It’s one thing to export wine. It’s another to sell enough to need a second shipment.
Such repeat business has often proven fleeting for Chinese producers. But a project that brought 20-plus wines from six Chinese producers to New York in April just landed that crucial second shipment this week.
I asked Camden Hauge, founder of importer / distributor China Wine Club, about the most difficult moment in reaching this point, about pricing challenges, especially given heavy U.S. tariffs, about the Chinese wines that New York’s trade and consumers prefer most, and about which New York restaurant made her cry.
Grape Wall: It’s hard to believe that one year ago, you were still six months from getting that first China wine shipment to New York. Now a second shipment just arrived.
Looking back, what was the biggest moment of despair with this project, and at what point did you realize it was really going to work?
Camden Hauge: I would say there have been several small moments of despair, mostly in regard to the delicate and ever-changing tariff situation—I keep joking (not really joking) that this is perhaps the worst possible year to have started this project.
Despite this, I am still very positive this is also the “right time” in many ways—America, and specifically New York, is a mature market for wine drinking, and although some say this is slowing, I think drinkers are just looking for new and interesting wines.
Ever since the first “launch” tasting with the trade and also with customers, the open-mindedness and excitement with which the bottles have been greeted has been so energizing and gratifying that I knew the wines would be welcomed in this market.
That first shipment had over 20 wines from six boutique producers. What three wines particularly caught the attention of the trade and consumers in New York?
The most predictable favorite was Silver Heights’ Bloom—I knew it would be a standout not only because of the sterling reputation of the winery, but mostly because of the addition of rice wine alongside the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in this ancestral-style sparkler. It’s a great provocateur for storytelling—and, of course, it’s delicious. I only brought a small allocation that sold out instantly.
For the rest, it’s hard to say because each wine is so different, but one surprise hit was FARMentation’s Peach Bubble, a pet-nat made from 100 percent Shaanxi honey peaches. I knew that it tasted like summer in a bottle and is very popular in China because of the preference for low ABV and fruit juice, but I was thrilled to see how popular it was here [in New York], despite what I perceive as an only burgeoning acceptance of non-grape wines.
Xiaopu’s Gathering also made waves as a snapshot of Ningxia, blending red and white grapes together to capture terroir in a bottle.
Many people think Chinese wines are relatively expensive. And you face extra costs, especially due to tariffs. Based on initial expectations, how has the issue of pricing worked out?
So far, despite the many factors working against us, I am proud of the pricing we have by the time the wines are landed and sold to retail. With the first shipment, I impressed upon the winemakers how important it would be to ensure that at least one of their wines could function as a “by the glass” pour, which also translates into a reasonable “by the bottle” cost, so customers had no reason not to try and would hopefully be impressed.
The makers have been so kind to ensure that their pricing is as competitive as possible to hit these levels. With this second shipment, we have been able to stretch this range, bringing in more entry-level bottles as well as more premium pours to even further expand our potential customer base.
In terms of New York bars and restaurants listing the wines, do these venues fall into any particular niche? Are there any venues that made you go “wow!”?
Overall, for the first shipment, we wanted to target the most progressive and interesting wine bars, restaurants and shops—the places that a somm would want to go on their day off, somewhere they could try something they have never tried before.
I’m very grateful to all of the venues that currently carry the wines, and I am excited that we still have so many highly respected venues to approach, especially in the yet-unexplored fine dining range. But yes, there is one venue in particular that was a “wow”.
I am a dining nerd, and Danny Meyer looms large as a hospitality figure not only in New York but around the world. His book Setting the Table made me want to open restaurants, and I still remember the day I made the pilgrimage to his iconic Gramercy Tavern as one of the first “fancy” restaurants I ever went to as a young adult.
So for one of the wines, Shofang’s ethereal Roussanne-Viognier, to be selected as a tasting menu pairing… when I found out, I burst into tears. Gramercy Tavern is a legendary “New York restaurant”, and this made it feel like New York had truly accepted Chinese wine.
Along with many events in New York, I saw the wines also went on a four-city tour of Florida. How did that happen? And do you anticipate similar tours in other U.S. states?
My import and distribution partner Carnelia works across both New York and Florida, and has great relationships with excellent venues there, so she brought the wines down for that series of events and it was very successful! Of course, I hope we can do events elsewhere, especially as people have been reaching out with interest.
What’s the status of the current shipment and what can wine fans in New York expect?
The new shipment literally just landed (!), which is very exciting!
This shipment will have more cuvees from our existing makers as well as wine from two new winemakers, with two additional ones to follow soon in LCL—pallets sent in shared containers.
In looking for ways to expand the portfolio, I focused on bringing in makers who continue to show the range in which Chinese wine is being made and across different locations.
Most immediately, we will add the highly respected Canaan, which makes wine under the labels Domaine Franco-Chinois, an origin story of contemporary Chinese winemaking, and Chapter & Verse for well-crafted single varietal cuvees that showcase the similarities and differences of fruit growing in their Huailai [County] terroir versus the rest of world.
Also, Jiangyu Ferment, a garage winemaker based in Penglai [in Shandong], whose exquisite wines I have been obsessed with since I tried them a few years ago—they sing.
From existing makers, I’m most excited about adding Yunnan-made cuvees by both Xiaopu and FARMentation, as true China wine hawks often ask for wine from this very promising region and I’m happy we can finally deliver.
You travel between New York and Shanghai, where you have been involved with wine for far longer. Local wine is now so diverse, but sales are still fairly small in China. What will it take to get more people drinking more Chinese wine and wine in general?
I always say what we’re trying to accomplish by bringing Chinese wines to America is to provoke a “Judgement of Paris” scenario. Bring these wines to a mature market and if this market enjoys them, hopefully the “approval” creates more demand both in America and China, which will help alleviate the challenging market there and cultivate more mature winemaking.
As I mentioned, I think that a decline in wine drinking can be remedied, even if to a small extent, by presenting new, interesting, approachable, delicious—and affordable if possible—wines. My bet is that Chinese wines can fulfil at least some of these needs.
Finally, the China Wine Club project has come a long way in a year. What are your hopes for the coming year?
Honestly, I am overwhelmed with the reception of the wines so far—New York has been even more open-minded and accepting than I ever could have dreamed! So for next year, I hope we can start to understand the rhythm [of the market] and stabilize supply, perhaps expanding into other states and bringing on a few more makers, but most importantly expanding awareness about Chinese wine into a genuine demand.
Someone to help with paperwork could also be nice—please reach out if you love logistics!
More about the New York project here, here and here. And find more Grape Wall Q&8s here.
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