Provides textual analysis of the industry’s recent performance and future prospects
* Incorporates in-depth five forces competitive environment analysis and scorecards
* Includes a five-year forecast of the industry
* The leading companies are profiled with supporting key financial metrics
* Supported by the key macroeconomic and demographic data affecting the market

Highlights
* Detailed information is included on market size, measured by value and/or volume
* Five forces scorecards provide an accessible yet in depth view of the market’s competitive landscape
* Market shares are covered by manufacturer or brand

Why you should buy this report
* Spot future trends and developments
* Inform your business decisions
* Add weight to presentations and marketing materials
* Save time carrying out entry-level research

Market Definition

The wine market consists of fortified wine, sparkling wine and still wine. The market is valued according to retail selling price (RSP) and includes any applicable taxes. Any currency conversions used in the compilation of this report have been calculated using constant annual average exchange rates. Market shares by company or distribution channel are calculated on the basis of market volume in 2008.

Asia-Pacific comprises Australia, China, Japan, India, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan.

The report runs about £145.00, yes that's right, British Pounds... not US Dollars.

To purchase your copy of the report please visit: http://www.companiesandmarkets.com/Summary-Market-Report/wine-in-south-korea-155874.asp

South African Wine in China; what to learn from the experience of others?

2009-09-15T14:14:00.000-07:00

Stumbled upon a great article this afternoon, "Promoting South African Wine in China." Originally sourced from allafrica.com, you can access the article via this link directly.

The article discusses the failure of official promotional strategies of Brand South Africa wines.

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No matter from which angle you look at it, however, SA wines are promoted too irregularly in China, if at all, and for the most part China's burgeoning middle class has little inkling that our country produces any wine, never mind being a source of excellent wines.

French wines sell themselves with little effort due to an enviable country brand positioning they hold in China. Australian wines, especially the Jacob's Creek brand, is advertised so extensively that its posters could rival Coca-Cola billboards in Africa. All this while this year we celebrate 350 years of SA producing wine, yet nothing is being done to generate awareness of this in China.

[South Africa Vineyard ~ http://www.ultimatehideaways.co.uk/]

Yet while this logic is apparent to most, SA wine exporters seem either completely ignorant of China's growing consumption market - or are so utterly scared of the foreign of foreign markets - that it is not even considered. Of equal concern are the companies already exporting to China that do little to promote their brands in the local market; for them I have included some takeaway points.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Much like Mir Global's own efforts in promoting Argentinean wines, a major challenge has been to educate the Chinese consumer on the mere fact South Africa even produces wine.

The author describes one particular situation where Cloof Wines of South Africa combined cultural and historical education with a marketing event they hosted at a South African restaurant in Beijing. Upon learning about South Africa in such a situation, the culturally curious Chinese became eager to sample a "exotic" bottle from a place like South Africa.

Cloof Wines is a South African company which has signed up with a large Chinese distributor but is also seeking further opportunities in other market segments within China that the distributor does not target.

From our experience we feel this is the ideal way to approach entering the Chinese market with a novel and niche product like South African wine. The distributor instantly enables a particular wine to begin branding itself with the Chinese consumer. If your wine has found success, or a potential client sees that you are already operating and have a presence in the market, he/she will be far more willing to do business with a entity it already perceives as legitimate and having experience in the China market.

I definitely suggest reading this article, which inspired this small analysis at Globowines. It presents two clear wine marketing strategies for the China market--one which the author of the article feels to have succeeded, and the other which he feels has failed.

~ Bennett Reiss - International Trade Consultant at Mir Global Marketing LLC

Hong Kong Food & Wine Year - Best Place. Best Taste

2009-09-14T10:10:00.001-07:00

October 30 - November 1, 2009 at West Kowloon Waterfront Promenade

Hong Kong's first vintage

2009-09-13T20:43:00.000-07:00

"Product of Hong Kong" is new to Asia's multi-billion dollar wine industry, but The 8th Estate Winery has produced the region's first vintage."

[Source] -- Reuters

Globowines Newswire: China's domestic wine industry

2009-09-12T11:28:00.000-07:00

Globowines Newswire: Wines from China - An inside story -- By Rajiv Seth

[Source] -- The Indian Wine Academy
*** Please note. Only 1-2 paragraph excerpts from the different topics Seth covers in his article of China's domestic wine industry have been posted here. To access the full article click here.

[Pingyao, China -- Shaanxi Province 2006]

China is associated with a variety of things, from food to martial arts but few in India link it with wine. However, the world's fifth largest vineyard area and the seventh largest in production, according to OIV, the importance of Chinese Wines is growing, writes Rajiv Seth.

China has a long history of wine production. Chinese literature recounts the introduction of grapes from modern Uzbekistan during the Han dynasty (136 to 121 BC) and their planting in Xi'an, the legendary eastern terminus of the Silk Road near China's Yellow River.

The Modern Era

The modern wine era in China began with the communist takeover in 1949. State-owned wineries were built and expanded. The term wine traditionally has a different meaning in Chinese culture than in the west. Jiu, which literally means alcohol, was used on all labels until recently, not allowing for the distinction among, alcoholic beverages. Rice-based alcohol is also referred to as wine. Modern Chinese winemakers now make an effort to specify grape wine by labeling with the term butajiu. The term wine is still widely misunderstood in China.

In 1978, Chinese government opened the door for the modernization through international involvement and by emphasizing wine consumption to help curb the national thirst for alcoholic beverages. Indeed, the Communist Party decreed that consumption should change from grain liquor to fruit liquor in 1987. The 1990s saw a decline in state-owned wineries, but an increase in foreign investment, modernization, and western technology.

The Current Scenario

More then 100 wineries have been established since the National People's Congress in 1966 decreed that Chinese must reduce their consumption of grain alcohol, and switch to wine. Since then, the government has encouraged state-run 'wine manufacturing plants' to grow western grape varieties...

The Domestic Wine Industry

China has more than 300 wineries. Most of this development has been in areas near Beijing, in the eastern maritime region of Shandong. The industry is dominated by six large producers who account for about 55% of the total production. The average capacity of Chinese wineries is approximately 2000 tons, with 70% of the producers under 1000 tons. The more predominant wineries include Changyu, Great Wall, Dynasty, and Dragon Seal, all producing over 10,000 tons. Wine production in China in 2005 was 434,000 tons, an increase of 14% from 2004.

Standards and Appellations

Some wineries still use flavor essence, ethyl alcohol, sweetening, agents, and water to produce wines. There have been attempts to establish standards like an AOC type appellation system. New standards and types are evolving, including premium wine and ice wine which is produced in the extremely cold Xinjiang region and is available in abundance in stores in most big cities. Regulations are being put into effect to control raw materials, regional identity, variety, and vintage...

Vines and Viticulture

China has 26 indigenous vine species and hundreds of grape varieties. These are used to produce mainly low-end wines. Widespread introductions from Russia, including Muscat along with Italian Riesling, make acceptable, if not noteworthy products. Among the most common are Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and the mysterious Cabernet Gernischt.

Shandong Province is roughly at the same latitude as California. Cool Pacific breezes moderate the temperature, which ranges from about 3°C in winter to 26°C during the summer. Monsoons come from the South China Sea, although spring is usually dry, and summers and autumns wet...

Winemaking Process

Virtually every winemaker harvests grapes based on sugar; measures of TA, pH. Aroma evaluation are not of common concern. Fermentation is conducted in modern stainless steel, concrete, French 200-L barrels, or in some cases very old wooden (oak) fermentors, with or without temperature control. Red wine cap management is not a large concern and consists almost entirely of pumping over. Practices such as cold soak, bleeding, and delestage are not practices and none of the producers is involved in the process maceration...

Dry Wines and food pairing

Dry wines have over taken sweet and semi-sweet wine production in the past 12 years. Sales of still red wines represent about 70 percent of the total. This seemed odd, since Chinese food does not go well with red wines. However, food and wine pairing, is not part of Chinese culture.

Marketing a dream or nightmare

China can be considered both a western wine marketer's dream and nightmare. Wine consumption is rising faster than domestic production, currently allowing imports to make up the balance. Beginning January 1, 2001, Chinese tariffs on wine have fallen from 44.5% to 14%. This dramatic reform was brought on as part of China's accession to the WTO, and has substantially changed the domestic wine market. Given the traditionally low incomes, the majority of wines must be sold at low prices- a problem in light of the fact that taxes account for about 50% of the retail price of imported wine. Domestic wine can sell for about 20 RMB/L ($4), with the very expensive ones at about $20.

About the author -- Rajiv Seth became the first Indian in the year 1987 to receive a gold medal from wine and sprint education trust, London. Presently he is making continues efforts in educating the lab assistants of a number of wineries on procedures of micro vinification through his manuals.

