MESA

Introduction

Which countries are the biggest consumers of red wine? France, Italy and the US, right? Nope, China is currently the biggest red wine consumer. So big in fact that it dethroned France and Italy as the world's biggest red wine drinker in 2013. While the U.S. remains the world's biggest consumer of all types of wine, China's fondness for red wine rose by 136 percent over the past five years. This makes for China to be one of the most attractive target markets for global wine producers. The French, like other wine producers, are interested in looking at ways to cater to Chinese demand. China is the worlds biggest importer of Bordeaux wines, and thanks to this demand, total exports of French wine reached record levels of $7.7 billion last year.

Company

Château Beychevelle is a historic estate and Grand Cru Classé wine in Saint Julien, Bordeaux that dates back to the 15th century. During the reign of Henri III of France, the estate was the home of Jean-Louis Nogaret de la Valette, the Duke of Epernon, who was so powerful that ships who passed before his Château had to lower their sails. This is why their label represents the ship with the “basse-voile” (lowered sail) and the griffin, which according to legend would guard the cellar of wine god Dionysius.

Wines have been produced here since the 17th century. It was classified as a “fourth growth” (Quatrième Cru) in the 1855 Classification. It has passed through the hands of many owners since its beginning, and is now part of the Grande Millésimes de France. The Japanese drink company, Suntory currently owns the 50 % of the company while 84-year-old Pierre Castel whom runs Castel, the largest wine and beer company in France, owns the remaining 50% (Anson, J. (2011, Febru...

... middle of paper ...

...stributor must be shown on the label. The name and address of the producer is not mandatory, however if included does not need to be translated into Chinese characters

• Country of origin: A country of origin statement is mandatory. Importers will usually request a Certificate of Origin to confirm this claim.

• Minimum durability date: Wines with an alcohol content of 10% or less are required to include a minimum durability date.

• Product Type: (i.e. Grape Wine, ‘red’, ‘white’, ‘sparkling’, ‘semi-sparkling, ‘fortified’, ‘sweetened fortified’, etc.)

• Sugar content (g/L)

Mandatory Warning Statements: The following and other warnings must be on the bottle in Chinese: "Excessive drinking is harmful to health" or "Pregnant women and children shall not drink". For beer in glass bottles also add "Do not hit; it might cause explosion of the bottle".