Wine market in Taiwan
Despite the global economic recession, demand for grape wine increased 21 percent by value from January to June 2008 compared to the same period in 2007.
The wine market is still evolving with particularly red wine now commonly being served at wedding ceremonies and in the food service sector. Imported wine consumption continues to be led by the urban centres and younger generations.
Taiwan’s business class is affluent, well travelled and relatively sophisticated. Many Taiwanese have a Western education which means that they are already familiar with some wines. France has more than half the market.
Get the full report
• PDF available for download
Taiwan is currently the fourth largest market in Asia in terms of grape wine consumption. By volume, growth is forecasted to be up a further 150 percent in the next four years.
Growth has been influenced by:
• ongoing establishment of upscale restaurants and bars serving wine
• exposure to Western cuisine
• free in-store tasting promotions
• larger retail chains increasing their range of wines and their exposure
• many Taiwanese consider red wines to be beneficial to personal health.
The quantity of New Zealand wine sold in Taiwan is very small (0.4 percent market share for the year ended June 2008) but imports grew 131 percent by value and 106 percent by volume over 2007.
Getting your product into market
Critical to market entry and growth are personal relationships with business partners who:
• are knowledgeable and well motivated
• have strong marketing and sales skills
• are able to contribute to the development and implementation of joint marketing plans.
Consideration needs to be given to the ability of exclusive distributors to effectively offer island-wide market coverage. Wider coverage might be achieved through sub-distributors or on a regional basis.
There are two main sales channels for imported wine in Taiwan:
• an estimated 70 percent is distributed through