Chenin Blanc can break into the Asian market

Chenin Blanc can break into the Asian market


Author: Cathy Marston

Published: 31 May 11

Debra Meiburg is a frequent visitor to SA and has enjoyed many bottles here over the years. But this visit saw her firmly wearing her ‘Asian markets hat’ (“Don’t call it the Far East – it’s a rather offensive and completely meaningless term!”) with her role on the judging panel being to bring an Asian perspective and help South African winemakers make headway in this hugely important sector.
The good news is that China has a very strong interest in Africa as a whole in terms of trade interests fostered by the Chinese government. The bad news is that however much the Chinese might like Africa, we don’t make Bordeaux wines! According to Meiburg, many Asians start drinking wine as a status symbol when they have achieved business success. So they cut their vinous teeth on Chateau Laffite and rarely stray any further. But times are changing and education – an obsession with the Chinese – is improving matters with over 1,000 people taking the UK’s WSET courses every year as opposed to only 5 people in the class 18 years ago.
Bordeaux blends are clearly the biggest market in Asia and Meiburg thinks there may be room for more Shiraz as well, although she warns that going up against the Australians in this category might be problematic. Sauvignon Blanc – what little there is in Asia – is sewn up by the Kiwis, but perhaps there might be room for Chenin to make some headway, particularly if it is marketed in combination with food “One of the most important things to realise about the Chinese is that they don’t sit and drink wine on their own at home. They take bottles to restaurants and share them with their friends or business associates.” If South Africa can create a niche for its Chenin Blancs, perhaps as partners for seafood which is very popular in Asian cuisine, she feels this may prove to be the way forward.
The food element is so important in Asia that Meiburg goes onto to explain the food and wine matching sector of the Hong Kong International Wine & Spirit Fair. There, wines are judged in the context of five key dishes carefully selected to represent typical occasions when Asian people might drink wine – Peking Duck, Braised Abalone, Kung Pow Chicken, Dim Sum and Sashimi. Success in this competition virtually guarantees sales, with all trophy winners from last year achieving listings on the back of it and Meiburg (whilst acknowledging she has interests in the running of the competition) strongly recommends this as a route into the market.

Meiburg remains an enthusiastic supporter of SA wines “The changes I’ve seen in your wines on this visit are incredible! I’ve been very impressed with how clean they are and how well the Brett problem has been managed.” However, she also feels that South Africa has made mistakes in how it has approached Asia so far “You need to identify some icon wines and use those to gain entry into the market.” She recommends South Africa wineries should form partnerships and approach key players in the Asian market as groups, rather than individuals “South Africa hasn’t put its best foot forward into Asia yet.” The time to do so is now.