Sud de France wine appeals Chinese consumer

Exports of wines bearing the Sud de France label to China have risen seven-fold in volume in the past five years, new figures show.

 

Those wines able to use the label are in France's Languedoc Rousillon region, which, since 2009, has seen China overtake Japan as its biggest export market in Asia by volume. Languedoc is France's biggest wine region by volume produced.

 

In 2010, China imported 253,000 hectolitres of Sud de France-branded wine, equivalent to 34m bottles. That is a seven-fold rise on 2006, when the Sud de France umbrella brand was first introduced.

 

The average ex-cellar price per litre of Sud de France wines sent to China has risen by 85% in five years, to EUR2.4 (US$3.2). The Sud de France team, which is government-backed and also promotes local foods, has worked with French retailer Carrefour to expand distribution in China. It has also set up a Chinese website.