Author: Jean-Charles Letellier – VINIFIELD
For decades, exporting to Asia was often seen as a simple equation: Find an importer, ship the wines and wait for sales to grow. Jean-Charles Letellier explains why that model does not work.
My first negotiation in China was a disaster, but I did not realise it at the time.
In 2010, I travelled there representing a Bordeaux winery. Like many young export managers, I believed that good wine, a competitive price, and a professional presentation would naturally lead to a deal.
The meeting seemed to go exactly as I had hoped — the importer complimented the wines, asked detailed questions and appeared genuinely interested in the portfolio — and I was convinced an order would come within days. But it never did.
A few weeks later, I realised that we had spent the meeting discussing two completely different subjects. I was explaining the quality of the wines while the importer was evaluating whether I was someone he could trust and work with over the long term. I was focused on the product. He was focused on the relationship.
After more than 15 years and hundreds of meetings across China, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Vietnam and other Asian markets, that lesson has stayed with me. Yet I still see many wine and spirits producers making that same mistake. Even today, the biggest challenge in Asia is not finding an importer but building a market — and those are two very different tasks.
© Vinifield
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