THE RACE TO RAISE PRICES OF BORDEAUX WINES HAS BROUGHT BACK OPTIMISM IN FRANCE, BUT AUSSINO CELLARS, LEADER AMONG THE “WINE RETAILERS” IN CHINA DOES NOT LIKE THE TREND AND DROPS THE RIVE GAUCHE FOR THE MORE AFFORDABLE RIVE DROITE

The race to increase prices of Bordeaux wines has certainly brought great enthusiasm to our French cousins, but there are some, in the East, who are not happy about this trend. One of these is the most important “wine retailer” in China, Aussino Cellars, whose boss, Robert Shen, is one of the 20 most powerful people in the world of wine (according to the UK magazine “Decanter”).

The issue is the price volatility of the Grands Crus: according to Aussino (200 outlets in 100 cities across China), the prices are too high due to the explosion of the wine market in China, so it becomes very dangerous to continue promoting certain wines. In addition, the market is complicated by a large number of importers fighting for the same brand, a situation that no longer allows Grand Crus to be considered stable and reliable partners. So, instead of caving in to higher price auctions for Médoc wines, Aussino heads straight to the “rive droite”, specifically to Pomerol and, in particular, to the J-P Moueix & Thienpont brand. It is true that the race to raise prices is unsustainable, but the charm that Bordeaux has on Chinese consumers is increasing day by day.