Wine: Castel announces good results on the Chinese market for 2008

Castel, the world leader in French wines, is a great success story in China. This market represents a key area for the group's growth. And if 2008 has been a success, 2009 is predicted to be even more exceptional. Castel has recently welcomed 113 Chinese buyers in Bordeaux to visit their facilities.

Operating for over 10 years on the market, Castel is enjoying resounding success today. Following the sale of 2.6 million bottles in 2007 – more than 1 in 10 bottles of French wine marketed in China –, Castel announces record sales for 2008. The minimum volume sold this year in China is estimated at 5.5 million bottles, that's more than double the sizeable sales figures of 2007.

In 1998 Castel decided to strengthen its position with a bottling plant, and to produce locally through a partnership with the Chinese leader Changyu (who has been running Château Changyu-Castel since its opening in 2002). After opening a sales office in Shenzhen and a warehouse in Guangzhou, Castel is now refocusing on a distribution network covering the entire Chinese territory.

With 10 local import partners today, Castel sells a wide range of French wines through around 1,500 distributors (the key regions are covered) thanks to its star products: Baron de Lestac, Famille Castel, Malesan, Roche Mazet, Les Ormes de Cambres, Castel's Estates & Vineyards, and Virginie.

Castel recently organised a visit to its estates in Bordeaux for 113 Chinese buyers-distributors. The aim was to present its savoir-faire in the area of wine production along with its efficient facilities in order to consolidate its position on the Chinese market.