[Source] -- The Indian Wine Academy

HK Supermarket Golden Dragon Holdings Registers Private Wine Label in China

2009-09-11T13:58:00.001-07:00

Golden Dragon Holdings, Inc. is a Chinese company which conducts the majority of its food and beverage business in the Asia-Pacific Rim economies. The company's functions as a importer, exporter and distributor of staple, organic, specialty, gourmet and foreign foods and beverages.

This week, Gold Dragon Holdings announced that it had registered its new trademark for its private label wine, "Endless Wines." Both the red and white wines are made from a blend of exclusive grapes from Spain's Rioja region.

The company mission statement is simple. "Good food, high-quality food, wholesome, healthy, and delicious food". Gold Dragon Holdings strives to help independent producers and growers worldwide of fine quality foods, introduce their products to China and other areas in the Asia region.

Chief Operating Offiicer, Mr. Cesar Cuenca explained in this article "We have identified a unique niche in the wine market in China, we call this niche the 100RMB retail wine market. Typically imported wine in China sells at a higher end of the wine market, we have selected exceptional grapes to start producing high quality red and white wines at reasonable cost to consumers. Good wine does not mean expensive wine."

I highly recommend checking out the full article linked here and in the above paragraph because it is full of the company's assessment of various elements of the China wine market.

Current State:

China is a large emerging country with an amazing potential of wine consumption. The influence of western eating, drinking habits and rising average incomes have been key factors in the fast development of wine market in China. China has stepped into one of the ten largest wine consumption markets in the world. The value of the market has more than doubled over the last five years and a lot of signs are showing a bright future of China wine market.

Growth Rate:

What greatly spurs the speedy growth of imported wines from wine producers around the world, such as France, Italy, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Argentina, South Africa, Austria, US and some other European traditional wine-producing countries. The annual growth rate of imported wines is up to 13-15%.

Targeted customers:

Wine is now becoming the fashionable drink for the wealthy younger generations in China's cities, and the "badge" drink for China's wealthiest elite. With about 600 million young Chinese exploring new types of alcoholic drinks, the potential market for sales of wine in the future is so great without any doubt.

SOURCE Golden Dragon Holdings, Inc.

http://www.gdfbhk.com

The Long Island Wine Experience

2009-09-10T11:38:00.001-07:00

Just finished updating the loose outline of Mir Global Marketing LLC's new Long Island Experience section.

For all the readers of Globowines, we invite you to take a sneak peak --

The Long Island Wine Experience

Click through the subsections on the tap at the top to see all the updates!

~ Bennett

New World Wines conquer the show at Decanter World Wine Awards

2009-09-03T10:26:00.000-07:00

Wines of the New World have stolen the spotlight at this years Decanter World Wine Awards in Covent Garden, London. Of the 24 international trophies, 15 went to New World, 9 to the old world.

“Chile has proven itself a producer of some of the finest Sauvignon, Riesling, Pinot Noir and Cabernet blends in the world,” writes Adam Lechmere of Decanter.com.

Other highlights from the event include:

International Trophies for Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Noir and Bordeaux Varietals all went to Chile at a glittering dinner in the Floral Hall at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden.

The trophy for best Sauvignon Blanc Over £10 went to Undurraga's TH from San Antonio, which judges described as 'Crisp, herbal, grassy and zesty, appealing elegant and expressive.'

Cono Sur's Riesling won the Under £10 in that category, for its Bio Bio Valley Reserva 2008, with its 'racy nose of lime, honey, grapefuit and ripe peach with hints of mineral and kerosene'.

And for the fourth time in the past five years the Red Single Varietal trophy Under £10 went to an Argentinian Malbec: this year, the Malbec aka Rodolfo Sadler from Opi Sadler in Mendoza.

Click here for a full list of awards, including international trophy winners

Click here to read more about Decanter's World Wine Awards from Adam Lechmere's article “Chile triumphs at Decanter World Wine Awards,”

[Source] – Decanter.com

In China, taste for wine comes of age ~ The Hindu

2009-08-24T11:54:00.001-07:00

During Mir Global's recent promotional trip in China I was lucky enough to be enlightend about North-Eastern China's drinking habits. Dongbei ren as they are called in Mandarin seem to love to drink.

This article, "In China, taste for wine comes of age," published by the Hindu is a interesting summary of Ananth Krishnan's perspective on the ever developing Chinese wine palate.

I've copy and pasted a few excerpt for your viewing pleasure and I recommend checking out the full article by clicking here or on one of the other various links I've provided in this post.

Deep in the cellars of a sprawling industrial complex in China’s northern Hebei province, a row of giant steel vats runs as far as the eye can see. At first glance, they seem to be just another massive manufacturing plant in China’s northern industrial heartland. But the vats in this cellar do not hold chemicals or dyes. Each container holds some 1,000 tonnes of grapes, and this plant in Hebei’s Huailai County is at the heart of China’s wine revolution.

A local girl serves wine to greet college volunteers in Guiyang Railway Station
Guiyang, capital of southwest China's Guizhou Province. Photo: Xinhua

In China, even the business of wine, that most refined of indulgences, is all about quantity. The country now has the world’s fastest growing market for wine, with an estimated 600 million consumers. In 2007, Chinese wine consumption was estimated at a huge 800 million bottles. (India’s annual consumption is around 10 million bottles.)

The import of high-end European wines has been steadily rising in the affluent southern cities of Shanghai and Guangzhou. Now, more high-end boutique wines, set up as collaborations with European houses, have begun to emerge such as Grace Vineyards in Shanxi, which was set up by Spain’s well-known Torres wine house.

Bolivia's burgeoning wine industry

2009-08-21T15:07:00.000-07:00

Back on June 16th Mir Global ran a small piece on South America's numerous wine producing regions (click here to read). The basic premise of the blog post was to share with readers around the world that wines are produced across Latin America.

Chile and Argentina are unarguably the regional leaders in wine production, with their wines now common place in international markets around the world. Nonetheless, it would be unwise to overlook the potential of other up and coming producers from other countries in Latin America.

Of the many countries that do produce wine in South America, Bolivia is one country Mir Global Marketing is largely ignorant about. I stumbled upon this interesting from the Global Post this afternoon about Bolivia's burgeoning wine scene and I must say I'm intrigued.

Photo: John Enders, Global Post

Here is a small excerpt from the article, A hidden high-altitude treasure; Bolivia’s Tarija region produces great wines — it's just hard to find them outside the country.

Even the French will admit that Chilean and Argentine vinos can be as good as they come. But Bolivian wine? Well, just wait. If you haven't tried a fine merlot, syrah, cabernet sauvignon, malbec or sauvignon blanc from this small but expanding wine-producing area in southern Bolivia, you're in for a tasty surprise.

Bolivians long have had a passion for their national drink, singani, a grape brandy distilled from muscatel grapes, but as recently as a decade ago, locals turned up their noses at their own wines, preferring to buy excellent and inexpensive ones from their southern neighbors.

Today, however, Tarija's major winemakers — Kohlberg, La Concepcion, Aranjuez, and Campos de Solana — are supplying the national market and sending their wines abroad, especially to Europe. Their secret: altitude.

...

Bolivia’s modern wine industry began some 40 years ago when Julio Kohlberg and others brought new varietals, mostly reds, to production. Nobody is really sure, but it is estimated that about 4,942 acres are under cultivation in the Tarija region. Producers began exporting about a decade ago but have been stifled by a lack of investment, marketing and stable access to markets.

Click here to access the complete article from the Global Post

Casual observations about the developing wine palate of the Chinese consumer

2009-08-20T10:08:00.001-07:00

Looking back on my most recent business trip to China to promote Mir Global's wines and last night's Sister City Networking Event in Chicago which Mir Global was present at, the two grapes the new Chinese wine consumer seem to prefer are Sauvignon Blanc and Malbec.

This doesn't mean it is as simple as pitching quality bottles of each of these types of wines to importers / distributors in China. For starters, Chinese by and large have never heard of Malbec and when it comes to white wines you are always fighting against the current because about 70% of the wine consumed in China is red.

Cabernet Sauvignon's dry, deep tannin full tastes are seldom well received in China. Wine experts and sophisticated consumers do exist, but these consumers are not representative of the greater wine market.

When it comes to Chardonnay, a young wine which has not been aged in french oak and has a sweet almost fresh taste (which reminds me of Sauvignon Blanc) can work. However, finding a young Chardonnay which has these qualities is quite difficult. It is a great deal easier to find a Chardonnay from California that does have a drier, woody taste... sadly Chardonnay's of this style (which are very popular in the US), are not what the unrefined Chinese wine palate seems to prefer

A friend of mine who is marketing French wines to China has also found Viognier to be quite conducive with the Chinese palate. The floral fruity aromas of a Viognier, attract the Chinese to the wine and when paired with food it goes superbly with spicy Asian cuisine such as Thai food.

