MWM hosts inaugural Wine in China Shanghai conference

In the midst of the buzz of ProWine China Fair, trade professionals gathered in Shanghai for the first Wine in China conference, led by Debra Meiburg MW.

Debra Meiburg speaking at the Wine and Spirits Fair in Hong Kong

After the Wine in China conference held in Hong Kong, industry leaders from all sectors of the trade assembled for over 13 seminars to exchange views on the world’s second largest wine market.

Organised by Master of Wine Debra Meiburg and Meiburg Wine Media, along with Shanghai-based wine industry specialist The Wine Contor, the event offered the latest statistics on consumer dynamics, trade regulations, import data, online marketing tactics and drinking trends for the trade-focused attendees.

The speaker list featured China market expert Robert Joseph, Fongyee Walker (Dragon Phoenix Wine Consulting), Jean-Marie Pratt (Sarment), Denis Lin (EduVino), Edouard Duval (East Meets West Fine Wine), Tansy Zhao (Mandarin Oriental Hotel Pudong), and Simon Zhou (Ruby Red), as well as top representatives from key companies like Moët Hennessy Diageo, Pernod Ricard, Torres and Watson’s

Debra Meiburg MW, director of Meiburg Wine Media and Wine in China said, “Buoyed by three years’ of success with Wine in China, Hong Kong, we were excited to take this truly unique event up to Shanghai and delve even deeper into the realities and opportunities of China’s wine import market, and offer those looking to enter the market, as well as current market players the most current information on all facets of the market.”

Delving into the basics of entering the market, such as finding the right importer, shipping and logistics and sales dominated the first stream of the conference: “Enter the Market”. The second stream, “Work the Market”, focused on finding the right approach for the China market in the unique and ever-changing digital media sphere, along with consumer dynamics and business etiquette. The complex realities of the first, second and third tier cities along with Taiwan, an oft-overlooked market brimming with potential, were the topics for the third stream. Meiburg led the Taiwan discussion having just completed a book, Debra Meiburg’s Guide to the Taiwan Wine Trade, just weeks ago, to be released later this month.

Meiburg said, “The seminar on Taiwan really surprised many people. Accustomed to heavy taxes in China and throughout many parts of Asia, Taiwan’s low-tax and hassle-free wine import system makes it an attractive market from the outset, coupled with a growing (and adventurous!) younger market seeking wines beyond the fine wines of France.

“I believe attendees also really appreciated the potential of the tier 2 and tier 3 cities, where as just a couple of years ago Shanghai and Beijing were seen as the only targets for winemakers wanting to enter the market.

“The digital media seminar had attendees furiously taking notes, given it is such a fast-changing yet vital link in the communications and sales chain in China. Many visitors from traditional wine producing countries were quite shocked to learn that multi-purposed and integrated platforms like WeChat dominate consumer opinion and offer enormous sales opportunities, where traditional wine retail bricks and mortar still dominate in much of the rest of the world.”

Meiburg continued, “Having been always dominated by fine wine from Bordeaux, the austerity measures may have squeezed this traditional market across the country, but the panellists revealed that in its place has ripened an opportunity for a good quality high value-for-money middle market, with producers like Penfolds from Australia seizing this opening.”