Loading...
"Vinexposium interviewed Honore Comfort, California Wine’s Vice President of International Marketing, to learn more about the organization's export strategy and the challenges facing the region."
How important are exports for Californian wineries?
Exports are essential to building visibility and value for California wines on a global scale. As the world’s fourth largest wine producing region, it is important for California wines to be well represented on wine lists, on retail shelves and in collector’s cellars in key markets around the world. While the majority of California’s wines are sold domestically, since the United States is the number one market for consumption, building our presence on the world’s wine stage is key to our long-term success.
What share do exports represent of your total sales? Has this grown a lot?
Export represents approximately 3% of California wine sales (US wine exports are not tracked at the state level, although California wines make up more than 95% of all US wine exports) and has grown significantly for more than a decade.
What are your key markets and have these changed over the past few years?
Canada is the largest market for California wines internationally, representing more than 35% of total export sales, followed closely by Europe and the UK. As a region, Asia is one of the most important growth regions for California wines with rapid growth in South Korea in particular over the past few years. Japan, Hong Kong and China are at the center of California Wine’s Asian market strategy and we have been active in building our customer base in those markets for over 20 years. Our vintners are eager to return to Asia following the pandemic, and we have recently hosted tours and events in Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam and we look forward to connecting with many more of our Asian customers at Vinexpo Asia.
How have you managed (or aimed) to encourage export growth over the years?
One of the most important activities is to travel to the market and meet with importers, buyers and sommeliers. During the pandemic, we shifted to ‘virtual travel’ and hosted live on-line seminars, tastings and events to connect with people. We have also launched the Capstone California wine education and certification program. This is a robust online platform full of information on California wine for professionals and wine enthusiasts eager to learn more. There is so much to explore from maps, videos, tasting guides, and region guides to our four-tier professional certification program. The certification is offered in seven languages and we work with professional wine schools in more than 20 countries to provide in person classes and tastings.
How does an organization such as California Wines work daily to support and promote wines from California around the globe?
We have a team of 20 international representatives who work in more than 30 markets around the world to provide a robust schedule of events for trade and consumers, wine education programs for sommeliers, retail and restaurant promotions, in-person events and programs for consumers, and trade tastings and events. Participation in international wine exhibitions like VinExpo Asia is a central part of our business and provides opportunities for California vintners and winemakers to meet face-to-face with decisionmakers from key markets around the world.
Have exports in any way imposed a change in style, taste or look for Californian wines?
One of the benefits of being located in the largest wine consumption market in the world is that our winemakers and wineries have a clear picture of evolving consumer taste and trends. Globally, we’re seeing a shift towards white, sparkling, and rosé wines with bright, fresh acidity and a curiosity about different wine varieties. Fortunately, this direction plays to California’s strength with the cooling influence of the cold Pacific Ocean creating the perfect environment for growing and producing crisp, refreshing styles of wine. In addition, California’s winegrowers have been actively experimenting and expanding the range of varieties that are grown from our coastal regions to the mountains, across valleys, hilltops, and ridgelines, and from the border of Mexico to the northern reaches of the California coast. Of course at certain price points red wines continue to dominate and with regions such as Napa Valley California’s winemakers will always satisfy the consumer’s desire for deep, rich wines.
How do you see the future of international trade for wines from California? What are your priority markets and what is your export strategy to continue to grow your market share abroad?
We are seeing more and more California wines getting involved in exports. As the world continues to get smaller, international markets become increasingly appealing as an important part of the sales mix for California wineries. We continue to focus efforts on our top 10 leading markets for California wines including Canada, Continental Europe, the UK, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong and China while at the same time developing programs in new expansion markets including India, the UAE, Vietnam and France. Our strategy is centered on bringing more California wineries into exports, expanding into new markets, and building momentum in current markets.
Can you tell us a little more about wines from California and their main features?
California’s wine regions are mostly clustered along the coast and benefit from proximity to the cold Pacific Ocean. Of the state’s 147 American Viticultural Regions (AVAs), 127 have a cooling coastal influence from wind and fog off of the Pacific. With over 615,000 acres of vineyards, California produces a wide range of varieties with a range of winemaking styles from crisp, focused whites to fresh, delicate reds and more lush, concentrated styles. More than 60% of California’s vineyard acres are certified sustainable, organic or biodynamic and 8 out of every 10 bottles of California wine are produced in a certified sustainable winery.
This interview has been released during Vinexpo Asia, as part of the “USA, Country of Honor” dedicated program from May 23 to 25, 2023
