“Natural wine is a growing phenomenon worldwide and the China market, which is not an abstract entity but a concrete group of curious and interested people very sensitive to trends and tendencies”, He told Vino Joy.
Giovanni also co-founded Zefiro, a wine import company based in Shanghai. Searching for a new tendency in both Europe and China markets at first, he accidentally discovered the wonder of natural wine, and now it accounts for around 80% of Zefiros’ wine portfolio. As an insider of the industry, he noticed more commitments from big and structured traditional importers as well as huge e-commerce platforms. “Some of the most renowned and serious wine educators in China are already providing their students with all the information and details needed to better understand this kind of ‘unconventional’ wines.” Despite major cities like Shanghai, Shenzhen and Beijing being the main consumers of wine, Giovanni has been receiving interest from other regions. ‘Some colleagues from second and third tier cities contact us asking for these wines, and gradually go deep in the entire selection finding out other producers, their philosophy and the work behind an organic and natural wine.’ And then there is an emergence of young drinkers who are ready to explore more.“In Shanghai, it is obvious natural wine has become a main choice for ‘Post-90s’ consumers in these two years [referring to people born in 1990s]. There are lots of wine bars and bistros that feature natural wine as their signatures in Shanghai,” Kingsley, a sommelier at the Shanghai natural wine bar Le Verre à Vin told Vino Joy News. The wine bar has a portfolio of 180 to 200 labels, with natural wine accounting for around 50 of them so far, he recalled.
Kingsley shared the same observation with Giovanni when it came to the expansion of the natural wine market. He noticed that natural wine emerged as a new category in Suzhou and Hangzhou, as well as other first-tier cities in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai. More on second page, scroll down below. Jean Raphael is the founder of KC Wine, a Shanghai-based pioneer importer of natural wine since 2012. It represents around 40 estates and more than 200 SKUs. He defines natural wine as artisan and micro production’s wines made with grapes grown without any chemicals, with low intervention, and fermented with natural yeasts. It excludes any bigger production of organic wines or “no added sulfites” wines, which cannot inherit what natural wines can offer, such as the soul, temper, spirit etc. From his observations, youngsters in China are in love with natural wine from the inside out, even with the philosophy behind. What caught their attention first was the bottle and price. He noticed the artistic labels can attract the eyes and raise the curiosity of young drinkers, therefore it is more appealing compared with complicated foreign labels. On top of that, Jean pointed out traditional wines at same price ranges offer similar styles and flavors, but the nuanced tastes the young people propose are not affordable enough. Natural wines can offer a wider range of flavors, and a more accessible deal. But what stood out were the culture and sense of identity. Natural wine is easier to approach regarding the taste and skills, Jean told Vino Joy. The fruitier taste is easy to accept for beginner drinkers. ‘Their tastes are more fun, just like craft beers or cocktails.’ as he described. The drinking experience is also more casual and less intimidating. “Consumer will not be considered as an ignorant person who has to study to appreciate the wine. Too often traditional wine sellers mention this whenever the consumer does not appreciate a wine.” Jean said. Over the years, he was amazed by the curiosity and open mind of Chinese youngsters who he thinks can help this trend to grow. “Traditional wine drinkers may have expectations about what a wine should taste like, even before opening the bottles, but natural wine drinkers like to discover new tastes, and want to get a surprise at every single bottle they open.” Unlike drinkers only believing in traditional wines or “baijiu”, as well as people who drink for recognition, natural wine allows young people to differentiate themselves by offering a more lively experience and stories behind. Compared with a pricey high-class wine, natural wine seemingly has more characters that can attract the youth, as Jean described it, “The soul of the winemakers enters in communication with yours, and your soul communicates with your body… This is not special to China, but it explains why the market can embrace the trend quickly.” A Temporary Fad Or A Turning Point? Easy come, easy go. Can natural wine hold its position in the China wine market? Giovanni’s view echoed Jean, as he saw the traditional world of wine is conservative and moved by conventional players, but China’s wine market is young and dynamic. He believed the strong interest from the young generations who are the future drinkers will influence the general wine consumption in China. Drawing upon the silver lining of the trend, Giovanni believes importers and distributors can take a step forward in introducing it to areas other than major cities, ‘The business is very concentrated in few areas, but the potential consumers are everywhere. In this sense we need to get out of our comfort zone and talk to different people from different areas, with different habits and ways of drinking.’ He believes the natural wine market can last forever, but only if people from the industry will select good products made by honest producers in a fair and sustainable way. “In my opinion it all depends on the quality of the wines people find in the market. Natural wines are often inaccurately made and imprecisely selected.” He suggested influential professionals, critics and wine educators, the main e-commerce platforms as well as the Ziran group themselves, need to try protecting the original idea of natural wine. Likewise, Jean believes the natural wine market in China will have a bright future with the emergence of more mature drinkers over time. “After the first wave has landed, the growth will slow down and give place to a more knowledgeable market, the fans will continue drinking true natural wines, and the markets will become more structured, giving birth to new segments.” Kinsley is planning to start a bistro featuring natural wine in Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province in eastern China this September, as he is optimistic about natural wine’s future. From the market perspective, he thinks natural wine has not reached its peak, and he would like to see more natural wine vineyards or brands with good quality products in China.“Whether it is natural or traditional wine, I don’t think they will disappear from the market. At the end of the day, Vineyards and products that are not satisfactory will be eliminated. They are probably the real “temporary fad”.’
Commenting on the new partnership with ASC, the owner of Chateau de la Font de Loup Anne-Charlotte Melia said: “Laurent and I are absolutely thrilled that we will have ASC as our exclusive distribution partner in Mainland China and Hongkong. Together with ASC we will bring to Chinese wine lovers the wines of our unique terroir where wild Mistral winds howl and elegance reigns supreme.”