文丨酒业家团队（ID：jiuyejia360）
Planning丨Cold Spring and Twilight Snow Editor丨Yunheng Editor丨Yunding
Japanese sake is becoming a new opportunity for many sake merchants.
In 2024, during the 5th "55 Shopping Festival", the Shanghai Representative Office of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) will join Chinese and Japanese official institutions to jointly create a series of activities of "JAPAN SAKE MONTH" that is unprecedented in history and lasts for more than a month, with more than 1,000 Japanese sake products on display, including many new products and new flavors and well-known Japanese sake breweries that will make their debut in China.
The opening ceremony of the "JAPAN SAKE MONTH" "2024 Washu Summit" will be held from May 31 to June 1 in Shanghai Hongqiao Pinhui.
01
Why did Japanese sake buck the trend?
The four dimensions analyze the steady growth of sake
As a representative category of this event, Japanese sake plays a pivotal role in the Japanese alcohol category. According to data released by the China Liquor Industry Association, from 2012 to 2022, the export value of Japanese sake to China increased by 33 times, accounting for nearly 30% of Japan's total sake exports. China has long since overtaken the United States to become the largest importer of Japanese sake.
In 2023, under the influence of comprehensive factors such as the global economic recession and inflation, although the export volume of Japanese sake to China has rebounded to a certain extent, the average export price will still maintain a sharp upward trend.
According to the latest sake data report released by the Japan Sake Brewery Association (JSS), in 2023, the average price of Japanese sake exported to China will reach 2,151 yen/liter (about 103 yuan/liter), a year-on-year increase of 12.2%, and this price is second only to Hong Kong and Singapore, China.
At present, China's liquor market has already entered the era of stock, and under the continuous involution of competition, how can Japanese sake maintain stable growth? Winemakers have found the answer in terms of culture, craftsmanship, promotion and tariffs.
In terms of culture, Japan and China are separated by a strip of water. From the perspective of the origin of the category, even though sake is regarded as the national drink in Japan, it is agreed in the brewing industry and academic circles that "sake originated in China". In terms of dietary preferences, Asians share a common rice culture, and rice-based sake brings natural comfort; From the perspective of brand naming, Japanese sake is mostly named after kanji, which greatly lowers the acceptance threshold for domestic consumers.
In terms of craftsmanship, Japanese sake is inherited from the Chinese rice wine brewing process, and then it has undergone innovative development and incorporated more ingenuity. First of all, rice, as a staple food in Asia, has a certain scarcity in the raw materials used for winemaking. Secondly, in order to achieve better quality, Japanese sake needs to be polished off the excess surface of the rice during the brewing process, and this ingenuity of focusing on quality not only gives more stories to the category, but also resonates more with consumers.
In addition to the persistent and vigorous promotion of the Japan External Trade Organization, Japanese sake is not only widely integrated into Japanese dramas, but also actively looking for endorsements from celebrities, former US President Barack Obama, British football star David Beckham and other international celebrities have publicly drunk sake.
In terms of tariffs, according to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which will come into effect in 2022, tariffs on sake, whiskey and other products imported by China from Japan will be reduced to zero year by year.
It is not difficult to foresee that with the continuous reduction of import tariffs on Japanese sake, Japanese liquor brands represented by Japanese sake and Japanese whisky will continue to benefit the Chinese market and usher in a broad space for development.
02
Bringing together thousands of products, the largest Japanese sake festival is about to begin
2024 is a critical year for the transformation and differentiation of China's liquor market, and choosing good products has become the consensus of wine merchants under the new cycle.
According to reports, in order to help domestic wine merchants better choose Japanese sake products and share the dividends of the development of Japanese sake in the Chinese market, the Shanghai Representative Office of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), together with the Consulate General of Japan in Shanghai, Orient International (Group) Co., Ltd., the National Tax Agency of Japan, and the Japan Sake Brewery Association Central Association, launched a Japanese sake selection event with an unprecedented scale in the domestic market.
The wine industry has learned that this year's event brings together more than 100 brands, more than 1,000 products, and many potential new products that are making their debut in China.
It is worth noting that from May 31st to June 1st, at the opening ceremony "2024 Wajiu Summit", the organizer also invited many industry leaders to share their wonderful experiences. Among them, the 14th generation of Japanese sommelier (there are only 92 people in the world), the manager of Nishiazabu EUREKA, and the "Japanese sake pairing master" Marie Chiba attended the opening ceremony to share the latest trends in Japanese sake pairing, and Wang Kuangsheng, the only Chinese sake brewer in Japan and the top person in charge of Fukui sake brewery, who broke cultural barriers, personally talked about the charm of Japanese sake from the perspective of Chinese.
In the era of consumer sovereignty, insight into the diversified and personalized needs of consumers, and advance layout, will be the key to the breakthrough of wine merchants.
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