Sauvignon Blanc's fruity and vibrant aromas along with its crisp and refreshing taste seem to draw the Chinese wine drinker in. During last night's networking event in Chicago, I was particularly intrigued by the overwhelming positive reaction of women who sampled Palmer Vineyard's 2008 Sauvignon Blanc.

Palmer's Sauvignon Blanc gives the wine drinker a refreshing and crisp experience. It is almost as if this particular wine has a subtle carbonated kick to it. Not strong enough to think you are drinking a wine spritzer, but just enough to give it a unique kick and not overcompensate other elements of the wine.

Moving onto Malbec's, Argentina's pride and joy. Many describe Malbec as a versatile red wine, and this is exactly what it is. Malbec in my mind, is almost a hybrid of characteristics commonly associated with other reds such as Merlot, Cabernet and Pinot Noir. Malbec's which have been aged in french oak retain their berry, fruity substance while also balancing in a magical way with the dry and intense tannin's typically associated with a full bodied red wine.

** Reminder to all readers, opinions expressed in this entry are my own and should be not treated as fact. Thank you.

~ Bennett Reiss - International Trade Consultant at Mir Global Marketing LLC

Tango

2009-08-14T17:02:00.000-07:00

Courtesy of the Global Post:

Latin American dance and culture is alive and growing in Beijing

2009-08-11T09:11:00.000-07:00

Mir Global Marketing LLC has always emphasized the importance of including clever ways to promote and educate Chinese consumers about Latin American culture when marketing wines from Chile and Argentina.

For the record we practice what we preach. For all our readers out there, you also know that we love to share insight and encourage discussion about the world of wine here at our company blog, Globowines.

For you're viewing pleasure, a short video I personally recording in Beijing this past month and feel articulates my feelings on how China is hungry for "Latin America".

I stumbled upon this little party at a mall called "The Place." I was strolling around a new upscale neighborhood about 4km from the Forbidden City when I found a shopping complex with the world's largest LCD screen, which doubles as a ceiling, alternating between different eye dropping images.

Reporting in after 22 days of marketing wines in China

2009-08-06T05:17:00.000-07:00

Mir Global Marketing LLC has completed it's summer tour of China, and what a journey is has been! What do we have to report? Well, quite a bit. Since it is too much to compile into one simple blog entry, I have decided to begin with some travel advice and general words of wisdom about doing business in China.

July 13 -- New York City --> Beijing (12.5 hours on Continental's direct flight.) Highly recommend anyone traveling to China from the New York City area and not obligated to any specific carrier book their ticket on this flight. You save between 4-8 hours in additional travel time / transfer time at airports. You do not risk missing a connecting flight, and the service on the plane is quite good for a US owned airline. The one negative side is the cranky American flight attendants, which you do not find if you're traveling JAL, Cathay, Asiana, etc.

Arrival in Beijing was quick and easy. Customs allowed me to pass with more wine than I was probably legally allowed to bring, I recovered from jet lag quite fast and was out on the town showcasing our wines from Chile and Argentina by my second night.

After reconvening with Xu Wenquan, Mir Global Marketing's director of sales in China/ Asia we set out a game plan for how to best approach diverse selection of potential buyers / contacts. We would need to fine tune our marketing strategy for three different market segments.

- Chinese government owned entities.

- Chinese entrepreneurs / business owners of bars and night clubs which cater China's rising middle and upper class. In other words, the sons and daughters of wealthy Chinese who are looking to make a name for themselves and are have chosen to start a business. Not with the goal of attracting foreign customers (although they would not object), bur rather China's new consumers looking for a good time and some nice drinks.

- Western operated and privately owned establishments in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. These type of businesses cater to China's trendy, diverse, metropolitan cultures. I define this group as a mix of foreigners and urban Chinese you would find at a popular bar in a major city like Beijing.

Now, I present a few words of wisdom for those considering to do business in China. These are my own opinions, and I welcome those who would like to discuss any of these points. Please add your comments below or drop me a email, bennett.reiss (at) gmail.com

1. The more interaction you have with China, and the longer you stay, the more you realize how little you truly know and understand the country. Don't think a mere semester or two of studying in China, speaking Chinese, reading books about "doing business in China," foreign policy or cultural communication classes make you a expert. They do not.

2. What you learned in business school will not necessarily apply in China. You must cautiously and selectively archive into the back of your mind what you have come to accept as common business practices. What you learned in all those over-priced business classes will usually not apply in China. This is especially true when dealing with Chinese partners, be it from the private sector or a government owned entity.

3. Smile. Even if you are impatient, frustrated, mentally a mess, cranky, jet lagged, suffering from heart break, or angry with life itself... Smile and put a face that mixes happy, calm and confident all in one. The moment you allow what you have bottled up inside to show, vis-à-vis body language or with words, you have lost the battle. You will fail at negotiating a cheaper hotel, you will fail to convince your taxi driver to take the shorter route and you will fail in business negotiation. A calm, collected persona and a smile go a long way in China. Remember this.

4. Keep an open mind and remain flexible as to adapt to any given situation you face. It is popular in western cultures to look for a logical explanation for something you do not understand or a problem you may face. Westerners also tend to believe it is possible to control things like your schedule. Many times in China, there is no logical answer, and controlling things is quite difficult when you are operating in a country as complex and large as China. Accept this now, before you lose your mind, and therefore compromise all the elements I described above in point #3.

5. Dress to impress if you're doing business. Even if its hot and humid, put on that suit and leave the tie and jacket behind. As they say, you only get one first impression. When you're dealing with a Chinese businessman/ woman, it is incredibly important to do all in your power to make your first meeting as professional as possible.

** Reminder to all readers, opinions expressed in this entry are my own and should be not treated as fact. Thank you.

~ Bennett Reiss - International Trade Consultant at Mir Global Marketing LLC

South American Wines (南美洲葡萄酒) growing popularity

2009-06-16T06:59:00.000-07:00

Did you know that wine is produced throughout Latin America? Chile and Argentina have been able to successfully break into the international market but they are by no means the only players in the market.

A few months ago Sophie Kevany, a journalist for Decanter based in Lima, contacted me and explained she was writing an article on South American wine harvests.

[Courtesy of http://www.robgroh.com/maps.htm]

I was immediately interested due to a focus of her article being on wines from countries other than South America's traditional producers. Her research has yielded a incredibly informative article, which you can access through clicking here.

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In Brazil sparkling wine exports were up 18% in value for the first three months, with much of the wine going to America and Germany, Wines from Brazil said

Overall exports were also positive. Brazil aims to export US$6m this year, with US$2.3m already confirmed for January to April.

...

At the higher end there was also positive news. In Peru, Tacama � which produces wines in the $10 to $40 bracket retail - said export values were up 10% in the first quarter.

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Click here to access Sophie Kevany's article in its entirety

Click here to check out Decanter.com -- a great resource for keeping up to date with developments and new trends in the wine industry

Click here to follow Decanter.com's news feed on Twitter

Yunnan Province -- Well kept secret of China's burgeoning wine culture

2009-06-11T07:29:00.001-07:00

High on wine: Forget a wine cellar, China’s Yunnan province has a wine tower

by Maggie Rauch

The city of Kunming, capital of Yunnan (South of the Clouds) province, sits at 1,900 meters (about 6,200 feet). One day that might mean interesting things for wine making, but right now it just means that the city is home to China’s national high-altitude training center for Olympic athletes. That base, bizarrely enough, is also home to one of the coolest hidden places to buy and consume wine in China.

The Haigeng National Training Base is about a 20-minute drive from the city center, a stone’s throw from Dianchi Lake, China’s sixth largest inland body of water, on the side opposite Kunming’s Western Hills.

Western Hills of Kunming

Until a few months ago, the first sign you could see of Haigeng from the road was a drab cement water tower that looked like the kind of place where one might brew performance-enhancing cocktails for weightlifters and swimmers.

Since being taken over by an American businessman who built a miniature golf course on the site, the water tower has been painted a much more playful bright yellow and transformed into one of the coolest places in China to uncork a bottle of wine. The tower is the centerpiece of the new Hello! Haigeng Mini Golf Park, which has a big restaurant on the first floor and a tiki bar on the second floor patio.

You enter the wine cellar–which I guess is technically a wine tower–with the permission of the proprietor, from a door next to the tiki bar’s VIP cabanas. Inside, brick walls, hardwood flooring and soft lighting give the place a cool and surprisingly rustic vibe.

Sit on one of the cushioned benches and order a Syrah, and you might forget that you’re above one of China’s first mini golf parks, in the place where its top divers and soccer players train, inside a bright yellow water tower. Now sip your Syrah, remember where you are, and think about how surreal it is.

