East Meets West Fine Wines (EMW) has become the exclusive on-trade distributor of Ningxia’s Xige Estate, which is likened to “China’s Penfolds”, expanding the wine merchant’s Chinese wine portfolio that already includes Tiansai and Legacy Peak.
Located in Gezi Mountain sub-region of Helan Mountain, Ningxia, Xige was founded by Zhang Yanzhi in 2017, who also owns wine import and distribution company Beijing Easy Cellar.
With an investment of close to US$45 million, the winery sprawls 25,000 square meters with over 1000 ha vineyards and claims to have the most advanced winemaking equipment in China.
The winery makes a range of wines, from Penfolds Bin Series inspired ‘N series’ to Jade Dove single vineyard, with annual production estimated at 6 million bottles.
The partnership is expected to expand the winery’s on-trade presence, as it previously mainly reply on Beijing Easy Cellar for distribution. The company made a name for distributing Jean-Pierre Moueix (JPM) family wines and Penfolds Max’s series.
Leveraging on EMW’s strong on-trade strength – which supplies wines for fine dining restaurants and starred hotel groups in over 160 cities all around China – EMW will provide professional service on developing new channels, and partner with Xige on providing a powerful product assortment and robust marketing promotion program to help improve Xige’s brand awareness, upgrade its fine wine portfolio and be more competitive in the market, the company says in a press release.
“The rapid development of Xige Estate is impressive, winning dozens of international awards in just four years after its establishment. With Mr. Zhang Yanzhi’s hard work, he turned Xige into one of the leading estates in China. We look forward to cooperating with Xige Estate, adding to our existing Chinese winery portfolio, developing our business, and working together to enhance the Chinese wine market,” says Olivier Six, CEO of EMW Fine Wines.
In addition to Xige, EMW also distributes Xinjiang’s Tiansai Vineyards and Ningxia’s Legacy Peak in China including Hong Kong and Macau.
Speaking of the partnership, Zhang Yanzhi, Owner of Xige Estate, adds, “EMW is an expert in the wine industry. They have a deep understanding of the Chinese wine market and are well versed in the fine dining business. It is an irresistible trend that the number of local fine wines on local on-trade channels will keep rising. We aim to be the leader of Chinese fine wines, so we ally with such a specialist to have a closer connection with the consumers who have high demands on wine quality, and to draw more of their attention to Chinese fine wines.”
A leading importer, distributor, and brand builder in the Greater China market, EMW works closely with more than 100 family-owned and premium wine estates, sake breweries, and craft spirit producers from 16 countries worldwide.
