A strategic analysis of the Rioja wine market in China

Abstract

China is currently one of the fastest growing markets for wine in the world. As wine consumption has decreased in old world countries, wine regions such as Rioja are turning their attention to places like China where the growing economy and expanding middle class are changing consumption habits and drinking more quality wines than ever before. China is a relatively new export market for Rioja wineries and the lack of experience, the contrasting culture and ways of business have made exporting a difficult and rather uncontrolled process as importation and distribution is processed mainly through Chinese business partners. A qualitative methodology, conducted through interviews with 8 Rioja wineries, was used to identify key element of exporting Rioja wine to China and recommendations have been made for successfully exporting wine to China