Friday, February 3, 2017

China’s Robert Parker?


Chinese wine-drinking behavior is lagging in comparison to Western countries like the United States and France. Wine is 3% of total alcohol consumption in China and is generally consumed for ceremonial purposes, toasting and big events (not daily or weekly). But eventually, this landscape will change as the number of wine education (schools like Dragon Phoenix), online blogging and influencers increases.

Influencers in the United States:

Robert Parker had a large impact on wine consumption in the United States and beyond. He introduced the 100 point rating system analyzing wine for its taste, terroir, overall quality among other attributes. One Bordeaux shipper said the difference between Parker rating a wine 85 and 95 for one wine could be 1M Euros and a bottle with a 100 rating can get a 4X markup. In 20 years, Parker’s ‘The Wine Advocate’ is one of the most respected wine publications with readership and subscribers around the globe.

Influencers in China:

So who is China’s Robert Parker? With government influence and hold and with a wine market dominated by domestic wines (80% market share) it is possible that developing a taste for wine will have to come from someone respected in China.

Yao Ming – Former basketball star and owner of Yao Family Wines in St. Helena, Napa Valley. Yao has created a new winery, hired famous winemaker Tom Hinde and received a 96 point Robert Parker rating on his Napa Cab. With a tasting room filled with Chinese Tourists and with 30% of sales in China, Yao is positioned to be a voice on wine education and advocate for Napa Wine. Additionally, Yao’s celebrity in China and United States is a platform he can use to influence Chinese buyers.

Liwen Hao - It turns out that Robert Parker has a hand in China’s next Robert Parker.  In 2015, The Wine Advocate hired Shaghai native Liwen Hao. Liwen has experience at ASC, the largest wine importer in China, working in marketing and wine educator roles. He even starred in a Chinese wine educational video “Wine Connoisseur” (1M+ views) and created his own wine education school.

Liwen Hao might be best positioned to make waves in China’s wine culture but more work is needed to change Chinese Culture overall. There is so much potential for a change in wine consumption in China and I am excited to monitor this growing market.

Sources:

·      GSB Case, Wine in China: The Wild West of the Far East
·      McCoy, Elin (2005). The Emperor of Wine: the rise of Robert M. Parker Jr. and the reign of the American taste. New York: HarperCollins. ISBN 0-06-009368-4.



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