Wine Importers and Exporters News and Trends

Stay informed when importing and exporting wine
By Jacqueline Marsh With the culture of wine erupting in popularity, wine importers and exporters have to stay competitive. Largely influenced by rising and falling trends, it is important for US wine distributors to keep up to date with wine importers and exporters news and trends to see what is currently popular, and to predict what will be the next big thing.

There is a wide range of factors which can influence the industry of exporting and importing wine. Here are a few to consider:

1. An occurrence in the media. When the movie "Sideways" belittled merlots, popularity for this variety dropped, while prices for pinot noirs skyrocketed.

2. Shifts in weather and natural phenomenon. A late frost can make certain grape varietals scarcer, and more expensive. As a wine importing business, you must also be aware of advances in organic growing techniques, and biodynamic wines.

3. Changes in supplies. Currently, the debate is over corked bottles versus screwtops, and as a wine import business, you must know what is popular.

To be aware of these trends, and to predict new changes in the market, find a solid base of resources to keep you informed as a wine importer, wine exporter, or distributor.

Research past statistics of wine imports and exports

By looking at the numbers of previous years, you can see what patterns the import export wine industry has followed, and which ones may continue in the future.
Try:  The United States Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service's site on wine and beer is a no-frills chart that gives you the basic statistics on beer and wine exporters and importers from past years. As a US wine distributor, The Wine Institute's website may be pertinent, as it focuses on California wines, though does include world statistics. It offers articles on past years' trends, as well as easy-to-read tables and charts.

Keep up-to-date with the wine importing business in current news

By keeping a close eye on news-worthy happenings in wine importing, exporting and distribution, you can be aware of factors that may alter trends, and affect the market.
Try:  The Wine News Review website compiles articles on all aspects of wine culture, including a "buzz" section, which traces wine-related chatter on the web. A simpler, more concentrated website is Classic Wines, which produces a weekly column highlighting the most important trends in wine.

Predict future trends in the wine import and wine export business

It's obviously impossible to predict the future, but market forecasts can give remarkably accurate predictions, and take out a lot of the guessing.
Try:  General forecasts are difficult to find, most are specified for a target area. PRLog gives forecast information for a nice range of wine producing locations. Some of their articles summarize the research findings, and also give you links to the actual research material for purchase. Serious About Wine gives you a lot of general information, plus there's a blog by Mike Carter, where he talks about market insights of the industry.

• Develop a network with other wine exporters and importers. Keeping a dialogue going with others in the industry can give you a first hand account of what's going on with wine importers and exporters news and trends.