Between October 2011 and September 2012, Chile’s Japanese exports increased by more than 900,000 cases over the same time period in the previous year, indicating a steadily growing penchant for Chilean wine by selective consumers in Japan.

The majority of Japan’s target audience is located in massive, hip urban centers like Kyoto and Tokyo, where wine lovers increasingly enjoy the experience of purchasing wine in restaurants. As a result, sommelier recommendations and restaurant wine lists are an ideal resource for promoting Chile.

Hoping to persuade Japanese restaurants to serve more Chilean wine – especially premium wines – in the future, Wines of Chile recently held successful sommelier tastings in the two key cities.

Kyoto

Hotel Okura in Kyoto – one of Japan’s most traditional cities – hosted a Sommelier Tasting on October 22. Of the more than 100 attendees, 70% were restaurant owners, 20% were wine selectors and purchasers, and 10% were wine aficionados.

More than 100 wine professionals attended the event

Serving Chilean wine in Kyoto

Renowned Chef-Sommelier Mr. Toshifumi Nakamoto of Tokyo’s “Michelin 3-stars” restaurant L’Osier Ginza delivered a fascinating wine tasting lecture to the attentive audience of industry professionals.

Seminar attendees

Wines tasted in Kyoto

Tokyo

The following day, October 23, Wines of Chile headed to Tokyo for a Sommelier Seminar at Grand Prince Hotel Shin-Takanawa.

Grand Prince Hotel Shin-Takanawa in Tokyo

The event was inaugurated by Patricio Torres, Chile’s ambassador to Japan. 200 members of the Japan Sommelier Association attended, and Mr. Nakamoto delivered a lecture about Chilean wine and food pairings, while tasting 12 impressive wines.

Sr. Patricio Torres, Chile’s ambassador to Japan

Chef-sommelier Mr. Nakamoto educating sommeliers about Chile

Attendees in Tokyo

Through this direct interaction with Japanese sommeliers, Wines of Chile preserves goodwill between the Japan and Chile while innovatively promoting Chilean wine to one of Asia’s largest consumer audiences.

Hong Kong (photo by User:Base64, retouched by User:CarolSpears / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA-3.0)

According to statistics compiled by Hong Kong’s Trade Development Council, wine imports from Chile have risen an astounding 36% this year, exceeding the growth of New World competitor New Zealand.

In comparison, import of wine from France to Hong Kong dropped 25%, and overall wine imports fell as well, primarily due to France’s decline this year.

Ali Lai, exhibitor for a Chilean beverage distribution company, attributes this development to the willingness of consumers to spend more money on New World wines like those from Chile, which offer a pleasing combination of quality and value.

“It goes with the guarantee that the wine will never be bad,” Lai tells the South China Morning Post.

Distributors of Chilean wine were present at the Hong Kong International Wine and Spirits Fair at the city’s Convention and Exhibition Center on November 8-10.

Asia’s largest wine event provided a venue for perpetuating Chile’s momentum and popularity in the hub of the region’s wine trade.

Sommeliers, investors, industry professionals, journalists and consumers converged to engage in networking, tasting and education at the massive fair, which is organized annually by the Trade Development Council.

Since Hong Kong does not impose taxes on wine, establishing a strong impression on consumers in this critical market supports commercial access and distribution opportunities throughout the rest of Asia.

Chile’s meteoric 2012 growth in popularity is clear evidence that this objective is being accomplished through successful promotional efforts and delivery of high-quality wine to the Asian market.

Wines of Chile’s objectives and strategy in Asia were discussed, illustrating focus markets and investigating possible methods of collaboration to complement future promotional efforts in Asia for each particular market.

Commercial officials appreciated the participation of Wines of Chile in the meeting, as it facilitated better communication between the organizations.

Area Manager Álvaro Arriagada captured the following lovely photos of Bangkok, an exciting and memorable city:

Bangkok skyline (photo by Álvaro Arriagada)

Prayer in Thailand (photo by Álvaro Arriagada)

Temple at night (photo by Álvaro Arriagada)

Busy Bangkok street (photo by Álvaro Arriagada)

Chilean wine enticing Chinese consumers

In a recent feature article, Financial Times magazine explored Chile’s efforts to expand into China’s wine market.

As Wines of Chile’s Managing Director Claudio Cilveti explains to the magazine, “China is a market that is just beginning to understand wine. The potential is great.”

This great potential presents an ideal opportunity for Chile’s wine industry to grow as a key global exporter of wine to China.

To capitalize on this objective, Wines of Chile has launched its largest-ever online marketing campaign – with a $1.5 million budget – aimed at reaching a diverse base of Chinese consumers.

“We’re really looking to win over the 25- to 35-year-olds,” says Cilveti.

With more than 1.3 billion residents, China contains the largest population of any other country in the world, and the 25-35 year-old age group represents a portion of the population that is especially receptive to wine consumption, and with a growing income and higher standard of living for selective wine purchasing.

Wines of Chile’s preemptive advertising campaign – known as “EEE” – is already underway, using innovative tactics to promote its member wineries in China.

The media influx will be delivered over a period of 24 months, in three “E” stages of publicity: Excitement, Education, and Engagement.

During the Excitement phase, Chinese consumers will be introduced to Chilean wine and effectively intrigued by a stimulating and pervasive viral campaign. Following this initial familiarity phase, consumers and media will receive opportunities for Education about Chile and Chilean wines and terroirs. Engagement is a natural outcome of the prior steps, capturing additional Chinese interest in and involvement with Chilean wine.

Marketing maneuvers will utilize a variety of popular social media platforms to implement online and offline incentives aimed at key target audiences. Specific activities include wine and food tastings, videos, media promotions and online competitions, blog interactions, website development, Chilean cultural events, and more – all ensuring that Chile becomes a topic of Chinese conversation.

Supplementing Wines of Chile’s efforts, some Chilean wineries are establishing regional offices in China and creating networks for the distribution of wines, intending to avert competition from domestic Chinese wine producers and other international importers.

Financial Times notes that Concha y Toro, for example, has increased exports to China from 573,000 cases in 2005 to 1.8 million cases in 2011. This progress was facilitated by intelligent marketing strategies, including partnering with well-loved soccer team Manchester United to promote wine in China.

“China is the second most important Asian market for our exports,” says Wines of Chile Planning and Research Manager Claudia Soler. “2011 exports showed a high growth in volume and average price – 74.6% and 12.6%, respectively, becoming an important pillar for the international positioning of the Chilean wine industry.

“In the last decade,” continues Soler, “China showed an annual average growth of 51% in value. Regarding 2012, August figures show a growth of 30% in volume and 39% in value. Numbers are 2.1 million cases and US$75.7 million.

“The potential of the market is huge and is a great opportunity for the industry,” she emphasizes.

Wines of Chile aims to increase exports to US$3 billion by 2020, making China one of its top five markets, according to Financial Times and Cilveti.

With such high stakes and potential rewards, Chile is more than up to the challenge of China.

“Chilean Fine Wine Style,” in Jorea JoongAng Daily.

This year’s judges are:

Brazil: Jorge Lucki

Canada: Shari Mogk-Edwards and François Primeau

China: Jeannie Cho Lee

Korea: Kyoungja (Corinne) Eom

Japan: Tomoko Ebisawa

Sweden: Andreas Larsson

United Kingdom: Steven Spurrier and Oz Clarke

United States: Josh Reynolds, Josh Greene, and Michael Schachner

and from Chile: Héctor Vergara

For more information see:

About the Judges