Winemaker pitching to Chinese drinkers

Tim Hutchinson (right) in Beijing for a dinner and winetasting event.[Photo provided to China Daily]

While about 60 percent of the approximately 350,000 cases of Boschendal wine sold annually goes to the international market, only a very small portion of the 12-bottle cases about 1 percent - comes to China, according to Hutchinson. In Japan, where Boschendal entered two decades ago, its wine is very popular.

"We need to be very patient, because Chinese people have limited knowledge of our wine," he says, adding that Boschendal will not resort to advertising because that is not the best way to promote a premium brand. The brand's strategy: Reach wine opinion leaders and consumers through the media and social media.

He adds that winery tour-ism is very important for attracting more drinkers.

Boschendal is nestled in a valley that's only an hour's drive from Cape Town, and is one of the most beautiful areas in the famous Cape wine lands. The natural diversity there allows more plant species to grow around Table Mountain than in all of Europe, he explains.

The estate features a widely acclaimed restaurant, tasting room, extensive vegetable gar-dens and a herd of free-range Angus cattle. Luxury cottage accommodations offer a bucolic retreat with opportunities for hiking, cycling and fly-fishing.

While it's not easy for Chinese to get a visa for South Africa, Hutchinson says the appreciation for South African wine will grow as more Chinese visit the country and its centuries-old wine regions.

The BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) have also agreed to cooperate in many areas of mutual interest, which has created new opportunities for South African wines to enter the Chinese market, he adds, as well as for tourists to travel between the countries.