Wine to the Dragon

Wine to the Dragon

Is China the next major market for New Zealand wine?

The China wine market is expected to grow by 32% to 1.25 billion bottles over the next three years.

The New Zealand Wine Business Symposium 29 – 30 June explores the China market potential in detail.

Mainland China is a huge market. With a population in excess of 1.3 billion, it is regarded as one of the economic power houses of the world.

Traditionally wine in China has been made from grain, the most common being rice wine but a growing number of Chinese have ‘discovered’ western styled wines made from grapes.

China has its’ own domestic wine industry with a total vineyard area five times larger than New Zealand. However demand for high quality, premium wine is growing faster than local vineyard plantings and this has created a substantial market for imported wines, with France and Australia the largest importers into China.

The market perceives wine as a ‘glamorous’ product and wine is mainly consumed in circumstances where the host is trying to impress.
Chinese culture then plays an important role in the marketing of wine.

New Zealand wine, in very small volumes, is present in this market, but as China is seen as a major emerging market, how to enter, how to develop, and how to establish New Zealand wine as a premium product is a significant challenge for the future of the New Zealand wine industry.

The New Zealand Wine Industry Symposium is bringing Lawrie Stanford from Australia to present the very latest market research on the Chinese wine market. Lawrie is a wine industry analyst who has specialised in the China and Asian markets over many years. Lawrie will be assisted in the workshops by David Wishart who was New Zealand Trade Commissioner to Hong Kong and Macau 2005 – 2008, and is currently International Marketing Manager, North Asia for NZ Trade and Enterprise

The presentation and the ensuing workshops will give New Zealand winemakers and marketers the knowledge and tools to assist in this very large challenge.

The China New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (the first in the world) provides a significant competitive advantage to the New Zealand wine industry with taxes 20% lower than our competitors, but the way into the Chinese market is fraught with many difficulties.
With the market for wine in China anticipated to grow by approximately 32% to 1.25 billion bottles over the next three years, now is the time for the New Zealand industry to create a niche market for our high quality red and white wines.

This symposium offers a singular opportunity for those in the New Zealand wine industry to learn firsthand about; regulatory controls, the cultural significance, the perceived health benefits, the gateways into the various regions, the importance of premium positioning, who are the people purchasing imported wines, market segments, wine and business, the growing urban affluence, subtleties of the Chinese palate, and importation and distribution logistics.

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