Wines from Champagne in China

21Aug2013

Champagne: the king of wines

The word Champagne means joy, happiness, and laugh. Wines from Champagne are the proud of French people. They are used for celebration and are known as ‘the king of wines’ for its luxury, attracting, and romantic characteristic. There is no other wine that can match their mysteriousness. Champagne has strong fragrance, and is suitable for any occasion and matches any food.

Champagne can be seen everywhere. At the terminal of F1 racing track, the champion opens Champagne and let the bubbles fly to celebrate victory. When RMS Queen Mary 2 began its maiden voyage, a bottle of Champagne was thrown toward its bow to wish it a smooth sailing. A lot of celebrities give high comment for Champagne: the powerful men like Churchill, Napoleon, and the most attracting women like Marilyn Monroe, and Lady Pompidou.

Champagne in China: the market is limited

In year 2010, mainland China ranked the 20^th in the list of markets for French wines, which is far lower than the 184 million bottles of French consumption itself, and also less than the 35.5 million bottles of English, and the 16.9 million bottles of America.

What makes it so hard for Champagne to be welcomed in China? Firstly, its alcohol content is low, and is not suitable for feasting. Secondly, it is not appropriate to give Champagne as presents for business partners, for it might seem too frivolous. And thirdly, the quantity of frivolous production is limited. It has the potential to be a luxury collection, but it is not endurable. These problems have troubled Chinese Champagne sellers much.

Nowadays, according to an official in French champagne Industry Committee, currently the market for Champagne in China is developing quickly. With the diversification of consumer group and consumers’ increased knowledge in Champagne, there is great market potential. However, overall, Champagne consumption is still not reaching the consumption volume of red wines. Most people are just interested in Champagne, and the portion of people who actually have tasted Champagne is not large. The Champagne consumption of inland China is lower than Hong Kong, which indicates huge profitability in the future.

Champagne in China: how to expand

There are many things that need to be done to get Champagne welcomed in China.

First thing is to increase people’s knowledge of this wine. In China, people’s knowledge of Champagne is not complete. Mostly Champagne is used for celebrations, which limits the consumption of Champagne. In fact, in international market, Champagne is regarded as a grape wine just like other red wines, and used not only for celebration but also as aperitif. Also the recognition that Champagne is not wine but is a kind of sparkling drink further makes it hard for Champagne sales to grow.

Secondly, Chinese Champagne sellers should use the public influence of celebrities. Looking at the history of Champagne’s development, it should thank famous people like Marie Antoinette, Marilyn Monroe and Elizabeth Taylor. In China, who is going to be like them?

Edited by Amy Wang

Credit Photo：Nipic