4th Feb: BBC London evening News – Brexit impact on wine imports from EU and further afield… such as China ?
Brexit is a a topic that is still full of uncertainties and contentions. BBC’s Marc Ashdown had a novel angle to the topic of Brexit and UK’s trade negotiations with the EU and the rest of the world – through the perspectives of wine & spirits imports and exports (UK imports roughly the same amount of wines as it exports spirits such as whisky). I am delighted to be interviewed by Marc on the topic of how China sees Brexit in terms of opportunities and risks as a potentially closer trading partner.
UK’s wine consumer market is considered mature and an important ‘rite of passage’ for new wine regions. UK’s wine journalism and critics are also widely respected globally. Therefore some Chinese wine producers see the UK as the most attractive and strategic international market. It was also a convenient hub into the EU, therefore coming to the UK would have served a dual purpose. However this second purpose is now in jeopardy, which in turn would affect some producers to pause and observe how the UK trade deals would pan out and adjust their international strategies accordingly. Would they still choose the UK as their first international port of call or would they opt for mainland Europe to test the waters first? We will have to wait and see.
Winepeek.com 