Trends from the world: China and italian wines Interview with Bill Liu

Today's protagonist is Bill Liu, a prestigious name in the elite of wine experts in Greater China. We had interviewed Bill exactly one year ago, before Vinitaly 2022, the historic restart edition. As in the previous interview, Bill always has the pointed answer that reveals his huge knowledge of the industry and a rare passion for the Italian wine product. Bill resides in Shenzhen where he serves as Chief Education Director of Grapea & Co. He has been part of the Wine to Asia project management team since May 2021. As a WSET Level 4 graduate, he is an educator at WSET, New Zealand Wines, Rioja Wines. He received the prestigious French Wine Scholar Highest Honor and has professional experience at Chateau Margaux and Christie's auction house, Fine Wines section. He has been a blind tasting champion at Shenzhen tournaments and a judge in numerous competitions (Golden Bottle Award and G100 Wine Competition, RVF China Blind Tasting Tournament). He does freelance work as a writer for trade magazines and content creator for Social Media. He is an international consultant for several high-end restaurants. What has really changed in the Italian wine market in China in the last period of the pandemic? First of all, I would say that the Italian wines are without doubt getting more and popular in China. I could see it from various aspects: - Wine shows and exhibitions. Despite the pandemic, we could still see passionate crowds in Italian-focused wine events, especially in the professionally executed ones powered by Vinitaly and Wine to Asia. There were many new faces, and it was always fascinating to exchange ideas with them. - One can see more Italian wines in on-trade channels, notably including wine bars and restaurants that are not always Italian-focused. In other words, Italian restaurants and bars are not the only places where you could find Italian wines! Secondly, I would say that people are getting more curious about the lesser known regions and varieties. The pandemic might have change the buying habits for many, and thus the pursuit of interesting Italian wines with price-to-quality ratio became highly valuable. It is thus a chance for the various indigenous varieties and lesser known regions to shine. What are the wines that a Chinese consumer likes the most? What are the most requested denominations? By a large extent, red wines still dominate the Italian Wine market in China, even though white wines and sparkling wines are catching up at a plausible pace. By all means, since it is still a red-dominated market here in China, I would say the most prominent wines are still the ABBBC, namely Amarone della Valpolicella, Barolo, Barbaresco, Brunello di Montalcino and Chianti. These are by far the most well-known and most requested denominations, and in particular Amarone, Barolo and Barbaresco. For many consumers, especially the older generation, tend to associate Italian wines with powerful structure, high acid and longevity. On the other hand, it is interesting that many consumers in China believe that great wines need to be decanted and one shall take patience in those style of wines. Not other wines in the world would fit in those categories better than an Amarone or Brunello! In terms of white wines, although its market share is increasing, they are still not very well known to the Chinese consumers. Contrary to the red wines, many Chinese consumers would associate Italian white wines with descriptors like “refreshing”, “crispy” and “easy-going”. Wines like Pinot Grigio from Veneto and Soave are more well known to Chinese consumers compared to the others. In the category of sparkling wines, Moscato d’Asti is probably the most popular on the market, especially among female customers. Nicknamed “small sweet water” among Chinese consumers, Mosacto d’Asti represents an easy-going, highly floral and fruity style that appeal to an incredible large range of consumers. Prosecco is also performing well in terms of the drier styles of sparkling wines. What do the new generations of wine consumers in China prefer? Are there any particular trends you'd like to share with us? The new generation of wine consumers, namely aged between 20-35, tend to have drastically different palates tend the older generation. From my observation, there are a few noticeable trends: 1) preference of lighter, softer and thirst-quenching styles of wines, “vin de soif” as the French put it. The old image of Italian wines being heavy, tannic and astringent does not stand in this case. Although they are not necessarily all natural wines, this category of “low interventionist” or “biodynamic/organic” focused wines from Italy are booming in first-tier cities. 2) Non-red Italian wines are becoming increasingly popular. In addition to the refreshing and crispy styles of white wines, more serious white wines with barrique-ageing and broader structures are emerging in the Chinese market. Orange wines from Friuli and beyond are winning the hearts of many young drinkers. 3) Italian food is not the only option when it comes to drinking Italian wines. It is exciting to see young consumers pair Italian wines with Chinese food, fusion food and many other exotic cuisines. Let's talk about communication. Does Italian wine remain anchored to the stereotypes of the Belpaese or is its image changing? In addition, what are the most suitable channels to reach the consumer? I believe that Chinese people have a natural affinity for Italy. I would say that the image of the Belpaese and the splendid cultural richness that comes with it actually help to promote Italian wines in general. For instance, when one talks about Campanian wines, it is always fascinating to talk about the Vesuvio. When one talks about Alba, people are excited to know about the truffles! Chinese people respect and appreciate the diversity of terroirs and regional cultures, and these could all be added-value when tasting the wines. In addition, Italian cuisines are among the most popular western cuisines in China. Food is a very important channel to create wine drinking scenes, as most Chinese people only drink while eating. I believe more emphasis shall be focused on the food and wine part. Social media is always an ideal way to promote Italian wines, especially considering the difficulty for Chinese people to memorize and distinguish the various regions and grape varieties. It would be ideal to have small sessions of videos that talk about the regions/grape varieties one at a time, with fun and interactive nature. How do you see the future of the Italian wine market in China? I am very optimistic about the Italian wine market in China. The traditional stronghold appellations will continue to do well, and the prestigious wineries will continue to penetrate on the premium end of the market. However, I believe the largest opportunities belong to the up and coming wines. Natural wines will continue to do well, not just in first-tier cities but gradually towards other major cities in China, as the trend of bistros and wine bars continue to flourish. White wines and sparkling wines will develop tremendously, again from first-tier cities to elsewhere. We would just need to be patient and keep the optimistic mind set going. With covid restrictions officially removed, tomorrow will be bright for sure! My 3 favorite wines from Vinitaly Plus catalog 1) Marchesi di Barolo Barolo Cannubi https://vinitalyplus.com/it/products/wines/prd-_3LFEoodsEao7YBsSNYpKg 2) Fongaro Spumanti Metodo Classico Gran Cuvee Brut https://vinitalyplus.com/it/products/wines/prd-72_260187785_5788 3) Tenuta Il Poggione Brunello di Montalcino https://vinitalyplus.com/it/products/wines/prd-834_260158215_8848 Bill Liu Bill lives in Shenzhen where he is Chief Education Director of Grapea & Co. WSET Level 4 graduate, he is an educator at WSET, New Zealand Wines, Rioja Wines. He was awarded the prestigious French Wine Scholar Highest Honor and boasts professional experience with Chateau Margaux and the Christie's Fine Wines auction house. He has been a champion of blind tastings in Shenzhen contests and a judge for numerous competitions (Golden Bottle Award and G100 Wine Competition, RVF China Blind Tasting Tournament). He works as as freelance writer for trade magazines and Content creator for Social Media. He is an international consultant for several high-end restaurants. He joined the Wine to Asia Project Management team in May 2021.