At the 2011 Vinexpo, the large annual trade fair held in Bordeaux, one in three of foreign visitors were Chinese, Wine Spectator reported, adding the numbers had surprised even those who had expected a large Chinese contingent.
While the largest number of visitors came from France as usual, China ranked second. “The attendance from China doubled compared to 2009,” said Vinexpo chairman Xavier de Eizaguirre. “We expected that to a certain extent, but we were still quite surprised by the size of the delegation.”
The expo catered to this new market by hosting several seminars targeted at Chinese wine buyers, including one on pairing Sichuan cuisine with different vintages of sweet French wines.