ProWine China 2017 declared a success

The fifth edition of ProWine China concluded in Shanghai with more than 14,219 trade visitors and close to 700 exhibitors from 39 countries and regions attending, making it “the most international wines and spirits trade fair in Mainland China,” said its organisers.

ProWine China 2017 set new records for trade visitors and exhibitors this year

Held from 14-16 November, the trade show set new records attracting 14,219 trade visitors – an increase of 14.3% from the previous year.

Nearly 700 wines and spirits manufacturers, importers and distributors from 39 countries and regions organised into 16 country pavilions and four regional pavilions contributed to the global line-up of wines and spirits.

Commenting on the trade fair, Marius Berlemann, global of head wine and spirits and director of ProWein, said: “ProWine China 2017 saw significant growth in the number of local and international wine producers and suppliers, reflecting the country’s continued evolution towards one of the largest markets for wines and spirits globally.”

“The Chinese wine business is currently experiencing a shift in demand, away from only brands and pricing towards other elements including country and region of origin, grape variety and cultivation methods. Opportunity continues to flourish on China’s maturing wine market, achieving sustained growth year on year. At the same time, Chinese consumers are eager to discover wines from all parts of the world,” he continued.

Chinese visitors tasting sparkling wines at ProWine China

An increasing number of local brands and winemakers are striving to achieve a strategic upgrade through ProWine China’s international platform.

This year’s event also saw increased participation by local wine producers, importers and distributors with 30% growth in the number of exhibitors compared to last year, reflecting the upward trend on a flourishing Chinese wine market.

It is also worth noting that COFCO, one of the world’s top 500 leading companies, brought its flagship wine – Great Wall – to ProWine China for the first time while featuring an exclusive masterclass under the same name.

“The three-day exhibition left a very good impression on me, I am quite satisfied with the national pavilion of each wine country,” said Yu Wang, general manager of a wine importing company from Shaanxi province in northwestern China. “I found several American wines on the first day and paved the way for initial cooperation. It saved us a lot of time when choosing wine. This show is the highest quality wine fair I have ever attended domestically, we will definitely be back next year.”

Michaela Stander, marketing manager of Wines of South Africa stated: “The size of the exhibition is growing and you can see many new brands with many new countries coming in. I see the biggest change in the quality of visitors – we all see not only highly professional visitors, but that visitors know exactly what they are looking for. They are not just interested in price, but actually ask for specific varieties and styles. We can see that they are putting a lot of thought into the distribution plan and how to purchase.”

Wine education was one of the highlights at the three-day fair, featuring  ‘Wine Master Series’ brought four ‘Wine Masters’ including Debra Meiburg MW, Fongyee Walker MW, Roderick Smith MW and Robert Goddes MW as well as tastings and masterclasses hosted by WSET.

Wine education was one of the highlights at this year’s ProWine China 2017 with ‘Wine Master Series’ and events organised by WSET

Jude Mullins, WSET’s international development director, stated: “One thing I noticed is the increased level of knowledge and understanding of wines and spirits among visitors. We launched the sake program in China last year and had a great response to the sake master class with lots of people excited to learn more. We try to allow our educators to choose the subject because they are at the forefront of what’s happening on the Chinese wine market. They know what’s trendy and what’s coming next. These aspects were reflected in our master classes this year.”

This year, the Industry Forum continued to provide industry insights under the theme of “Understanding Chinese Wine Consumers.”, featuring wine expert Li Demei who is selected as one of the “World’s Top 10 Most Influential Wine Consultants” by the drinks business.

Asked for his impressions of this year’s programme, Li Demei stated: “The maturing Chinese wine market needs professional wine education and training; only by doing this will consumers gain clear direction: knowing what they do and do not like. This is why education is so important. This year’s atmosphere has been very lively, especially in terms of participation at the various masterclasses and forums.”

Six other speakers participated, including Professor Larry Lockshin from the University of South Australia; Zeng Lishi, a researcher from Australia’s Ehrenberg-Bass Institute and Germany’s Geisenheim University; Li Shiyi, Deputy General Manager at COFCO; Dr. Sun Jian, Director of Changyu Group and Deputy General Manager at Changyu Limited; Xu Wei, Co-founder of Aroma Republic; and Dr. Li Ruyi from the Wine Institute of Ningxia University. Besides this, Wine 100 also presented a distributor forum on the topic of “Retail 3.0 Remodelling Chinese Wine Market” during the trade fair.