Inconsistency… Oh “sigh…,” Argentina. So much potential, yet always able to sporadically disappoint (which you will see upon watching the episode, which includes three bad apples).
One of the primary reasons, Mir Global Marketing LLC heavily investigated and nurtured our collaborations down in Argentina. The country is home to perhaps one of the most conducive soils for producing wine, yet remains riddled with bureaucratic and inefficient institutions which impede it from truly flourishing.
NAPA, Calif., Oct. 28 /PRNewswire/ — The continued growth of Argentine wine imports to the US (more than 40% annually over three years) has made it the most important “import to watch” in the wine ndustry.
That New Age White is the largest-selling Argentine white wine in just-released Nielsen Research data on Argentine wines sales in the US makes it a “hot brand” in a hot category. This does not surprise Argentines, who say that Americans have finally discovered what bar patrons and club-goers in Buenos Aires and the rest of the country have long-known – New Age is the most unique, flavorful, and versatile Argentine white wine on the market.
PRINCETON, N.J., Oct. 28 /PRNewswire/ — iMarketing LTD (www.iMarketingltd.com), a full-service online marketing agency, today announced that it has been selected to implement an integrated online marketing program for Direct Wines, supporting the company’s expansion in the US and increased emphasis on online sales**. Through affiliate, search engine, and CPA marketing, iMarketing will be focused on generating more cost-effective orders for Direct Wines, increasing site traffic and sales growth with improved ROI.
And then there were seven. New Zealand’s latest free-trade agreement, with Malaysia, was accompanied by the customary enthusiasm from politicians and business representatives. There was much talk of a gateway into Asia, and the Prime Minister described it as “a significant step forward in relations with Malaysia and further evidence of our economic integration with Asia”. Michael Barnett, of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, said it was a great opportunity for businesses if they chose to take it. Clearly, this is a welcome development, but its importance lies as much in its actual signing as in the likelihood of any dramatic change in trade between New Zealand and Malaysia.
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Equally, it underlined the growth in Asia of a similar sentiment. Formulating an agreement with Malaysia was, obviously, always going to be far simpler than the ground-breaking deal struck with China last year. But that does not mean there were no complications. For the first time, Malaysia has, at New Zealand’s insistence, agreed to include environmental and labour-law co-operation clauses in such a pact. New Zealand, for its part, had to bow to Muslim Malaysia’s demand that alcohol-related products, notably wine, be excluded
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.
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.
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.
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
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
Welcome to Mir Global Marketing’s blog, Globowines!
~~ Click here ~~ to visit our company website. Our current catalog includes new wines are from Argentina and Chile, which have have been especially chosen for the China and Singapore market
