Until only recently, few exporters looked seriously at Korea. However, since its market was opened in 1987, wine has shown some of the fastest growth in Asia, with young, upwardly mobile consumers drinking not only more, but better, finds Jung Yong Cho.
After the first wine boom ebbed following the bursting of the Japanese financial bubble in 1990, eyes turned to the Chinese and Indian markets. Yet Japan is by far the largest and most upscale Asian wine market, as Robert Joseph discovers in his discussion with Carl Robinson of specialist importer Jeroboam.
Gordon’s, London’s oldest wine bar, serves wine to up to 400 customers a night – some of which is Grover’s Cabernet Shiraz ‘La Reserve’, from India. Kapil Grover exported 750 cases to the UK last year and wants to grow that to 2,000 cases in 2008.
Although domestic wineries account for almost one in every three bottles sold, Abi Duhr knows that the wealth and thirst of the average consumer in Luxembourg make it an attractive market for producers everywhere.
Beyond the Manekin Pis, most foreigners remember Belgium primarily for its excellent Trappist ales. That leads many to believe that Belgium is primarily a beer drinking country, but as Hervé Lalau notes, wine plays a predominant role in the market - and its influence is on the rise, while that of beer is waning.
French wines lost the top spot in the Dutch market to South Africa a decade ago. Today, the market is wide open but while good value still rules, consumers are showing more willingness to dig deep.
Sweden might look like a land of beer drinkers, but wine is actually the most widely consumed alcoholic beverage in the country. While it's already a thriving market, further changes are afoot, believes Thomas Ilkjaer.
Brazil's emerging economy, the world's tenth largest, is an exciting place to be. While many European producers see the country's 190 million inhabitants as a potential market, the country has the potential to become a major player in its own right.
Denmark, the world's oldest kindgom, is a highly competitive market, where wines are sold at low prices by three big chains plus hundreds of boutique importers. Together the big and small operators have formed a structure that has created a large, but extremely price sensitive market for wine.
Compared to the mature markets of Western Europe, the Polish wine scene is still relatively young. After years under the state monopoly, the market is developing modern distribution channels.
