The German wine market is mature, fragmented and still “challenging” to penetrate

anting to launch a range of wines on the German market is not for the faint-hearted. For France, “it is the number one importer of our wines by volume, but the third in value terms”, explains Denis Abraham, export business manager and coordinator of the Rhine area for wines and spirits at the Business France office in Düsseldorf, by way of an introduction.

The German market is fragmented with multiple regional operators and is “challenging because of its maturity and extensive choice of wines. You need to persevere and target your potential clients as much at company level as from a geography perspective”. It is not necessarily the type of market where you would make your export debut, although German businesses and consumers still have a weak spot for “real gems and wines that stand out. You should never forget that there is a strong expectation of information, history and contact with the person tasked with the dialogue”. The social media Instagram has also become a go-to source of wine communications within the country, “whether it's for information or new products”, says Abraham.