Australian Vintage hones in on Asia

With the opening of a new Hong Kong office and signing a distribution deal with COFCO in China, Australian Vintage is ramping up its activities in Asia.

Talking to the drinks business, Australian Vintage’s new general manager for Asia, Nicolas Heretiguian, said that on top of building the new COFCO deal there would be an increased focus on South Korea and Japan as well, where opportunities for Australian wine beckon.

He said: “Our first priority is to get our distribution [with COFCO] set up. My role and the challenge will be to work closely with them and set up the right kind of distribution for us in China.”

However, he added that Korea and Japan were “key markets for us” and the recent free trade agreements between those countries and Australia could allow it to gain more market share.

Korea in particular, with its strong off-trade driven market, is a good fit for Australia and Australian Vintage’s flagship McGuigan brand thought Heretiguian.

He said that there were “interesting challenges” for Australian Vintage in China and the rest of the region but added that with “strong brands”, international awards and recognition as well as a proven track record especially in the off-trade, he was confident that Australian Vintage’s brands – and Australia as a category in general – was well placed to cement a place in Asia.

Heretiguian previously worked with Advini in France and moved to Hong Kong to help set up the new office a month ago.