Click here to read Maggie's entire article at the Grape Wall of China

[Source] -- Grape Wall of China

Opportunity knocks for Argentinean and Chilean wine exports to China

2009-06-08T06:14:00.000-07:00

[Mir Global Wine Corner Analysis] -- HKTDC article, "China's wine imports slowing."

China's wine imports are slowing reports HKTDC in this article. Wine imports increased a incredible 100% between 2006-2007 but slowed between 2008-2009, growing only 36%. None the less, total imports reached a impressive 6,389,439 cases, or 76,673,268 bottles of wine, making China the world's largest wine import market (once again according to this HKTDC article).

Despite the slow down, the macro picture of China's wine market is still overwhelming positive for wine exporters, especially for lower cost producers in the Southern Hemisphere.

The challenge for Argentinean and Chilean producers will be to figure out a way in which to take advantage of a more conservative and cost conscious Chinese consumer in the midst of the global economic downturn.

The HKTDC article, is of the opinion that the biggest winner from slowing wine imports will be China's domestic producers. While this may be partially true, Mir Global Marketing Co., attributes the rise in the consumption of domestically produced Chinese wine to other far more significant market factors.

1) The global slowdown has forced consumers around the world to cut back on luxury spending and to be more cost conscious. For the Chinese wine consumer who has yet to develop their wine pallet and is exploring wine for their first time, it makes sense they would economically rationalize to spend 20 rmb on a Chinese bottle versus 120 rmb on a French bottle.

2) Wine demand in China can partially be attributed to the symbolism behind wine. As the great American author Ernest Hemingway once said, "Wine is the most civilized thing in the world." If you are a Chinese consumer who has yet to develop your personal wine preferences and are trying to network in the business or political world where it is a good thing to appear "sophisticated," you might be able to accomplish this with a Chinese bottle of wine. So, why invest in a expensive French or Italian bottle of wine?

Although, if a lower-middle class university student was about to meet with the head of Google's Recruiting Office in Beijing, and had never tasted wine in his/her life, I think it would justify dipping into your savings for a French bottle of wine. But, if you're simply going out for a nice drink with some friends on a Friday night to the Beijing's bar district, splitting a bottle of French wine when you don't know what you're tasting will not be a common site.

To further explain:

A considerable amount of wine demand in China is generated from a new elite class of consumers with considerable spending power who can afford expensive wines and liquors. This includes, the rising class of sophisticated, metropolitan consumers in cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. Businessmen and women. Politicians. Wealthy university students. Chinese who have lived abroad. And of course, foreigners living or visiting China.

However, the majority of China's new wine consumers can not afford to indulge in relatively expensive bottles of wine, especially in times of economic uncertainty. What is more likely to occur is the new middle class consumers in 2nd and 3rd tier Chinese cities like Harbin, Dalian, Suzhou, Chongqing, Kunming, Taiyuan, etc will attempt to emulate (the best they can) China's new class of rising elites.

This has been the case in societies around the world since the dawn of civilization.

The main difficulty for Argentine and Chilean producers at the moment is convincing the very brand conscious Chinese to trust the quality of their products. France remains synonymous with quality when it comes to wine, while wines from Italy, Australia and Chile have had to struggle for years to build a trusting image with Chinese consumers.

Opportunity has come knocking at the door. Before you answer, just make sure you and your company are ready.

Bennett Reiss - International Trade Consultant at Mir Global Marketing Co.

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China's Wine Imports Slowing -- HKTDC

"China has always been the biggest market of wine imports globally. However, the situation is changing. With the rise of China's domestic wine production, China's import of wine is on a downward turn.

After world renowned brands Hennessy, Remy Martin and Martell, Courvoisier's Napoleon wine, one the four top-class brands of wine in the world has announced its formal entry into the Chinese market. Not long ago, Hennessy announced the debut of its Iridescence, a world classic type X.O. on the China market, alleging that China was its biggest consumption market for the first time.

Although various brands of imported wine products have poured into China's market, the import growth has slowed down. According to statistics from the customs, China's import of packed wine of less than two litres slowed down its growth last year, and the import of wine in packaging of more than two litres has stayed at the same level for three successive years. After hefty rises of about 100% in the 2006-2007 period, China's import of wine was 6,389,439 cases of packages of less than two litres (nine litres per case), rising 36% year on year.

The increase of raw materials for wine production has weakened China's dependence on import. With the expansion of planting areas for grapes, the raw materials for wine production have increased gradually. However, with increasing expansion of China's wine market, there will be more and more foreign brands of wine entering the China market, indicating more fierce competition for China's wine- making industry in the coming years. "

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French Wine Exports Will Decline 20%, Winemakers Say

2009-06-05T05:49:00.000-07:00

By Ladka Bauerova - Bloomberg

French wine exports will decline at least 20 percent this year as wholesalers become reticent to restock during the recession and consumers drink less in bars and restaurants, industry executives said today.

Sales are suffering in the U.S., U.K. and Japan, Claude de Jouvencel, head of France’s Federation of Wine Exporters and chief operating officer of Grand Marnier, said after the signing of an agreement with the French customs office and the Finance Ministry to assist winemakers with obtaining
medium-term loans. Champagne makers will also see a 20 percent decline in sales by volume this year, according to Yves Dumont, the non-executive chairman of Grand Siecle producer Laurent-Perrier SA.

“High-end wines are suffering the most,” de Jouvencel said in an interview. “Next year will remain difficult, but we may see a little growth since the stock will be readjusted.”

Revenue is falling in Russia where many wholesalers, unable to get credit, have fallen behind with payments, de Jouvencel said. Growth in China has been reduced by half, while sales are stagnating in France, he added.

LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA, the maker of Dom Perignon, said in April that champagne sales by volume plunged 35 percent in the first quarter as drinkers chose to economize with cheaper sparkling wines.

The customs office has pledged to provide fiscal data on individual winemakers as an additional guarantee to banks.

“Some winemakers have had trouble financing their day-to- day operations because banks would give them only one-year loans,” Jerome Fournel, the director of the French Customs Office, said in an interview. “This will help them get the financing they need against their wine stock.”

[Source] -- Bloomberg

2009 Southern Hemisphere Wine Harvests -- Chile, Argentina, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand

2009-06-02T14:51:00.000-07:00

The results are out, the reviews have been written, and now its time to sample the 2009 wine harvest. At lease this is the case for producers in the Southern Hemisphere of the world.

As producers in North America and Europe watch their grapes ripen, vintners in Argentina, Chile, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand are preparing to sample their first bottles of 2009.

A healthy growing season is paramount in the process of ultimately producing a quality wine. This is of course why certain regions in the world excel in wine making. These regions are blessed with extremely conducive climates for growing grapes used in wine making. This is why regions like Mendoza, Argentina have historically been known to consistently produce high quality wines. Click here to read more about the region of Mendoza from Mir Global Marketing's home page)

This article from the Winespectator.com provides links to the publications reports on how the 2009 grapes have turned out in Chile, Argentina, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Argentina: Heat spike hurts Argentine white wines, but reds weather the warmth

Chile: A warm and dry year leads to ripe wines and slightly higher yields

South Africa: South Africa's wine regions enjoy a cool, dry season, producing quality across the board

Australia: Yields are down in most regions, but a cool, dry season may have produced elegant reds

New Zealand: A moderate growing season bodes well for the country's reds and whites

To access complete country harvest and grape reports from the Winespectator.com, please click on each respective country link

Western wine descriptions; lost in translation

2009-05-29T13:03:00.000-07:00

Asian consumers struggle to understand traditional Western wine language
by Suzannah Ramsdale of Decanter

Asian consumers struggle to grasp traditional Western wine descriptions, says Jeannie Cho Lee MW.

Writing in this month's Decanter, Cho Lee explains that wine writers need to discover new ways to communicate with Asian wine drinkers, but that it may take two generations to come up with a language that is relevant and meaningful to Asian wine lovers.

The traditional Western language of wine has been subject to inaccurate translations and means little to many Asian consumers, according to Cho Lee.

When it comes to the Asian palate there is a need for more familiar reference points which relate to their cuisine and dining habits.

For example, wine drinkers in Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore appreciate the subtle elements in mature fine wines, which share the same restrained characters as some of the most-sought after ingredients in Asia such as sea urchin, Kobe beef and shark's fin.

Similarly, the tolerance level for tannins varies depending on whether the consumer is a regular drinker of tea or bitter vegetables such as ginseng and radish. For those people, full-bodied tannic red wines are extremely enjoyable.

Cho Lee points out that while wine drinkers in the West may describe a Shiraz as having notes of black pepper, liquorice, game and bacon fat, Asian consumers will refer to Tandoori spice, roasted goose or char siu (barbecued pork).

