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MARKETING At present, U.S. wines only account for 6% of China's total wine imports, and Canadian wines comprise less than 1%. The Slow Boat to China Nihilo was one of five Canadian wineries in attendance at the Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Fair this past fall, and the brand gained a Hong Kong distributor as a result of the trip, but Harder stressed that forging a trade relationship in the Far East is not a swift endeavor. "W Finding the right business partner involves a significant investment of time and money, he said. "Don't think you're going to run over there tomorrow and find somebody to dis- tribute your wines." Unlike the North American mentality of pouncing on a great investment immediately, businesspeople in Asia are more inclined 80 Wines & Vines JAnUARY 2012 Entering the Asian wine market takes time By Kate Lavin ith patience comes success," according to Jeff Harder, managing director of Ex Nihilo Vineyards. The phrase is a Chi- nese proverb, he said, one of particular relevance to North American wineries looking to enter the Asian market. Ex to walk away and mull the deal over—and that's to say nothing of the obligatory negotiating stage (note: your price will always be too high), said Harder, whose 4,100-case premium wine brand also has distribution in Japan. "Once you agree on a price, then your business partner can be for life. When they make a commitment and give you a number in terms of wine and case sales, they will follow through on that," he said of distributors in mainland China. "Hong Kong is a little different. It's faster than mainland China, but they're still cautious before making any large commitments." The demand For wineries that are willing to invest the time and money re- quired to enter the Asian market, consumer demand is growing. David Andrews, general manager (Hong Kong and Macau) for ASC Fine Wines Trading Corp., said that imported wines now represent 25% of the market share in China, where wine imports AFTAB UzzAmAn