So Tania already wrote a great post about who the next Robert Parker is for China, focusing on mostly Yao Ming and Robert Parker himself, both of whom are very influential. I wanted to offer a few more contenders for the coveted position of an opinion leader in China, including but not limited to a movie!
1) Pop culture: this is perhaps the least expected channel of influence for many, but pop culture (TV, movies, etc) can generate huge publicity for wine. For example, the 1982 vintage of a Chateau Lafite wine was featured in a popular Chinese film and therefore became a huge hit. In fact, it is estimated that Chinese consumers have bought more bottles of the 1982 vintage than the chateau had produced in that year! When I go on JD.com, Tmall.com, or other e-commerce platforms, I can in fact find countless versions of "Lafite" wines, most of which are obviously fake.
All jokes aside though, advertising via movies and TV dramas is a highly effective method of getting publicity in China, and if it's used well, can also be a great channel for wine education. Imagine how much traction there can be, if there's a popular wine-based TV series that talks about the basics of how to appreciate wine!
2) Now, let's talk about more traditional channels. French magazine La Revue du Vin de France launched a Beijing-based print edition, with simplified characters, in 2011, drawing on a blend of translated material from the French version and locally sourced content.
For those who are less familiar, the Chinese language has two prevailing scripts: mainland China uses simplified and the rest of the Chinese speaking world uses traditional. The website offers a variety of overview articles such as "get to know Bulgarian wines". It also features recipes that teach people to cook with wine.
3) UK magazine Decanter also launched a print edition, in 2005, though this one featured traditional characters and targeted readers in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia, instead of focusing on mainland China. Later on, Decanter moved into continental China in 2012, and offers a bi-lingual website in both English and simplified Chinese. In particular, the website features a series of rankings, such as top 10 wines from Shandong Province. Chinese consumers respond especially well to rankings and lists, so this is a great way to introduce wine to the local drinkers.
3) There are also publications that originated in China, including veterans Fine Wine & Liquor in Shenzhen and Wine in China in Beijing, and relative newcomer Le Pan, in Hong Kong, which publishes both English and simplified Chinese editions.
Obviously, there isn't a single voice that's predominating the wine scene in China yet. But what is certain is that whoever becomes that figure, will command immense market value in the wine world.
Sources:
1.http://www.grapewallofchina.com/2016/02/24/robert-parkers-wine-advocate-to-launch-chinese-language-site-in-june/
2.https://www.decanterchina.com/zh
3.http://rvfchina.caijing.com.cn/
4.http://www.lepanmedia.com/zh-hans/
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