HK Supermarket Golden Dragon Holdings Registers Private Wine Label in China

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

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

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.

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

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

Australian Wine and Food festival in Vietnam

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

Wine markets in Southeast Asia

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

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

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.

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

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