Wine associations in China unite to improve sales

A group of wine associations from different parts of China has founded a trade body to increase the sales of domestic wines, marking a new level of co-operation between the country’s wine regions.

China Wine Associations Alliance (CWAA) has recently announced its establishment in Chengdu, Sichuan Province.

Many Chinese provinces and cities have their own wine associations, but this is the first time that they have joined up to work together.

The purpose of the alliance is to ‘integrate marketing resource, break through the barriers between production and sales, and create information exchange between the wine producing regions and sales regions,’ ZHANG Jiansheng, secretary general of CWAA, told DecanterChina.com.

‘[Our] aim is to improve the sales of domestic wines in major wine sales regions, spread wine culture and promote the development of the wine industry.’

The first members of CWAA consist of 17 associations from all over the country, including Chengdu Wine & Spirit Association, Hong Kong Wine Merchants' Chamber of Commerce and Ningxia Yinchuan Grape and Wine Industry Association.

The alliance is expected to help shorten the distance between domestic wines and the market, and to become a contact point for both wine producers and local distributors.

‘This year, [we] will focus on getting more associations to join the alliance,’ Zhang said. ‘And organising wine trips for distributors and consumer leaders to visit domestic wineries.

‘As wine associations, we all share the same passion and commitment on wine, and it is powerful for promoting the development of the wine production, sales and consumption in China.’