Wine exporters push for Japanese market share

Ray Smuts
SURPRISE, surprise! The Japanese are not a nation of rice wine drinkers as most would assume, but rather a nation of beer quaffers - a culture South Africa is hell-bent on changing in favour of wine.
Championing South Africa’s cause in Japan is California-trained wine expert Motoko Ishii who explains that wine is still a relatively new beverage to the majority of her countrymen and women, accounting for only 3% of total liquor consumption.
With a preference for low-alcohol drinks, the Japanese drink more beer than anything else which accounts for a whopping 70% of their consumption, followed by traditional products like sake (rice wine) and shochu (a white spirit enjoyed with mixers).
Ishii, who opened the Wines of Africa (Wosa) office in Tokyo a year ago, says while France remains the leading presence in the Japanese market, New World wine producers are making steady gains - good news for South African exporters.
To enable South African wine producers and exporters to do business in Japan, Ishii has prepared a manual focusing on consumption patterns and the country’s distribution of wines as well as labelling and business etiquette. (Available from Wines of South Africa).
Wosa says although Western influences have taken root in many areas of Japanese life, eating and drinking patterns remain largely traditional.
Wine consumption is nevertheless growing. It peaked in 1998 and then fell sharply as a result of the country’s economic woes during the latter part of the decade.
Says Ishii: “These days disposable income is not as flexible as it once was for most Japanese, but this gives South African products a distinct advantage when viewed against the erosion in the value of the rand. It means quality Cape wines can sell very competitively.”
Wosa also plans to begin exploring other emerging markets in Asia such as Thailand and India, the latter having certain population sectors with an established wine drinking culture.