Chinese wine industry slowed its pace in 2008
"In recent years, Chinese grape wine industry in the fast growth
period. But the international financial crisis has affected the
development of Chinese grape wine industry. In 2008, the growth
speed of Chinese grape wine industry was slowed down compared with
the previous years. In 2008, the yields of the grape wines in China
were 698.3 thousand kiloliters, up by 5% over the previous year. The
sales revenues were about 2.8 billion USD, up by 20% over the
previous year.
In 2008, the imported grape wines accounted for 15% market shares of
the grape wine sale revenues in Chinese market. Because of the
advantages of the imported grape wines in the raw material quality
and cultural contents, the high quality market was occupied by the
imported products, the major imported grape wine brands circulated
in Chinese market from the famous wine producing countries,
including France, Italy, Spain, Portage, Germany, America, Canada,
Chile, Argentina and Australia etc, in which the bulk imported
volumes from Chile, Argentina, Spain, France, Italy and America
stood the front places. In 2008, the total import amounts of the
bottle grape wines in China reached to 264 million USD, increased by
43.48% compared with 184 million USD in 2007. Also, the import
volumes of the bulk grape wines were grown in 2008 compared with
2007.
The major market share, however, was still occupied by the medium
and low quality domestic grape wines in Chinese grape wine market.
For the product structures, the whole juice grape wines accounted
for the major part. The dry and the semi-dry grape wines accounted
for over 50% of the total volumes, in which the dry red grape wines
accounted for 80% and the dry white grape wines for 20%. The product
structures of Chinese grape wines were basically reasonable.
For the brand orientation, the concept orientation of Chinese grape
wine enterprises has closely followed the international mainstream,
including the grape concept, year concept and producing area concept
etc.
For the brand influences, Chinese local grape wine enterprises had
made great accumulation in the advertisement broadcasting and public
relations efforts in recent years, especially the drive forces of
several large local brands, having made the product reputation of
the local grape wine brands exceeding the imported ones.
The national grape wine enterprises had monopolized the regional
market represented by ChangYu ChangYu Pioneer Wine Company Limited,
Sino-French Joint-Venture Dynasty Winery Ltd and China Great Wall
Wine Co., Ltd. ChangYu ChangYu Pioneer Wine Company Limited stood
the first place in Shandong, Fujian and Guangdong etc. The
comprehensive occupation rate of China Great Wall Wine Co., Ltd
placed the first in South China, Southwest China, North China and
Northwest China and the market share of Sino-French Joint-Venture
Dynasty Winery Ltd in Shanghai exceeded 40%.
Many Chinese regional grape wine brands also developed fast: such as
the Weilong and Fengshou etc in Central and South China; Suntime,
Yunnan Red Wine, Shangri-La and Mogao in West China; dry red grape
wines in Tonghua of Northeast China.
The sales channels of Chinese domestic grape wines can be divided
into two parts: one is for the hotels and restaurants. The other is
for the retail sales in the supermarkets. According to the
industrial average statistics, the hotel and restaurant consumption
accounts for 50% and the left volumes are in the convenience stores,
specialty stores and the food stores. Because of the high expenses
for entry supermarkets and the channel maintenance and individual
consumption characteristics of the grape wines, some grape wine
enterprises have started the electronic commercial transaction
platform construction. The self-built chain terminals receive more
and more popular. The market promotion of the imported grape wines
adapts the high consumption group orientation.
For the price systems, the general price of Chinese grape wine
market is rising. With the popularity of the grape wine cultures and
the enhancement of the consumption awareness and capacity, the
prices of the mainstream products in Chinese grape wine market have
improved from 2 to 5 USD per bottle in the previous years to 3 to 7
USD per bottle at present.
As for the quality level standards, the year wines had been
restrained by the new international standard since the
implementation of Chinese standards on the new grape wines in the
beginning of 2008. In order to cast to the market demands, the
enterprises put new product quality level standards; as a result,
the first domestic comprehensive quality level systems were born
represented by ChangYu, including six crucial influence links on the
grape wines, such as the grape gardens, the raw materials, the
brewing technologies, aging in oak barrels, mixing and bottle
storage. ChangYu divided the grape wines into four levels according
to the quality like the master level, reserve level, special level
and preferred level. Another domestic grape wine giant, China Great
Wall Wine Co., Ltd, put the level standards according to the
producing areas.
With several-year market culture, the culture of drinking health and
fashion grape wines has been accepted by Chinese consumers. The
demands for the grape wines are accelerated gradually in China.
Although the consumption volumes of the grape wines per capita in
China vary from the world抯 average level, the total consumption
volumes keep rising in Chinese market.
In the beginning of 2008, Hong Kong government announced to cancel
the import duties of the grape wines, which attracted the
manufacturers, investors and dealers to invest in Chinese superior
quality grape wines. The policy also was favorable for more high
quality grape wines to enter Chinese market through Hong Kong. The
imported grape wines will strike the domestic grape wines in price,
quality and diversity and stimulate the enhancement of the general
consumption level and volumes of the grape wines in China.