“The Chinese are particularly keen to start ordering wine again”

major event in the Chinese wine and spirits trade calendar, the Tang Jiu Hui exhibition in Chengdu was restored to its pre-Covid glory in mid-April this year with over 6,500 exhibitors and 390,000 visitors attending and floor space totalling 320,000 m2.

“The exhibition bounced back amazingly well, recovering its usual pre-Covid attendance”, said a delighted Bertrand Quevremont, director of Business France in Hong Kong. “It returned as if nothing had happened, as if the past three years were well and truly behind us. People were delighted to see each other again and to reconnect. Obviously, they are still cautious but Chinese companies displayed genuine enthusiasm and were particularly keen to start ordering wine again and build up inventories. You can sense that the market is restarting in the hospitality industry where large banquets, major corporate events and weddings for instance are being hosted once again. Hotels and restaurants are full again and people are spending time dining together so consumption is picking up”, added Quevremont.

Although French wine exports to China dropped by 5% in value last year, the Business France representative stresses that the figure should be put into perspective: “We had an outstanding year in 2021 and continue to export 2 billion euros worth of wines and spirits to China and Hong Kong. This is still a key market”.

Ensuring that French wines have good presence on the ground is all the more essential at a time when Australian exporters are poised to return to China and Hong Kong.