Swiss Wine Promotion: A partnership to boost Swiss wines in China

Swiss Wine Promotion and the Swiss Centers Group signed a partnership agreement with the goal of boosting Swiss wines in the Chinese market.

The potential is big: Chinese wine imports have soared from 286 million liters in 2010 to 679 million liters in 2018. After a decline in the economically difficult years 2019 and 2020, observers expect a return to pre-pandemic levels and long-term growth. China is the world’s sixth leading wine consuming country, while the average individual wine consumption of 1l per year is still far behind Switzerland (35l) or France (46l).

At the China International Import Exhibition CIIE in early November, the Swiss Centers organize a Swiss Cluster Booth. A special section will be dedicated to the promotion of Swiss wines. It will be one of the first times that so many Swiss wines will be gathered "under the same roof” in China.

Neuchâtel (October 1, 2021) – Joining forces to boost Swiss wines in China: On October 1st, Swiss Wine Promotion and the Swiss Centers Group signed a partnership agreement in Château d’Auvernier, one of the largest and oldest wineries in the canton of Neuchâtel. The common goal: promoting Swiss wines in the dynamic Chinese market. “China currently is responsible for 5-6% of the Swiss wine exports. We expect that this share will increase, as Chinese consumers are becoming more and more fond of unique and exclusive products of high quality,“ explains Zhen Xiao, CEO of the Swiss Centers Group, an organization that has been concretely supporting the Swiss economy in developing business in China for over two decades.

Nicolas Joss, Director of Swiss Wine Promotion, the national promotional organization for Swiss wines in Switzerland and abroad, explains the reasons for this new partnership: “We are proud to be able to create synergies between Swiss entities such as Swiss Centers and Swiss Wine Promotion and to be able to offer to Swiss producers a recognized partner who knows the Chinese market and who will professionally accompany our wineries in developing their exports in a structured manner and adapted to the realities of trade in China.”

China: wine import growth expected

The Chinese wine market has attracted global attention when the imports grew from 286 million liters in 2010 to 679 million liters in 2018, an average annual growth rate of 11.4%. In 2018 and 2019, wine imports have decreased considerably due to the country’s slowing economy, trade wars, and of course the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite the impressive growth since 2010, the Chinese wine market is still relatively young. While Swiss people on average drink 35l of wine per year, the average Chinese drinks only one liter. China currently is the sixth largest consumer of wine in the world, and 40% of the consumed wines are imported. Observers expect that China’s import wine demand will grow rapidly in the coming years, with demand for bottled wine continuing to dominate.[1]  

The cooperation agreement between Swiss Wine Promotion and Swiss Centers was signed by Robert Cramer (President of Swiss Wine Promotion), Nicolas Joss (Director of Swiss Wine Promotion), as well as Swiss Centers President Jean-Jacques de Dardel and CEO Zhen Xiao. Jean-Kley Tulii, Head of the Economic Department at the Canton of Neuchâtel, attended the signing ceremony.

The Swiss Wine Promotion’ voice in China

The Swiss Centers will be the representative and the local operational force of the Swiss Wine Promotion in China. Jointly, the partners will define and develop the marketing and communications, through fairs, events, and social media work to better promote Swiss wines in China. In this capacity, the Swiss Centers will also act as the contact point for Swiss wineries who aren’t in China yet but wish to access the Chinese market. The Swiss Centers specialists will support the export process, as well as trade and marketing activities.

China International Import Expo (CIIE)

A first joint project will be the upcoming China International Import Expo (CIIE) 2021, which will be held from November 5-10 in Shanghai, China. At the trade fair, Swiss Centers organizes a Swiss booth in partnership with the Swiss Chinese Chamber of Commerce, SwissCham and S-GE. This Swiss Cluster booth will showcase high quality consumer goods as well as food and agricultural products. A special section of the booth will be dedicated to the promotion of Swiss wines. Most of the distributors of Swiss wines in China will be present to promote and sell their wines, increase brand awareness, and create new business opportunities. It will be one of the first times that so many Swiss wines will be gathered "under the same roof” in China.

[1] Analysis and Forecasts of the Demand for Imported Wine in China, Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1938965520981070