SANTIAGO, Chile, June 4, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- The growth in volume and value shipped to these destinations shows the positive side of the ledger for Chilean industry in the past year. To strengthen this commercial exchange, and after successful participation in Vinexpo Hong Kong, on June 5th and 7th the second date of the Chilean Wine Tour will take place as part of the strategy for promoting Chilean wine throughout the world.
With a consolidated wine industry in constant growth, Chile is presenting its credentials in Asia with a solid presence at Vinexpo Hong Kong, and an attractive circuit for commercial promotion in Vietnam and Thailand with the Chilean Wine Tour, where 16 and 13 vineyards, respectively, will be participating.
From May 29th through 31st, the Chilean presence at Vinexpo consisted of 76 vineyards, 51 of which comprised the 407-square meter Chilean pavilion, bringing to Hong Kong the diversity and quality of the national stock under the auspices of Wines of Chile, the trade association for this sector. As a result, Chile has brought within reach of Asian consumers the fruits of the country's economic stability and its wine industry, endowments that are favored by exceptional natural conditions, as well as a pronounced concern for the environment and social responsibility.
With 3.9 % of total wine sales, Chile has positioned itself in 2011 as the eighth largest wine producer in the world. Exports of bottled wine added up to US$ 1.414 billion in 2011, reaching 145 countries and growing at an annual average rate of 12% over the past five years. As for the destination of Chilean wine exports, Asia accounted for 16.6% of the total, and took third place after Europe (45%) and North America (23.6%).
In this context, China established itself in 2011 as the seventh largest market for Chilean wine shipments, with a growth in value of 74.6% over the year before, registering US$ 65,265,819, and an average price of US$ 34.15 per case. Vietnam ranked in 25th place for bottled exports, racking up shipments of US$ 8,874,539, with a 23.4% rise in value in comparison to 2010. Thailand held 37th place, logging shipments of US$ 4,356,349, an increase of 34.5% over the previous year.
To strengthen this trade and continue its official activities in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) begun in recent years, through the Chilean Wine Tour, the Government of Chile has been able to consolidate the promotion of Chilean wine in attractive markets at the global level in 2012.
The Chilean delegation will arrive in Vietnam on June 5th, with 16 vineyards, and in Thailand on June 7th with 13 representatives, to hold guided tastings and topical seminars addressed to importers, the press and opinion leaders in this sector.
"ASEAN is a dynamic commercial zone, with sustained growth over the past decade, and a population of more than 600 million people, strategically located between China and India, and with high development potential. In this context, Chile has registered significant trade with this block in the past three years, doubling exports from US$ 751 million in 2008 to US$ 1.491 billion in 2011. In this light, promotional activities such as the Chilean Wine Tour strengthen trade relations and bring to Asian consumers the quality and reliability of Chilean products," said Jaime Rivera, Chilean Trade Commissioner of ASEAN in Vietnam.
In the framework of these activities, representatives of the vineyards Montes, Sena and Errazuriz will be visiting the markets of Malaysia and Indonesia, on June 12th and 14th, respectively.
Commercial importance of Vietnam and Thailand
Wine exports to ASEAN bloc countries came to US$ 29 million, putting Chile in 5th place with a market share of 6% and growth of 22% over the previous year.
For Chile, Vietnam is an emerging market in constant growth. In 2010, there was a major rise in wine exports as indicated by a 60.6% growth in value compared to 2009. The 2010-2011 comparison maintained this upward curve, though not quite as sharply, with a 23.4% jump in value. This phenomenon is in line with the Chilean wine industry's strategy for 2020, which seeks to improve the perception of Chilean wine, and register a substantial increase in consumption of its finest wines.
Like Vietnam, Thailand is a new market for Chile, whose direct competitors in the wine market are France, Australia and Singapore; however wines of the New World are on a good footing to promote future exports of Chilean wine, which in 2011 registered a per case value of US$ 30.84, exhibiting a 7.7% increase over 2010.
Contact: Jaime Rivera, jrivera@chile.org.vn, 84-8-382-41334
