意大利葡萄酒专家 Italian Wine Specialist

【头条】中国日报刊发华饮总裁刘强先生专访

 Italian wine, rose red surging in the Chinese market

 

This article is reproduced from China Daily

Version 15 on October 17, 2019

Reporter: Yang Jun Zhu Wenqian Compiler: Zhao Yandi Wang Jin

 

In the past, because French and Australian wines entered the Chinese market earlier, Chinese consumers were more inclined to taste Australian and French wines, but had little knowledge of Italian wines. Nowadays, with increasing income and more complex tastes, professional Chinese wine lovers are increasingly interested in diverse wines.

 

Italy has more than 60,000 wineries and produces nearly a quarter of the world's wines. Based on its huge growth potential, Italy is constantly promoting the promotion of wine in the Chinese market.

 

     

 

It is understood that most Italian wines are sold to Fujian, Jiangsu, Hebei, Sichuan, Liaoning and other provinces of China, as well as Shanghai and Inner Mongolia. Wines produced in southern Italy are more easily accepted by Chinese consumers.

 

 

Fabio Marini, foreign trade manager of Italy's Cherri Winery, said that the wines produced in the south are not only moderate in taste, slightly sour and sweet with some fruity flavors, but also at reasonable prices. Many wines only sell for more than 100 yuan per bottle. "Most wineries in Italy are not very big, so the focus is different. Most wineries do not need to cover the entire China, the Chinese market is too big for them." He added.

 

He also said that for Chinese consumers, Italian wines are relatively fresh, and most Chinese people who love to drink prefer high-quality wines. Italian wines are doing their best to satisfy the taste buds of Chinese wine lovers. However, at present, the cost and taxation of Italian wine export to China are too high, and he hopes that this problem can be improved in the future.

     

 

Zhongli Agricultural Group is one of the most important wine groups in Italy. In 2008, the group's subsidiary in China-Shanghai Huayin Trading Co., Ltd. was established. Nowadays, Huayin has become the importer with the most complete varieties of Italian wine imported in China, with nearly 1,000 wines, liqueurs, mineral water, coffee and wine sets from more than 50 suppliers, covering 20 Italian wine producing regions .

 

In 2018, Huayin sold 1.3 million bottles of wine in China. In recent years, it has grown at an annual growth rate of 30%.

 

Liu Qiang, the general representative of Zhongli Agriculture Group in China and the general manager of Shanghai Huayin Trading Co., Ltd., said in an interview: “We are mainly for business people, large group banquets, and high-end restaurants are on sale, but in some hot pot restaurants, such as Xiaolongkan, there are also Good sales volume. Among all sales channels, the dealer channel has the highest sales proportion, accounting for more than 50%."

 

      

 

"E-commerce platform is an emerging channel. We also have our own flagship store on Tmall. But wine is a relatively special product. It has its own culture and needs to be tasted and appreciated. It is like a famous winery and widely promoted in China. Wines with brand power will be better sold through e-commerce channels; but other less well-known imported wines are at a disadvantage when they are sold on e-commerce platforms." He added.

 

Italy Turrance Commercial Co., Ltd., located in Chengdu, Sichuan, has achieved an average annual growth of 20% in sales in China over the past three years. Their main consumer groups are adults between 25 and 40 years old.

 

The company’s general manager Augusto Bordini said: “We will invest 3 million yuan in wine promotion, including product creation, advertising, and personnel training. It is expected to cooperate with Jingdong and Tmall next year. Online e-commerce platforms cooperate to sell Italian wines."

 

 

 

In 2018, the total export volume of Italian wine reached 6.2 billion Euros, and the bilateral trade volume between China and Italy was 54.24 billion U.S. dollars, a year-on-year increase of 9.1%.

 

On September 9, the former Italian Prime Minister Massimo D'Alema delivered a speech at the opening ceremony of the 9th China (Guizhou) International Liquor Expo: “China has entered a period of accelerated consumption upgrade, and the consumption structure has changed from a survival type to a development type. Enjoyment upgrade. Wine is undoubtedly one of the enjoyment consumer goods in China. This consumption trend has brought greater opportunities for Chinese and Italian wine companies."

 

He said that Guizhou has a long history of winemaking and is known as the "Hometown of Famous Wines". It is rich in resources, pleasant climate, great development potential, very attractive to investors, and there are many ways to cooperate.

 

 

According to data from the Ministry of Commerce, from January to July, the country's total retail sales of consumer goods reached 22.8 trillion yuan, an increase of 8.3% year-on-year; in July, the retail sales of tobacco and alcohol increased by 10.9% year-on-year, an increase of 4.6% over the same period last year.

 

Vice Minister of Commerce Qian Keming said: “As an important daily consumer goods industry, the global wine industry as a whole is on an upward trend, with opportunities and challenges coexisting. my country’s wine industry must continue to explore and improve new formats, new technologies, and new models, and strengthen cooperation. The open cooperation of the global alcohol industry has promoted consumption upgrading and high-quality development."

 

According to research by consulting firm Frost & Sullivan, in China, supermarkets are still the main sales channel for wine purchases, followed by liquor stores. The wine consumer group is getting younger and younger.

 

Last year, global liquor consumption was half that of wine, and in China, the ratio of liquor to wine consumption was 7:1. The per capita wine consumption in the United States exceeds 10 liters per year, while the per capita wine consumption in China is less than 1.5 liters. Various signs indicate that there is huge room for growth in the Chinese wine market.

 

"As China's income continues to grow, more and more consumers are pursuing a healthy and high-quality lifestyle. It is expected that more and more Chinese will purchase wine as part of their daily lives, and the wine industry has a promising future." Frost & Sullivan China President Neil Wang pointed out: "Local specialty wines produced in smaller producing areas are gradually being recognized by Chinese consumers and they will usher in more development opportunities.