Tesco is looking to capitalise on the emerging Chinese wine trend with the launch of a red oriental brand, which it claims could be the first of many on the shelves.
Hot on the heels of Sainsbury’s foray into Chinese wine in January, Tesco has started selling a China-produced Cabernet Sauvignon that it believes could finally establish the market in Britain.
It bills the £7 Chateau Changyu Moser XV Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 as a “smooth, full-bodied wine” that is cross between a classic bordeaux and a fruity Australian wine.
The move comes as the country’s International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) placed China as the country with the second biggest vineyard area in the world after Spain.
The Chateau Changyu Moser XV estate claims to be one of the world’s biggest wine producers as home to 100 winemakers who make 150 million bottles a year.
The Tesco-listed wine is produced in the region of Ningxia in northern China, which has a warm and dry climate and boasts an average of 3,000 hours of sunshine hours a year - 800 hours more than Bordeaux.
Tesco’s master of wine James Davis forecast China would soon be a powerful player in the wine world and said this launch could represent its first major push in the UK.
“China is one of the world’s biggest consumers of wine, drinking almost two billion bottles of red wine each year. And now they are one of the largest wine-producing countries in the world, ahead of the more traditional regions of Chile and New Zealand,” he said.
“At a great introductory offer of £7, this wine offers customers an opportunity to discover a unique but quality wine at an affordable price,” Davis added. “This Chinese wine is very food-friendly and works well with a variety of dishes - they are also a great talking point at the dinner table.”
Source
Ian Quinn
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