Following a tumultuous period in which a government austerity campaign stunted progress in China’s beverage alcohol market, imported wine is back on the upswing. “China is coming back after taking a big hit,” says Davide Marcovitch, president of Chandon at Moët Hennessy. “But the $5,000 bottles formerly bought by the government aren’t coming back.” These days, growth in imported wine is being led by entry-level offerings, as more middle-class consumers begin to explore the category.

在中国政府的风气整治工作后的一段时期中，中国的含酒精饮品市场的增长受到严重影响，然而现在进口葡萄酒市场正在重回增长趋势。中国葡萄酒市场正在回暖。酩悦轩尼诗总裁，Davide Marcovitch表示，“但是超过那些以往超高价位葡萄酒市场目前没有回归。”近日，进口葡萄酒的增长主要受益于入门级产品的销量增长，同时越来越多的中产阶级开始关注葡萄酒。

In the first half of 2017, imported wine volume grew 12% by volume and 5% by value, according to China customs, with the entry level driving gains. Yoshi Shibuya, CEO of Suntory-owned importer ASC Fine Wines, says the middle and upper levels of the imported wine market remain challenging, with growth fastest in the $7-$14 a bottle area. Still, he notes that “the image of imported wine is positive because of its quality and value for money versus locally-produced wines. But the level of understanding about imported wine is relatively low. There is still a lot of market education to be done.” Overall, China’s imported wine market has enjoyed strong momentum over the past two years, surging by nearly 20 million cases—or 40%—since 2014, to reach 71 million cases, according to Impact Databank.

中国海关数据显示，在2017年上半年，进口葡萄酒总量增长12%（总金额增长5%），入门级产品增长明显。涉谷善彦（ASC圣皮尔精品酒业新CEO）表示中端以及更高价格段葡萄酒市场仍有一定挑战，其中增长最快的是7到14美金/瓶价格段。同时他也表示，由于进口葡萄酒在性价比上高于国产葡萄酒，所以整体进口市场表现乐观。但是市场对进口葡萄酒的认知还是相对较低，市场教育工作仍需加强。整体上，进口葡萄酒在中国的过去两年保持了强劲增势，2000万箱的增量（40%的增长），目前已经超过7100万箱。

Treasury Wine Estates (TWE) has been investing aggressively in the region, announcing plans to open warehouse facilities in Shanghai later this year in a move the company says will reduce lead times for customer orders across its portfolio. In addition to Australian brands like Penfolds and Wolf Blass, the new Shanghai facility will handle labels such as Beringer and Beaulieu Vineyard from the U.S., as well as recent launch Maison de Grand Esprit from France. TWE is also upping its game as an importer in China, recently unveiling an agreement to distribute the Baron Philippe de Rothschild portfolio in the country, including Bordeaux’s Mouton Cadet and Chile’s Escudo Rojo.

富邑葡萄酒集团一直积极在中国市场投入，该公司宣布将在今年晚些时候在上海建立仓库，以减少客户在订货至交货之间的时间。这些仓库将服务于澳洲知名品牌如Penfolds和Wolf Blass之外，还有来自美国的Beringer和Beaulieu Vineyard酒庄，以及最近推出来自法国的Maison de Grand Esprit。TWE开始在市场中扮演进口商的角色。同时TWE公司与Baron Philippe de Rothchild家族也达成合作，将引进法国的Mouton Cadet和智利的Escudo Rojo。

While TWE’s Australia portfolio has been driving growth in China lately, the company says it’s eyeing improved penetration for its U.S. offerings looking ahead. Currently, TWE’s China footprint covers about 100 of the country’s tier-one and tier-two cities; moving forward it plans to enter another 50 such metropolitan areas. By channel, TWE derives about 80% of its net sales revenue in China from traditional retail, where the average price is about $18 a bottle. The e-commerce and on-premise channels, where average bottle prices are below-$15 and $27 respectively, each account for about 10% of TWE’s net sales in the market.

富邑声称将要在澳洲品牌不断在中国增长的同时，也要提高旗下美国品牌在中国的葡萄酒市场的渗透率。目前TWE已经进入了100个中国一二线城市，同时正在渗透新的50个大中城市区域。80%的TWE销售来自于传统的零售网络，平均价格超过18美金/瓶。电商销售占比约10%，均价低于15美金/瓶；而餐饮渠道均价大约27美金，占比大约10%。 

Moët Hennessy is also among the global companies looking to grow its presence in both imported and domestic sparkling wines. On the domestic side, it produces its Chandon brand in north-central China’s Ningxia region, a key winegrowing region. Recently, Chandon debuted a new offering, Me, geared toward female consumers. The new entry is tailored to the Chinese palate, with a slightly sweeter profile and low acidity, and is meant to be served at room temperature, either on its own or in cocktails. Chandon is now at about 200,000 bottles in China, and Marcovitch is eyeing an increase to 1 million bottles in the next few years, given the lack of competition in sparkling wine and the strong initial reception for Me.Moët Hennessy has also begun producing red wine in southern China’s remote Yunnan Province under the Ao Yun label. Ao Yun, which is expected to eventually get to a production of 50,000 bottles in the years ahead, retails at around $300.

酩悦轩尼诗也在寻求增加中国的品牌投放量，他们在中国宁夏北部创立的气泡酒品牌Chandon，刚刚发布了一个专攻女性市场的产品“Me”。这款入门级产品完全根据中国消费者口味来酿造（微甜，低酸）。这款酒甚至可以在无需冰镇的室温下饮用，同时也可以用来调制鸡尾酒。Chandon品牌在中国目前销售了20万瓶，考虑到Me这个新品在市场上目前没有对标的竞争对手，结合酩悦轩尼诗的大量投入，Marcovitch期待这个数字能够在未来几年达到100万瓶。同时酩悦轩尼诗也开始在中国云南开始生产红葡萄酒傲云系列，预计明年生产5万瓶，零售价在300RMB左右。