Interview: Argentine wine industry seeks competitive edge in Chinese market through CIIE, says business leader

BUENOS AIRES, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- Argentina's wine industry aims to take full advantage of the upcoming fourth China International Import Expo (CIIE) to promote its varied wines to Chinese consumers, a business leader told Xinhua on Tuesday.

Growing demand in China makes the market "very attractive" to wineries in Argentina, which are aggressively seeking to increase their market share and competitive edge in the Asian country, according to Maximiliano Hernandez Toso, president of Wines of Argentina (WofA).

"The CIIE is a unique experience. There is no expo like it in the world because of its size, the amount of products it covers and the number of annual visitors. After the most difficult phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is going to be a special edition," said Hernandez.

WofA gathers more than 200 wineries across the South American country with the purpose of promoting the brand "Vino Argentino" in the world market.

"At the beginning of the millennium, China imported very little wine, but by 2018 it had become the third largest wine importer in the world, making it a very attractive market for all large wine producers, like Argentina," he said.

Past CIIE editions have allowed Argentine wineries to get to know Chinese consumers' tastes, and learn about the country's distribution methods, online sales channels and logistics schemes.

At the fourth CIIE, "the main objective is to fill all the spaces for Argentine wines and ensure that each consumer who passes our stands gets a very good impression of our wines because that is what will matter in the long term to develop the brand," he said.

In addition to its flagship Malbec wine variety, Argentina offers such classic wines as Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Sauvignon blanc, Cabernet Franc, Torrontes, Bonarda and Criolla.

"Argentina is the largest wine country in the world in terms of the number of different 'terroirs' we can exploit," said Hernandez, referring to the country's different range of environmental conditions.

That "translates into a tremendously diverse and unique offer," he added.