Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/101495
SALES & MARKETING (Continued from page 129.) to buy red wines, but they were actually interested in the full variety.��� Consumers and distributors were equally receptive to Canadian ice wines, according to Beatriz Gil, marketing manager for Isabella Winery of Richmond, B.C., who attended the Hong Kong Wine & Spirits Fair. Owned by Taiwan-born Tony Ouyang, Isabella exports nearly 85% of its production to China, with Zhejiang Province being its No. 1 export market. Due in part to the winery���s location (20 minutes from the city center of Vancouver, where 17% of the population is of Chinese descent), Gil says several of Isabella���s staffers are bilingual and able to communicate with the winery���s distributors in Asia. ���Their philosophy is, ���If they can spend that much on packaging, the wine inside must be good.������ Michael Parr, export manager, Wente Vineyards Buying the second bottle Gift giving is a strong tradition in Asian culture, with the biggest occasions being Chinese New Year (the upcoming year of the snake begins Feb. 10) and the midautumn festival, which usually takes place in September or October. Sam Lou of Nielsen Co. sums up the idea of wine as a gift by saying, ���Wine is not seen as a gift for your business partner, government officials or boss, because people don���t know the value of the bottle.��� Instead, wine is a popular gift choice for friends and family members. Since the appearance that a bottle is high-end can be even more important than the wine���s taste, experts recommend heavy glass, natural cork and traditional labels. ���Their philosophy is, ���If they can spend that much on packaging, the wine inside must be good,������ Parr says. Gallagher from California���s Wine Institute adds that getting consumers to buy wine as a gift is only half the battle. Imported wine is viewed as a valuable commodity in mainland China, so the next step is encouraging consumers to open that bottle, drink it and buy another, ���and not just have it sitting on a shelf as a status symbol,��� she says. Kuss from the ATO echoes this sentiment: ���Wine is a major gift-giving item, but they might have no intention of drinking this gift.��� Michael Parr, export manager for Wente Vineyards, says North American wine sellers may be surprised to learn what prompts consumers to drink wine in China, where wine imports were first sold in pharmacies. ���Chinese pharmacists were selling them to their customers as treatments,��� Parr says of imported wines, adding that heart and blood ailments were the most common problems to be A Digital Label Company Specializing in competitive wine label solutions with over 50 years of label mfg. experience. ��� Wine Label Extras Full capabilities with Foil Hot Stamp and Embossing. ��� State Of The Art Equipment Our HP Indigo produces offset quality labels with perfect registration. You can use CMYK or PMS colors together or separately. prescribed a dose of imported wine. Consequently, many Chinese consumers still view wine as a healthful product. ���Men drink wine because wine is healthy. The lower alcohol content means they can drink more than baijiu,��� a distilled liquor popular in China, says Nielsen���s Lou. ���For women: Wine has an antioxidant agent that protects you from aging. Women like to drink to make them beautiful.��� Marketing your region While identifying sub-AVAs can motivate North America���s regular wine drinkers to ��� Change Is Good Revise your label���s content every run without costly plate charges. Lower inventories, reduce your overhead and label spoilage. ��� Local Service We are the only Central Coast Web HP Indigo and we are proud to help support the local community. ��� Cost Effective No hidden costs from plate/copy changes because in digital printing there are no plates to set up. What we quote is what you get. ��� Fast Lead Times Jobs typically turn around in only 5 days from approved art. ��� Green Practices Eco-friendly solutions, being ���green��� has become a necessary part of doing business. Digital Dogma is committed to sustainability and reducing waste through the use of PCW substrates and eco-friendly printing methods. Call us today at 805-439-2651 or visit us online at www.digitaldogmaslo.com Digital Dogma SLO | 846 Ricardo Ct. | San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 Win es & Vin es JA N UA RY 20 13 131