All sommeliers in China, regardless of the size of their restaurant or hospitality venue, are looking for wine brands that deliver superior quality and superior value. You can think of that as the basic “price of admission” for getting onto a respected wine list. Beyond quality and value, though, what else are Chinese sommeliers at fine restaurants looking for?

Wine brands that are “on-trend”

Just a few years ago, the only wines that Chinese restaurant patrons would order were prestigious wine brands from Bordeaux, including everyone’s favorite – Chateau Lafite. But now Chinese sommeliers are reporting much more experimentation with other wine regions – both inside France (as in Burgundy and the Loire Valley) and outside of France.

In terms of wine nations that are on everyone’s radars, there are two that particularly stand out – Chile and Australia. According to the latest Chinese wine market statistics, Chile and Australia now each control 24 percent of the Chinese wine market. France has seen its market share slip from 31 percent in 2017 to just 26 percent in 2018. Thus, it is possible to say that wines from both Chile and Australia are “on trend,” and it’s up to wine brands from these nations to showcase how and why they are prestigious, high-quality wines. The one Australian wine brand that has done this the best is Penfolds, which arguably is now just as famous as Chateau Lafite for many Chinese wine buyers.

Moreover, wine trends can encompass other factors as well. For example, one big macro trend is the changing consumption patterns of Chinese wine buyers. At one time, the only wines that were popular were big, bold Cabernet Sauvignon wines from Bordeaux. But now consumers are experimenting much more with red wine varietals. According to the latest data from Alibaba (which operates Tmall.com), Merlot has actually surpassed Cabernet Sauvignon as the most popular red wine for e-commerce buyers. Moreover, other red wine varieties – such as Cabernet Franc, Syrah and Grenache – are also gaining traction. At the same time, Chinese e-commerce consumers are buying (and ordering) more white wine – an important trend that top sommeliers are already starting to notice.

Wine brands that have the support of Key Opinion Leaders

The old model of getting support for a wine was to showcase the ratings of the bottle of wine, perhaps by pointing to a favorable review from a legendary wine critic with a lot of influence in the industry. Now, the emphasis is shifting to getting favorable reviews from Key Opinion Leader (KOLs) on social media. Many of these wine KOLs have hundreds of thousands of followers, so merely getting a mention in one of the wine review videos that they produce can have a huge impact on sommeliers paying attention to your wine brand.

Case in point: Wine Australia recently worked with two Chinese KOLs (the Chufei Churan twins) to promote wines from Australia. Instead of marketing directly to Chinese wine buyers, Wine Australia instead decided to fly in the two social media influencers for a whirlwind weekend in Australia, letting them showcase all the fabulous wines of the nation against some stunning backdrops.

Arguably, the most important wine KOL in China right now is Weng Shanghan (known to her fans as Drunk Mother Goose). Her wine review videos have racked up over 200 million cumulative views from fans, and she has gone on to launch a wine club with 8,000 members. Imagine the impact of getting your wine brand featured as a “wine of the month” selection!

Wine brands that can demonstrate strong e-commerce performance

The Chinese wine market – much more so than the European or North American wine market – is now based around e-commerce. The two top e-commerce sites for wine sales are Tmall.com and JD.com, and there are plenty more niche competitors – such as Vinehoo.com and YesMyWine.com – that focus on only one thing: wine. When wine brands want to get noticed in China, they spend time building up a presence on these e-commerce platforms. Wine Australia, for example, now has a dedicated sales page on Tmall.com, so that wine buyers can find the best Australian wines very easily. Perhaps not surprisingly, Yellow Tail is one of the biggest Australia brands featured, so that’s led to a surge of popularity for that brand.

If you’re pitching a new wine brand to Chinese sommeliers, then, you can use this type of strong e-commerce performance to your advantage. The reason is simple: if consumers are buying your wines online, then they will buy your wines in a restaurant as well. It gives any sommelier peace of mind when they know that they don’t have to worry about wine bottles piling up in inventory. Being able to show sales velocity is key. When Tmall.com releases its ranking of the “top wines of the year,” sommeliers pay attention. The 2016 Top 10, for example, included Chateau Monlot (owned by famous Chinese actress Zhao Wei), Penfolds, and Mondavi Napa Valley.

Wine brands that resonate with the unique preferences of sommeliers

Finally, there is also a “personal” element involved with wine. The top sommeliers in China have backgrounds and experiences that have informed their own view of the wine world. Chinese wine publications (such as Decanter China), for example, often profile top sommeliers in Shanghai and Beijing. Reading through these profiles, you can get a good sense of what types of wines they might want to include in their restaurant’s wine portfolio. For example, Li Meiyu, Wine Director at the Park Hyatt in Beijing, has been very public about her love for the wines of Burgundy. Other sommeliers have emerged as public champions of wines from Australia.

By knowing what types of wines a sommelier favors, you can make a better sales pitch in order to get your wine into a particular restaurant. If a sommelier favors wines from small, boutique wineries, then you know exactly how you need to pitch your wine.

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Pitching your wine to sommeliers in China can sometimes seem like a confusing, complex process. However, by following the guidelines above, you will have the inside track on getting your wines onto the top wine lists in the country.