See the full article in the June issue of Decanter magazine – Subscribe here

Winemakers turning to Asia to help ride out economic slowdown

2009-05-29T12:48:00.000-07:00

WA winemakers look to Asia to beat industry downturn
By Georgia Loney of The West Australia

WA winemakers are turning to emerging markets in Taiwan, Nepal and South Korea to help the industry through the global economic crisis, as traditional markets in Britain and the US dry up.

Major wine importers from Japan, Nepal, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and Thailand toured WA wine regions this week in search of supplies.

The value of Asian markets is rising rapidly, with China and Taiwan buying 54 per cent and 23 per cent more of Australian wine over the past year, while the volume of exports to Nepal is up 97 per cent.

Taiwanese wine importers Shelly Wu and Winston Lin signed a deal last month to import Cullen Wines from Margaret River and said there was a strong market for Australian fine wine in Taiwan but it was overwhelmingly for red varieties. Ms Wu said WA shiraz was popular. “The market for (fine wine) has been developed over the last 20 years but they mostly used to drink French wines. Now there is stronger interest in new world wines,” she said.

“There is strong interest in shiraz from Australia and the cabernet sauvignon is beautiful compared to the European style. We are adding to our portfolio of WA wines because the wine style is very elegant and very approachable to the Taiwanese palate.”

Nepalese wine buyer Amit Agrawal imports wine from the Hunter Valley in NSW and is yet to buy any WA wine.

He said the tiny country’s thriving tourism industry generated demand for fine wine. “Because we like spicy types of food, sauvignon blanc goes well,” he said.

Britain and the US remain by far the biggest wine export markets but their value has fallen 20 per cent and 12 per cent respectively over the past year.

A history of winemaking in Argentina

2009-05-28T10:04:00.000-07:00

Uncorked: Here's to the tango and Argentine wine
By Pat Kettles, Wine Columnist at The Anniston Star

The first vestige of winemaking was brought to Argentina by Spanish conquistadors and missionaries who made their way from Mexico to the area in the latter part of the 16th and early 17th centuries. They brought native grape cuttings from their Spanish homeland including varieties not well known today like criolla, still grown in Argentina today, and the common mission grape currently grown in limited quantities in California.

New waves of European settlers came to Argentina in the early 1800s, bringing vine cuttings from Spain, Italy, and France. Among these cuttings was some malbec that now forms the backbone of the Argentine wine industry. Remarkably, these cuttings originated before the dreaded root loose, phylloxera, afflicted European vines. Most Argentine malbec is planted on original rootstock rather than grafted to disease resistant stock like most vines in other wine producing countries.

Malbec is one of five varietals allowed in the department of Bordeaux in France. It was virtually wiped out in this area by a killer frost in 1956, and it was not widely replanted. Some malbec is grown in California, but American varietal bottlings are rare. It is in Argentina this variety thrives.

Argentina produces and drinks a lot of wine. No wonder tango is the national dance. Argentina is the fifth largest wine producer in the world behind France, Italy, Spain and the United States.

Mendoza, Argentina

Only fairly recently have Argentine wines been significantly exported because the native populace drank most of the domestic wine produced. Tango apparently requires a lot of wine. As long as the populace was willing to drink copious amounts of poor quality wine, there was no need to contemplate exportation.

When years of political instability ended, the Argentine wine industry had been left behind. The industry set out to modernize like Chile, the neighbor to the west, who was exporting significantly improved quality wines primarily to the United States. Like Chile, Argentina's producers adapted winemaking methods modernizing and producing wines in the New World style with the aid of advisors and investors from America and France.

The modernized industry started to focus on malbec. Malbec seems especially suited to the terroir. Although prone to disease in other areas, it's not as susceptible to mildew and rot in Argentina perhaps because it is grown on some of the highest altitude vineyards in the world.

These high altitude vineyards exist in dessert-like conditions with long uninterrupted, dry sunny days. Irrigation is a necessity. In the past winegrowers allowed vineyards to flood. Today better producers use the Andes snowmelt ancient irrigation system more judiciously. They know to produce grapes of great flavor and intensity, yields must be kept low and vines must struggle.

New winemaking practices produce an entirely different malbec than that produced in Bordeaux and in Cahors in southwest of France. Some say malbec is like a weaker version of merlot. The ones I have tasted lately are not tame. They are generally big, easy drinking wines of firm structure.

Aside from drinking wine and dancing the tango, Argentineans eat copious amounts of meat, especially beef. They are known for their open-air spit barbeques called asados where steak, beef ribs, pork sausage and even chitterlings are grilled. Malbec is the perfect wine for the asado and for our traditional charcoal grilled steaks and summer barbeques. It is attractive in today's economy because good malbec can be had at a reasonable price.

...

Click here to access Pat Kettle's full article from The Anniston Star

Australian Wine and Food festival in Vietnam

2009-05-25T08:44:00.000-07:00

The second Australian Wine and Food festival, with over 150 kinds of wine and dishes of Australia, will open in late May in the New World Saigon Hotel.

“We want to prove that Vietnam is a country where tea, beer and whiskey are popular. This event is a chance to popularize Australia to South East Asia”, said Jim Cawood, chief executive officer of Vino Vietnam, the Australian wine importer and distributor and the host of the event.

The festival will have the participation of numerous restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City.

Australian well-known chef, Paul McMahon, from Catalina Restaurant Rose Bay in Sydney will make a perfect menu for lunch and dinner for the whole week, in which Australian food matches the correct wine.

In addition to the two day festival, held by the Australian General Consul and co-sponsored by ANZ, Jetstar, New World Hotel Saigon, RED and the World Magazine, the first Australian Wine Competition will be on May 28th, aiming to name the best Australian wine on the market.

The winning wine will be served at the Gala Evening scheduled for the following day.

[Article Source] -- HNM

Translated by Mai Huong

Portuguese wines gaining ground in China

2009-05-23T09:17:00.000-07:00

Lisbon, Portugal, 19 May – Portugal exported US$1.6 million in wine to China in 2008, a figure that is expected to rise to US$2 million this year, the brand manager for ViniPortugal, the association for Portuguese wine promotion, said Monday in Lisbon.

According to Márcio Ferreira, for 2009 “prospects are excellent,” for Portuguese sales to Hong Kong, Macau and Shanghai.

A delegation from the Portuguese winemaking sector, including ViniPortugal and 20 producers is currently in Shanghai taking part in one of the world’s most important wine and food fairs, SIAL, after presenting its wines in Hong Kong.

ViniPortugal, an inter-professional association for the promotion of Portuguese wines, in 2009 has a budget of around 200,000 euros for activities to promote Portuguese wines in that area.

Ferreira said that Portuguese wine exports to Macau had seen growth of 90 percent by value, to US$3.5 million, recovering from a fall in 2007.

The producers that are part of the delegation include Sogrape, Aliança, Quinta da Aveleda and Dão Sul. (macauhub)

[Article Source] -- MacauHub

New Way to learn about wine... Twitter

2009-05-22T11:35:00.000-07:00

Limited as that might sound, it's actually the perfect medium to talk about new or interesting wines with other like-minded people. Because of the limitations of the medium, everyone's comments are short and to the point; all voices are at the same volume; there's no apologizing for spilling wine on someone else's rug; and, best of all, no one has to drive home.

There's no shortage of wine-obsessed Twitter users and, because of that, already there's no shortage of Twitter tasting groups. And there's always room for more, whether it's tasting and talking about organic wines, ports, or even different tequilas and mezcals, if spirits are more up your alley.

Click here to access the full article from Forbes

New Bill in Albany seeks to put wine in grocery stores in NY State

2009-05-22T11:33:00.000-07:00

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- A new proposal to sell wine in New York supermarkets is surfacing in Albany after liquor store interests helped kill an earlier bill.

Grocery store chains that want to legalize wine sales in their stores say it will add $160 million in revenues to the state in the first two years and save New Yorkers $80 million in lower prices through greater competition.

Click here to access the full article from CBS Albany

Affordable, Franzia box wine flying off the shelves!

2009-05-18T14:17:00.000-07:00

With the global economic crisis in full swing liquor stores and wine bars are seeing their older, high-priced wines gather dust.

Bronco Wine Co. in Ceres, Stanislaus County produces more than just box wine like Franzia. The group is also behind other affordable brands such as Charles Shaw, Crane Lake and Napa Ridge.

Year to date, Bronco's Wine sales are up 25% on volume. Charles Shaw alone is currently selling about 6 million cases a year. The company has aspirations of eventually moving 100 million cases a year.

Where do they expect to find the bulk of their buyers? You guessed it, China.

Next month, the plan is to unveil a new Australian Chardonnay by the name of "Down Under." It will sell for half the price of Yellow Tale, currently one of the most consumed, affordable, white wine around the world.

