The United States government is eager to get more American alcohol into the mouths of Chinese wine drinkers.
The Family Winemakers of California and Stonebridge Research Group LLC have been awarded an Emerging Market Program USD369,292 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop a roadmap on how to sell California fine wines in the Chinese market.
The companies will reportedly complete an initial one-year research project. The project is focused on positioning the fine wines produced by California's family wineries to appeal to Chinese wine consumers.
One key aspect of the project is developing a prestigious California fine wine education curriculum that would not only build awareness and expertise in the category among both the wine trade and private clients, but also become a vehicle to engage potential surrogates in China in spreading the message.
The project also seeks to expand awareness of California wines beyond Beijing and Shanghai to other major cities such as Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Xiamen.