Feature: From Tuscany to Tianjin, Italian winery explores opportunities in Chinese market

This photo taken on Oct. 5, 2023 shows Italian winemaker Tenuta Perano's vineyard in Gaiole in Chianti in the Province of Siena in Italy's Tuscany region. TO GO WITH "Feature: From Tuscany to Tianjin, Italian winery explores opportunities in Chinese market" (Xinhua/Guo Wendi)

ROME/TIANJIN, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- In the picturesque wine-producing region of Chianti Classico nestled in Italy's Tuscany region, the Sangiovese grapes bask in the sunlight within a winery named Tenuta Perano. Wines produced from these grapes will be exported to China.

In recent years, various Italian products have entered countless Chinese households. Wine is one of them. Stefano Benini, vice president and export director of Marchesi Frescobaldi, the parent company of Tenuta Perano, said in an interview with Xinhua that the Chinese market represents a great opportunity for Tenuta Perano, and the importance of this market to Marchesi Frescobaldi has been growing steadily over the years. "We do have a particular focus on this market," he said.

Tenuta Perano has an estate in a land that is extraordinarily conducive to grape growing. Nature has provided a natural amphitheater to capture the light and warmth of the sun, nurturing the vines to perfection, and their renowned Chianti Classico wines are produced exclusively from hand-picked grapes, according to the winery's source.

In the past five years, the volume of bilateral trade between China and Italy soared from around 50 billion U.S. dollars to nearly 80 billion dollars, official data showed.

At present, three types of Tenuta Perano's products are sold in China. "In our opinion, we should be able to triple the business within the next five years (in China) if we do the right thing, in a market that evolves constantly," Benini said.

Commenting on the evolution of the Chinese market, he noted that the increasing understanding of wine among Chinese consumers has been a highly favorable factor, "especially concerning Italian wine regions and varietals, which are undoubtedly more recognized in first-tier cities such as Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou," Benini added.

When it comes to effectively promoting this winemaker's products in China, he believes that knowledge of the products and capacity to promote story-telling and sense of place of the products are crucial for getting a competitive edge.

He also emphasized that the role played by the importer of Tenuta Perano in China has been crucial, as the importer has shown its capacity to understand the uniqueness and diversity of the winery and to effectively communicate these aspects with the public.

While Tenuta Perano is eagerly anticipating the expansion of sales in China, a container carrying its wines arrived at Tianjin Dongjiang Free Trade Port Area in north China's Tianjin Municipality. As the container truck parked in front of the warehouse with constant temperature and humidity, a forklift driver transported these wines box by box and stacked them neatly on the shelves.

"In 2017, we only introduced a few pallets of Tenuta Perano's wines and took a wait-and-see attitude about the market reaction," said Michelle Hu, Operation Director of Marquis (Tianjin) Trading Co., Ltd., agent of Tenuta Perano's wines in China. Hu believes that with a rich variety of flavors, Italian wines can be the perfect accompaniment to many local delicacies in China.

In recent years, Hu's team has organized many regular activities like wine tastings, providing consumers and partners the opportunity to learn about wineries and wine culture.

"Now we import several containers of Tenuta Perano wines every year," said Hu, adding that after years of promotion, consumers' recognition of this brand of wine has been steadily increasing.

From August to September this year, Hu and her team participated in many industry exhibitions in Guangzhou, Luzhou, Tianjin and some other cities in China, at which many exhibitors showed their interest in Italian wines.

Looking ahead, Hu said that as Chinese consumers' understanding of wine deepens and the relevant market becomes increasingly mature, Italian wines will have broader prospects in the Chinese market due to their excellent taste and good price-quality ratio.

This photo taken on Oct. 5, 2023 shows Italian winemaker Tenuta Perano's wine cellar in Gaiole in Chianti in the Province of Siena in Italy's Tuscany region. TO GO WITH "Feature: From Tuscany to Tianjin, Italian winery explores opportunities in Chinese market" (Xinhua/Guo Wendi)