Wines of Germany sees growth in Greater China

Wines of Germany will host a series of guided tastings during Vinexpo to drive up trade and consumer interest in German wines, as the country tries to expand its presence in Asia.

At this year’s Vinexpo in Hong Kong from 29-31 May, the German Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture will once again organise a German pavilion consisting of more than 29 producers of German wines or representatives of German wineries.

The German Wine Institute (Wines of Germany) will host a series of masterclasses by Rebecca Leung, Stephen Brook, Sarah Heller MW and Fongyee Walker MW, delving into subjects such as “License to Sparkle”, “Spätburgunder – Germany’s Red Star”, “German Wine Growing Regions and Their Signature Wines” and “Perfectly Riesling”.

In 2017 both the volume and value of German wine exports grew by 7% over the previous year, which corresponds in total to roughly 1.1 million hectoliters of wine valued at €308 million. In 2017 the export value to Asia amounted to €39 million, taking up 1.5% of total German wine exports, a small portion of its global export.

German wine exports to China also rose significantly, 37% by value and 25% by volume, according to the association. Export revenues of German wine exports to China amounted to €19 million, thus making China to the 5th most important export country among the key export countries for German wines.

“The German exhibitors hope for a wide interest from Asian wine specialists at Vinexpo Hong Kong. China, Japan, Hong Kong and other Asian nations become ever more important for our wineproducers,” said DWI managing director Monika ­­Reule.

Despite the growth, however, German wines took up less than 1% of the bottled market share in China last year, with US$2.3 million worth of wines imported from Germany. It ranks as China’s 11th biggest importer for bottled wines.