Fred Franzia, who sold his brand to Bronco wines, had the following words to offer to offer the SF Chronicle, in this article.

"His only worry seems to be that he might run out of wine - even though he controls reportedly 40,000 acres and buys far more in bulk. "We'll probably have to allocate. Imagine that."

This is the year, after all, when cult-wine allocations are being busted, when retailers can cherry-pick the finest wines. And yet many wineries still won't flinch on pricing. Suddenly, Franzia's crusade against high prices - he still believes no wine should cost more than 10 bucks - has an eerie resonance.

Mir Global Wine Corner Analysis

It does not take a genious to figure out Franzia's market strategy, especially when it comes to China. In general, Franzia hopes to capitalize on the rising consumption of wine in markets like the United States, China and Russia by tempting people who like to drink with cheap prices and wine that doesn't taste like rubbing alcohol.

Franzia box wine and Charles Shaw do taste better than the majority of Chinese wines I sampled in the past. That does not however mean that they are by any means... good.

In the United States where a great variety quality wines from Chile, Argentina and Australia are widely Franzia will get lucky if this recession forces consumers to substitute slightly higher priced, quality wines from these countries for their poor alternative.

If Franzia is able to slightly improve its quality and hook consumers however, I can see their strategy working out to a certain extent.

As for China. This is great news for companies like my own Mir Global Marketing Co., which specialize in South American wines.

If Franzia goes through the trouble to promote their cheap products in China and are able to successfully get the Chinese consumers buying cheap, lower quality Chinese wines to switch to their wines, they will be doing South American wines a great favor.

One of the main difficulties for Argentine producers at the moment is convincing the very brand conscious Chinese to trust the quality of their products. France remains synonymous with quality when it comes to wine, while wines from Italy, Australia and Chile had to struggle for years to build a trusting image with Chinese consumers.

Franzia already has a decent customer base in China where wines are outrageously over-priced. Although something just does not sit well with me when you must pay $6-8 for a glass of Franzia.

What if there was a Chardonnay from Argentina listed on a menu just Franzia's selection?

If Franzia's marketing and promotion of their own wines have worked, this will inevitably mean the Chinese consumer has become more educated about wines and that his/her tastes have evolved.

I have a feeling, after drinking a few glasses of Franzia, the sophisticated wine drinker in China will decide to spend a few extra RMB for a much higher quality glass of wine.

So let me say the following:

"Thank you Franzia."

Bennett Reiss - International Trade Consultant at Mir Global Marketing Co.

Wines for grill and barbecue

2009-05-18T13:36:00.000-07:00

The love of a good barbecue / grill out is a tradition many cultures around the world share. Social norms, which let me just say are heavily influenced by the media we watch and read, typically make you associate barbecued or grilled foods with beer.

I must admit- a good quality beer, served cold, complements anything from a American BBQ to a Argentinean parrillada wonderfully.

However, there are wines that go with barbecue as well. Here are a few that were recently highlighted in this San Francisco Chronicle article:

2006 Earthquake Zin Lodi Zinfandel ($28)
This registers at least 7.0 on the Richter scale - with enough power, spice and jammy fruit to conquer most tomato-based barbecue sauces. Blended with a little Petite Sirah and Syrah... Click to read more

2007 Feudi di San Gregorio Sannio Falanghina ($16)
A meld of stone fruit, pear, golden apple and Meyer lemon; aromatic with more body than expected. The balance and tart, clean finish speaks to both grilled vegetables and shrimp. A Sauvignon Blanc like the 2007 Vina Robles Paso Robles bottling ($14) will also work... Click to read more

2006 Hess Collection Allomi Vineyard Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon ($25)
Intense nose of dark berry, loam and creme brulee with similar berry, chocolate hints and supple tannins on the palate. A relatively inexpensive Napa Valley Cab that will pair well with grilled meats... Click to read more

2006 JC Cellars California Cuvee Syrah ($25)
This is blended from multiple vineyards and appellations, resulting in a deep, rich California-style Syrah. Ripe aromas and flavors of blackberry, loam and pepper with generous lashings of oak. Includes 21 percent Petite Sirah... Click to read more

2007 King Estate Winery Domaine Oregon Pinot Gris ($25)
Oregon's organically farmed King Estate, founded in 1991 by the King family, produces Pinot Gris on 300 of its 465 acres. Lovely aromas and flavors of citrus, stone fruit and spice underscored with hints of mineral; rather lush mouthfeel... Click to read more

Stina's Cellars of Washington State break into the Chinese market

2009-05-12T13:11:00.000-07:00

The concept of "sister cities" is something I first learned about when Wikipedia came online a few years ago. When you "wiki" a city, it conveniently provides you a list of sister cities.

For instance, when living in Suzhou, China I "wikied" the city to learn some random facts. Suzhou's sister cities in the United States include such places as Jacksonville, Florida and Portland Oregon. Go figure?

The concept of sister cities never crossed my mind again, that is until I read this great article and learned that Stina's Cellars, a vineyard from Tacoma, Washington managed to break into the China market via their sister city of Fuzhou, China.

After three consecutive delegations of representatives from Fuzhou, China visited the vineyard and sampled the wine, calls started coming in and Stina's Cellars suddenly found it self with 224 cases in new orders from a market they never thought they would be selling to. One importer recently emailed the Washington Vintner and asked "What’s the maximum capacity of the winery? I want to know how much I can get."

Vintner Perry Preston - Stina's Cellars

It is clear there is untapped demand in China for a variety of products. The real challenge for vintners, agents and exporters is to find away to connect buyers and sellers. There are websites like Alibaba and Chinabusinesworld, but the internet only extends so far.

Here are a few excerpts from the article:

“When I got the call about the tastings I was like, well, it was worth taking a chance on,” Preston said. “The market over there is expanding, and I want to expand. Hopefully, we’ll be able to expand together. And it was just one city, instead of all of China. If it would have been all of China, I would have said, ‘No thanks.’”

About a month later Preston learned that the population of Fuzhou tops 6.6 million – slightly larger than the state of Washington.

To say Perry and Penny Preston, and their son, Ethan, grew Stina’s Cellars from humble beginnings doesn’t do justice to their story.

The old joke in the wine industry goes, “Q: How do you make a small fortune in the winery business? A: Start with a large fortune.”

Australian wine export data sheds some light on the industry

2009-05-11T06:52:00.000-07:00

An Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation report released this weekend states the value of Australian wine exports declined 14% in the year ending April 2009.

The report highlights that despite overall pressure from the global financial crisis, which has strained many traditional export markets, growth in Asian markets remains robust.

The report says that more than half of the industries export decline originated from the United Kingdom. Export growth came from Hong Kong, China and Japan. China recorded the largest growth in value, with a increase of $30 million.

Another trend also highlighted in the report was a move towards lower-prices bulk wine shipments. It seems the greater market is cutting back on higher end wines in exchange for "bang for your buck."

Good news for South American and other low cost producers making quality wine which tend to struggle to break into Asian markets where consumers are VERY brand consciousness and prefer French, Italian and more recently Australian and Californian wines.

Data snips accessed from this ABC-Australia article

Beijing Wine Classic to be Hosted at Aman Summer Palace

2009-05-06T21:44:00.000-07:00

Luxury Travel Magazine -- Beijing Newswire

Aman at Summer Palace, Beijing hosts an unprecedented weekend of food, wine and culture at the inaugural 2009 Beijing Wine Classic.

The Classic is an annual event which will focus on different wine regions around the globe. This year's showcase features California’s most notable producers in a three-day festival marked by extensive panel discussions hosted by winemakers, tastings, dinners and a silent auction.

Guests can choose from a menu of ticket offerings ranging from a three-night stay at the resort and full festival participation to day passes for attendance at specific events. This is an extraordinary opportunity to meet and mingle with renowned winemakers while enjoying the luxurious setting of Aman’s resort located on the fringes of Beijing's iconic Summer Palace.

The Classic begins on Friday, 13 November with a welcome reception followed by a Gala Opening Ceremony and Dinner featuring many of California's finest sparkling and still wines. The evening is capped by a whisky tasting and cigars in the Bar.

The following day, guests may participate in an early morning tai chi class followed by a breakfast buffet. The first lecture covers "Anything but Chardonnay" and will explore the other white grape varietals grown in California. A dim sum lunch with distinctive wine pairings will be followed by an afternoon of lectures including “California Chardonnay - Napa vs. Sonoma," "Pinot Extravaganza - Napa vs. Sonoma" and "Imperial Culture Workshop (served with "afternoon wines")."

Late afternoon leaves ample room for a relaxing spa treatment in the resort's extensive spa and recreational facilities. Dinner this evening will highlight Kobe beef and cult Cabernets. Day Three features an early tai chi class, followed by breakfast and two lectures on "Quirky Reds & Whites" and "Charbay Vodka & Whisky Cocktails." An early afternoon brunch precedes a live auction and closing ceremony.

