With Record Exports of Wine in 2011, Chile Wraps up Successful Participation in Prowein

SANTIAGO, Chile, March 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- In 2011 Chilean wine exports set a record, with an increase of 8.9% compared to the year before, reaching a total of US$ 1,690,000,000. Although the figures are auspicious, the German market still presents a great challenge as far as positioning in the wine sector is concerned. To achieve this, Chile's participation in Prowein while setting out on the path to promote Chilean wine will be key to its success.  

The close of an auspicious year and the start of 2012 with clear goals set for exporting Premium wines, featuring designation of origin and a sustainable approach, were the calling cards Chile presented at  Prowein, Germany's largest wine exhibition, and one of the most significant in Europe.

In its 2012 version, Dusseldorf brought together more than 3,900 exhibitors from 50 countries, presenting their products to 40,000 visitors – an audience made up of importers, representatives of the food sector, and opinion leaders in the wine industry at the global level.  

With 3.7 % of the total, Chile positions itself as the world's 8th largest producer, and as the 5th largest exporter with 8% of the total, after Italy, Spain, France and Australia. Thus, Chile exports more than 664 million liters per year, which places it among the world's ten largest producers of wine.  

In 2011, total exports reached a record with shipments of US$ 1,690,000,000; this is the largest amount exported by the industry to date, owing to an increase of 8.9% in comparison with 2010. As for Chilean exports by geographical area, Europe accounts for 45% of shipments, while North America is in second place (23.6%), followed by Asia (16.6%) and South America (10.8%).

The Chilean delegation to Prowein 2012 was led by ProChile and Wines of Chile, and had the participation of 43 vineyards in the Chile Pavilion, along with 19 vineyards attending independently, presenting their best vintages.  For the third year in a row, Chile participated with Argentina, California, New Zealand and South Africa in "Flavours: A whole New World @ Prowein," the pavilion of New World producers, where seminars, wine tastings and food tasting events were arranged, with an innovative focus marked by wines of high quality and renowned guests, such as sommeliers  Andreas Larsson, Caro Maurer MW, Jurgen Mattass and Ronan Sayburn MS.

Exports of Chilean wine to Germany

Exports of bottled Chilean wine to Germany in 2011 added up to US$ 39,789,912, a figure that adds up to 2.81% of total global exports.

Although Germany stands out as the largest importer of wines in the world, the percentage of wines coming from Chile to Germany is smaller, with Germany holding 8th place among countries receiving Chilean wine. This is why the focus of Chilean shipments is aiming towards raising prices by introducing bottled and Premium wines, known for their quality.  For example, in the period from January to December of 2011, shipments in the bottled category increased 3% in volume, 10.8% in value and 7.7% in average price, with 439 million liters, US$ 1,415,000,000 and US$ 29.03/Case, respectively. In this way, shipments of Chilean wine are falling into line with the country's goal of achieving US$ 3,000,000,000 in exports by 2020.

How Chilean wine will be presented in 2012

The Chilean Wine Tour is the approach to consolidating the promotion of Chilean wine in 2012, in competitive and attractive markets at the global level.  To reinforce this strategy, the dates of the 2012 Chilean Wine Tour were keyed to the world's most important wine fairs, as was the case for Chile's participation in Prowein. The same thing will occur at Vinexpo Hong Kong and London International Wine, with the strategy of prolonging Chile's presence in the market and maximizing the time and resources of the delegations engaged in these activities. 

The agenda for the Chilean Wine Tour 2012 includes 15 dates, starting in March with Russia and Poland, followed by Asia (in June), specifically Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. In August, the Chilean Wine Tour delegation will visit Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Mexico, while for September, the markets selected are Holland and Belgium.  To finish off the tour, October is devoted to the United States, where the main emphasis will be on Chicago, Miami and San Francisco.

These activities complement the promotional work carried out by Wines of Chile in the focal markets, which have been defined in the Strategic Plan of the Wine Industry up until 2020.

Contact: Natalia Ramos Rojas, +56-2-8275217, [email protected]

SOURCE ProChile