Bordeaux winemakers hit hard by plunging demand from China

Global exports of Bordeaux wine have plunged, largely because of a sharp decline in demand from China, where anti-corruption measures on the mainland have taken the fizz out of the appetite for fine wines.

Exports to Hong Kong are down, though not as severely as those to mainland China.

In the first seven months of the year, Bordeaux wine exports fell 8 per cent year on year, according to the Conseil Interprofessionel du Vin de Bordeaux (CIVB), an association of Bordeaux wine professionals.

Mainland China led the decline, with a drop in sales of 25 per cent by volume and 26 per cent by value. In Hong Kong they fell 9 per cent by volume and 7 per cent by value.

British website Harpers reported that CIVB had launched its first global marketing campaign to help counter the fall in sales, with new promotional material in its seven priority markets - China, the United States, Britain, Japan, Germany, Belgium and France.

According to the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, wine imports reached HK$4.2 billion in the first half of this year, up 4.7 per cent compared with last year. Imports from France grew 2.8 per cent in volume.