Tastings during each of the seminars include single vineyard and regional offerings as well as varietal comparisons and are hosted by the winemakers themselves in casual, interactive panel-style discussions.

Participating wineries include Harlan Estate, Bond Estates, Chateau Montelena, Staglin Family Vineyard, Flowers Vineyard & Winery, Honig Vineyard & Winery, Calera Wine Company, Fisher Vineyards, Howell Mountain Vineyards, Gargiulo Vineyards, Claudia Springs Winery, Schramsberg, Peay Vineyards, Lail Vineyards, Patz & Hall and Rudd Winery and Vineyards along with Charbay spirits.

Reservations may be made by phone at (86) 10-5987-9999 extension 7601/7606 or by email to Cecilia Leong, Reservation Manager at cleong@amanresorts.com. For specific event inquires please contact wine@amanresorts.com. Several participation opportunities exist to suit the interest of wine connoisseurs and explorers alike.

The Imperial tier begins at $2,800 for single occupancy and $3,600 for double occupancy and includes two nights accommodation, attendance at six seminars, all breakfasts, lunches and dinners, a spa voucher and salon treatment, Pilates consultation, transfers to and from the resort to the airport, and access to all Aman at Summer Palace facilities. The Royal tier is $1,200 and includes attendance to six seminars, the dim sum and wine pairing lunch, brunch and silent auction, cult Cabernet dinner, one salon service and spa treatment, a Pilates consultation and access to all Aman facilities.

The Palace pass is a two-day pass for $500 which includes six seminars, lunches on both festival days, and access to all Aman facilities. The Aman pass at $300 includes access to two seminars, one lunch and all Aman facilities. Tickets to the Gala Dinner may also be purchased separately for $500 each.

The 2009 Beijing Wine Classic is the first event of its kind under the umbrella of Amanresorts’ new wine and spirits programme launched just last year. The programme sees Aman partnering with handpicked family and boutique producers from every corner of the globe to make available some of the world’s most coveted wines and spirits at select Amanresorts properties worldwide. Exclusively for Amanresorts, a select group of producers have developed reserves and single-vineyard bottlings of their finest vintages. Others producers in the programme have made their previously 'off-limits' caves, private reserves and personal library selections available to Amanresorts.

Aman at Summer Palace, Beijing is housed in a series of pavilions, some of which are over one hundred years old. This tranquil retreat adjacent to the East Gate of the Summer Palace is an ideal base from which to discover the multi-faceted city of Beijing.

The resort offers a variety of accommodation which pays homage to traditional Chinese architecture and celebrates the courtyard style of Imperial China. Guests can enjoy an expansive Spa and recreational facility which include a state-of-the-art gym, a dedicated Pilates and yoga studio, an on-site juice bar serving freshly-squeezed juices and smoothies, two squash courts and a 25-metre indoor lap pool graced by a wide deck with reclining daybeds. The Aman Spa features nine self-contained double treatment rooms offering a variety of wellness and beauty treatments and a hair studio by celebrated stylist Kim Robinson. Other facilities include three restaurants serving Chinese, French kaiseki and Western cuisine, a lounge for relaxation and wine tastings, a bar, library, 37-seat cinema and boutique.

[http://www.luxurytravelmagazine.com/news-articles/beijing-wine-classic-to-be-hosted-at-aman-summer-palace-13604.php]

The Global Wine Market

2009-05-06T07:43:00.000-07:00

Wine & Drinks Business Review - The world's wine market- an evolving panorama

A consistent theme of this site will be discussion about the ever evolving state of global wine markets. MIR Global decided to start this site as a resource for people to come not only to keep current on major news/development in the wine scene but also to discuss the ever changing nature of it.

First lets talk about supply. During the past decade wine production has exploded in many new countries. Wines from the United States, Chile, Argentina, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand have become household names around the world. Europe is not the only kid on the block anymore.

Now, consider the demand side of things. China, South-East Asia, India and Russia have suddenly emerged as the future major wine markets. With incredibly large populations, robust economic growth and a ever more interconnected global economy wine producers have switched their focus to Asia.

Described in this article from the Wine & Drinks Business Review

Countries, such as China, India and Indonesia, will compensate for the stagnation of Western economies.

The companies with strong international orientation will benefit from the demand coming from Asia, which will balance the markets that are more inclined to a stability situation, such as the Northern-American and the European ones.

Some facts from the same article

* European wine production falls to 161.6 million hl versus 163.6 million hl in 2007

* French production falls to 41.4 million in 2008 from 46 million in 2007.

* Argentina is decreasing to production to 14.6 million hl

* Chile's production grows to 8.6 million hl in 2008, not sure what it was in 2007, article doesn't say and a google search did not yield immediate results. If anyone knows please share.

* South African wine production increased 5% to 10.2 million hl.

* Australia's production grew a pretty stunning 30% to 12.3 million hl.

* New Zealand finishes off the count, growing a astounding 39% to 2 million hl.

Now in terms of exports from some traditional European markets, decline where seen across the board, with Italy taking the biggest hit proportionately.

* Italian exports fell to 17.8 million hl, which breaks down in layman terms to loosing about 7% of the share of Europe's exports.

* Spanish exports on the other hand gained 8.5% of the European export market of fine wines, exporting 16.9 million hl.

* US exports rose over the threshold of one billion dollar sales (+6%), with a volume of 4.9 million hl (+8%), of which 90% came from California.

* France had a 10.5% fall in the volumes, at 13.7 million hl.

* Australia showed a decrease of 11% at a little less than 7 million hl.

Click here to access the full article: "The world's wine market- an evolving panorama."

Courtesy of [wine.drinks-business-review.com]

Hong Kong quickly growing into global wine hub

2009-05-05T07:09:00.000-07:00

Hong Kong is on track to become the premier wine hub of the Asia-Pacific region, thanks in large to the elimination of import duties last February, 2008.

The Special Administrative Regional Government of Hong Kong decided to do abolish the duty in hopes of encouraging wine imports and creating jobs in sales, marketing, storage and logistics.

Singapore which can be argued currently holds the title as Asia's wine hub is going to have to adapt to the arrival of new comer, Hong Kong, which has aspirations develop its own capacity to serve countries throughout the region, including countries in SE Asia which Singapore currently serves.

Since abolishing the duty, U.S Department of Commerce figures show that wine exports from the U.S alone rose by more than 500% year-on-year (Feb 2008-09).

Global wine imports reached $370 million in 2008, also clocking in impressive year-on-year growth of nearly 80%.

"Hong Kong has been a top three export market for U.S. wines ever since," California Wine Institute regional director for emerging markets Eric Pope said while speaking during an event held at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley where John Tsang, Financial Secretary for Hong Kong's Regional Government had gone to promote Hong Kong as a wine market hub.

He added that their vision was to make Hong Kong the platform for getting wine into other regions and for promoting wine market growth throughout Asia (click here to access a great article on this topic from the Indian Wine Academy).

It is clear global trade patterns in the wine industry have changed dramatically over the past few years. The simple scratching of duties in Hong Kong alone has had a dramatic effect on the wine markets in Asia. As India and China work to develop their own wine industries, as more places like Hong Kong open up to making trade easier and as the United States, Australia and New Zealand work to increase their market share--wine markets will again change quite dramatically.

As professionals in the industry it is up to us to keep up to date with the changes that and to constantly adapt our business plans and marketing strategies to cater to the ever changing tastes of consumers around the world.

New Zealand's wine industry to be used as a model in India

2009-05-04T09:39:00.000-07:00

Twenty years ago New Zealand barely had a wine industry. Now now only are their wines found on shelves in Europe, North America and Asia.

Zealand's wine exports have grown at an average of 23.8% over the past two years, four times the rate of growth in any other export sector.

Marlborough, one of New Zealand's primier wine growing regions and home to the country's most famous Sauvignon Blanc's, now accounts for 20% of ecomonomy. Not bad for a industry which as I already mentioned did not really exist 20 years ago...

"For the industry the NZIER report represents a very positive analysis of the contribution grape growing and winemaking make to the New Zealand economy. That contribution totals over $3.5 billion of revenue through our own direct sales and the sales we generate in related sectors such as the tourism and hospitality industries," Winegrowers chairman Stuart Smith says, according to a news report by the NZ National Business Review.

India, a relative new comer in the global wine scene is now looking to use growth of New Zealand's wine industry as a template for nurturing their own infant industry.

Wairau Valley, Marlborough - New Zealand

Here are a few excerpts from a interesting article covering this topic, courtesy of The Indian Wine Academy.

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In India, Sula took the lead in wine tourism with a tasting room and a reasonably world-class structure has been commissioned but nothing much has been done by Indage or Grover- though Indage opened a wine bar outside the winery with a modern tasting room inside and Grover has also opened a tasting room recently.

