Burgundy wines to hot in China market

As speculators wait with trepidation to see if China will develop the same ravenous appetite for Burgundy as it has for Bordeaux, Morris is in little doubt that this will happen, led by the red wines.

Pointing to the scene in Hong Kong, he confirmed: “Burgundy is really taking off. Before they were only really interested in DRC but now people understand the full range; it’s not just collectors going after the big names.”

With a Berry Bros shop and office in Hong Kong, Morris stressed that UK customers would not lose out from any uplift in this arm of the business, saying: “We’re very strict about keeping our allocation of the UK separate from the Far East.”

Nevertheless, there is natural concern from some corners that Burgundy’s size and fragmented structure is simply unable to cater for an explosion in demand from the brand-focused Chinese.
 
Thomas observed: “Burgundy is still far from producing a lot of wines; we are 14 times smaller than Bordeaux. I’m afraid that when the Chinese look at Burgundy’s top wines, we can’t handle the increase any more.”

However, Thomas did point to a factor that might slow this awakening: “You have to be introduced to Burgundy at some point; you need someone to show you what’s there – there are more than 600 appellations.”

Moreover, if Far Eastern demand for the top names does remove these from the grasp of all but the wealthiest and most loyal UK Burgundy fans, Thomas suggested that this fragmentation at least offers an opportunity for consumers and merchants to discover the region's numerous under-exposed corners.

“Villages like Morey are underrated; there’s room to move things forward,” he commented. “The good thing about the UK market is that it’s so demanding and there are so many players that everything is bought here. People are dedicated to the top of the market, but what about Macon Villages or St Veran?”

Meanwhile, Morris emphasised the importance of getting the ground work right in the Far East, predicting: “China is going to happen and I devoutly hope that we can do our wine education in China as fast as our sales teams are selling.”