“When I choose a wine, it should be ripe,” said Palette Vino’s founder and managing director, John Gai, as we tasted two wines at its Dongsi Yitiao location. Swirling the glass thoughtfully he added, “And it should taste ripe and balanced.”
John Gai, founder and managing director at Palette Vino's
For the 41-year-old Beijing native, chef and wine expert, wine appreciation is an education that need not be expensive.
And it is this idea that forms the foundation of his two Beijing-based businesses: Palette Wines, a wine wholesale and distribution company, and Palette Vino, bistros he opened to bring affordable foreign wines and his passion for fine dining together.
Palette Wines, the main importer for Palette Vino restaurants, is how Gai manages to keep prices reasonable.
“Seventy percent of our wines we import ourselves,” he said. “We negotiate the lowest price from producers, vineyards and agents and then ship them to China, where we manage that cost as well.”
Just how Gai got his passion for wines and fine dining has been an odyssey, and spans the entire Eurasian continent.
In 1992, after a job opening a Chinese restaurant in Hungary fell through, he took the time to travel around the Baltic States and fell in love with Talinn, Estonia’s capital city.
“It was a beautiful, medieval city,” he recalled.
“It was right after it gained its independence from the Soviet Union, so I saw an opportunity to open the first Chinese restaurant in all the Baltic States,” he said.
However, it was only when Gai returned to Beijing in 1996 that he started managing the CourtYard hutong restaurant and became closely involved with wines.
Two years later in 1998 he met members of the Zonin family, who run Italy’s largest privately owned vineyard and winemaking business, at a Beijing wine exhibition and they took him on as their manager for China.
“It was my job to look for the importers and distributors for the company, analyzing local market trends and reporting it back to the family,” he said.
“I also helped train the staff to know about wines.”
In September 2002 he founded Palette Wines, a name suggested by a close friend to impart a rich variety of flavors and colors.
Until recently Palette Wines sold exclusively to hotels, companies and private customers.
But in 2005, it opened the first Palette Vino restaurant and wine bar in Shunyi district near Pinnacle Plaza, then a second in Central Park (a retail wine store), and by the end of 2008 another in Dongsi Yitiao.
Palette Wines claims the largest South African wine portfolio in Beijing, using nine different vineyards and each with two or three different wines, plus extensive Spanish, Italian and Australian portfolios.
But his diverse selection is being overlooked by inexperienced and wealthy taste buds.
“Some people drink names, not wine,” he said declaratively.
“They just don’t know enough, which is why the industry of importing wines into China tends to be big business.”
Gai said the costs of wine are dropping in developed markets such as the US and parts of Europe, Holland and Germany.
“It seems costs became more reasonable over time because it became more competitive, and people would not accept these high prices,” he said.
“This trend has not really reached big hotels and restaurants here.
Despite his best efforts to keep the cost of wines available at his bistros low, Gai’s business struggles to expand beyond Beijing. Gai admits he has had a tough year.
“I think, for now, finance is a big issue,” he said.
“It really depends on how we look at this as a long-term investment and whether or not we copy it to another location.”
To show off some “absolutely, very delicious” Spanish wines, reasonably priced from suppliers between 200 and 300 yuan, Gai served up a bottle of Abrego 2006, made from Tempranillo grapes found in Castilla, Spain (200 yuan).
With its low tanning, caramel and prune accents with a medium body, it demands to be served all by itself.
“The grapes were picked at the right time,” he remarked.
“This vineyard picks them at night and quickly transports them to the winery, and the barrels are medium-toasted oak so as not to overpower.”
His full bodied and rich personal insights are evidently present in every bottle he sells.
[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.
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.
“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. “
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
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.
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)
Welcome to Mir Global Marketing’s blog, Globowines!
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