The infra-structure to travel to Nashik is practically non-existent. It takes over 5 hours to reach Nashik from the airport with a private taxi and once you reach there, finding the winery locations is a nightmare for most visitors.

The tourism ministry does not seem to pay much attention to this aspect either. Even Destination India 2009 project to promote tourism in India seems to have ignored this lucrative part of the tourism. Hopefully, the Nashik grape growers association or the newly formed National Grape Board would have a look at the potential honey pot when it gets down to business.

Click here for complete article

Argentine wine harvest down 25%

2009-05-01T10:58:00.000-07:00

Below I have copied and pasted a excerpt from this article from Decanter.com about Argentina's wine harvest falling 25%.

What really grabbed my attention was the last paragraph... During the past few years NYC's restaurants and wine bars have increasingly been carrying more wine from Argentina.

Guillermo Garcia points out that the economic crisis has helped Argentine wine. This has been crucial in helping Argentina break the mold and get their wines onto tables, which would normally be occupied by a French, Italian or Californian bottle.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Due to climatic conditions, this year's wine harvest in Argentina will be down 25% as compared to last year.

Mendoza, Argentina

According to Argentina's National Wine Institute, hail in some provinces, and overall higher temperatures in February and March, are factors in the lower production output this year.

The lower production this year has occurred despite Argentina having a 12% increase in land under cultivation for wine grapes.

Guillermo Garcia, president of the National Wine Institute, said: 'If there had not been an international crisis, we would not have been able to provide wine to countries with developed markets.'

Chile's Concha y Toro Q1 profit up 37.6 pct yr/yr reports Reuters

2009-05-01T10:51:00.000-07:00

Chile's leading wine exporter Concha y Toro CHT.SN(VCO.N) said on Wednesday its first quarter net profit rose 37.6 percent from a year earlier
to 8.395 billion pesos ($14.4 million).

Concha y Toro said consolidated sales rose 12.6 percent during the period to 68.458 billion pesos.

"In this quarter, we saw significant growth in the UnitedStates market," CEO Eduardo Guilisasti said in statement, adding the company also saw growth in the United Kingdom and Japan.

Concha y Toro reported in February its profit for 2008 slipped 5.23 percent to 35.152 billion pesos.

The company said in November it planned to raise up to $189 million in a capital increase and bond issues on the local market to pay for future projects and pay down short-term debt.

[Reuters Article]

Wine markets in Southeast Asia

2009-04-30T07:54:00.000-07:00

Southeast Asia is home to many consumers with rising levels of income. When income rises and a given society modernizes or evolves so do its tastes and preferences.

This is currently going on in the greater Asia region as we speak. Add the extra element of a ever more interconnected global economy and the pace of change is truly incredible.

Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam have a combined population of roughly 180 million people. These countries represent a diverse mix of different elasticities, levels of development and traditions.

Malaysia -- For instance the majority of Malaysians are Muslims who in accordance with their religious practices do not drink any alcohol. However even in this context a great potential wine market exists.

For starters Malaysia is home to about 28 million people, of which 2/3 are Muslim and therefore do not drink alcohol. The remaining 1/3 still presents a sizable market of about 8-9 million people, greater than the combined markets of Singapore and Hong Kong, two already very developed wine markets.

Second, ethnic Chinese in Malaysia are unarguably one of the wealthier segments of Malay society and are also coincidentally the largest consumers of wine in Malaysia. As members of the upper-echelons of society they unknowingly serve as status symbols for people to emulate as they aspire to move up the social latter.

This great article I have just stumbled upon at the China Wines Information Website, shares some good statistics.

Singapore -- Wine market breaks down as follows: 10% sparking wine, 65% red wine, 25% white.

Thailand -- According to the New Zealand government which published these statistics, consumers in Thailand lack detailed knowledge about wines and have a unfounded, preconceived notion that the only "real" wine is red wine. At the moment wine makes up about 20% of the alcohol consumed in Thailand every year. About 83% of the wine consumed in red. A major challenge for those trying to break into the Thai market will be educating the consumer about white wines, which in many instances would accompany Thai foods better than red wines.

Vietnam -- Most Vietnamese do not drink grape wines because they have yet to acquire a taste for it. Wine is a relatively new product to the average Vietnamese person. Therefore most wine demand within Vietnam comes from expatriates, tourists and a few Vietnamese of the upper classes who have acquired a taste for it.

The importance of using Singapore as a hub for serving all these wine markets is highlighted in this article from New Zealand.

"It is important for New Zealand wine exporters to consider leveraging on Singapore's position as a regional distribution hub for wines by developing partnerships with distributors who have strong regional distribution networks."

Hong Kong - Asia's Wine & Gourmet Center Event, April 30, 2009

2009-04-29T10:17:00.000-07:00

In February 2008, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government waived duties on wine and beer. With the scrapping of wine duties, Hong Kong becomes the first free wine port among major economies and is fast developing into a wine storage and distribution hub in Asia.

The total value of wine imports from around the world reached US$370 million in 2008, representing a year-on-year increase of almost 80 per cent. According to the US Department of Commerce, the total value of US grape wines exported to Hong Kong had increased by more than 500% in January 2009, when compared to the same period in 2008.

On April 30, 2009, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in San Francisco will host a luncheon event at Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant, the Culinary Institute of America. Hong Kong Financial Secretary, John Tsang will be the keynote speaker to give an update on the development of this exciting and flourishing business in Hong Kong and the business opportunities available to the American wine industry.

Date: April 30, 2009 (Thursday)

Time: 12:15 -2:15pm

Venue: Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant,
the Culinary Institute of America
2555 Main Street, St. Helena

[Accessed from: http://www.wines-info.com & www.calwinexport.com]

Wine producers pin hopes on China in tough times -- AP

2009-04-26T10:39:00.000-07:00

Wine producers are pinning their hopes for growth during the financial crisis on a country that only recently entered the ranks of the world's top ten wine drinking countries -- China.

Wine bars and specialty wine stores have flourished in Shanghai, which prides itself of being the nation's most cosmopolitan city, and have quickly become part of the landscape.

"More and more people are coming through the door, especially after a dinner with friends," said Marc-Antoine Malia, head of sales and marketing for Enoteca, a small chain of wine bars in Shanghai and Beijing.

No longer a luxury just for foreigners, wine has become a status symbol among China's fast-growing middle class.

"China was one of the ten biggest wine consumers in 2008 and should be ranked number seven by 2012," said Xavier de Eizaguirre, president of Vinexpo, the world's biggest wine and spirits exhibition, which takes place in Bordeaux in southwest France.

Wine for Asia (WFA) 2009 -- Singapore wine exhibition from Oct 22-24

2009-04-24T19:22:00.000-07:00

Wine For Asia (WFA) 2009, the most comprehensive international wine exhibition in the region, returns to Singapore from 22 – 24 October 2009 with the promise of another bumper event.

An exciting exposition that help you expand your footprint into Asia’s burgeoning wine market, WFA 2009 offers a one-stop opportunity to keep abreast of the latest wine offerings, complete with a myriad of first-class business, educational and networking opportunities and lifestyle pursuits. Exhibitors and visitors can look forward to three days of non-stop business, networking and learning opportunities.

Come feel the pulse of wine business in the fast-changing wine scene in Asia!

Click here for more information on Wine for Asia 2009!

Interview with Pierre Castel -- The man at the helm of France's wine industry

2009-04-24T19:16:00.000-07:00

INTERVIEW with Pierre Castel.

Sums up the current preoccupations of his company, which celebrates its 60th birthday this year. The accent is on investment overseas.

Sud Ouest : Two thirds of your activities are based in France, but you now wish to develop your export business. Why?

Pierre Castel : Business is difficult in France at the moment and potentiel development now lies outside of our borders. In 2008, due to the global economic crisis, our activity will be on the decline. Wine sales to the hotel/catering business have dropped by 20%. Luckily, our merchant brands, which are important reference points for consumers, are still selling well on the French supermarket shelves. I have been in the wine and beer business for sixty years and I have always adapted to suit the market.

S.O. : Where do your priorities lie in the exportation market?

P.C. : Definitely in China and Russia. We have a small office in Shanghaï which works with five distributors. With the 10 to 20 million bottles we hope to sell there in 2009, China will become our number one export market. Hypermarkets, restaurants, bars and night clubs….all these market niches need to be developed. In Russia, the situation is different because we possess our own bottling centre just outside Moscow, which has a capacity of 300,000 bottles per day. The authorities are setting the market in order and it’s expanding. However, I do not believe India is a viable export market. I have had dealings with Indian businessmen in my activities in the African beer market and I do not intend take it any further with them….

Click here to access the full interview