Ep. 1215 South Korean Wine Market | wine2wine Business Forum 2021

Some of you have asked how you can help us while most of us would say we want wine. Italian wine podcast is a publicly funded sponsor driven enterprise that needs the Moola. You can donate through Patreon or go fund me by heading to Italian wine podcast dot com. We would appreciate it Oh, yeah. Italian Mind Podcast, a wine to wine business forum twenty twenty one media partner is proud to present a series of sessions highlighting the key themes and ideas from the two day event held on October the eighteenth and nineteenth twenty twenty one. This hybrid edition of the business forum was jam packed with the most informed speakers discussing some of the hottest topics in the wine industry today. For more information, please visit wine to wine dot net and tune in every Thursday at two pm central European time for more episodes recorded during this latest edition of wine to wine business forum. My name is Summer Lee. And by my Korean name, I go by Sonman, but you can all just call me Summer. And before we delve more into what's new in the Korean market, let us introduce a little bit about ourselves. And again, my name is Summer Lake, and I'm currently based in South South Korea. And I work for an English daily in Korea called Korea Junang daily. And is under the umbrella of the Chungong Media Group, one of the largest in Korea, and then it actually is quite influential with the TV station, magazines, and the Korean daily. And for that newspaper, I mostly covered news coming out of food and travel sectors. So that brought me here. And who's sitting right next to me is. Yeah. My name is Uh-huh. I'm just calling home, and I'm a reporter. I'm the owner of the Vino Vino company. Which is the, yeah, in only Italian wise. So one hundred percent Italian wide. I work with, sixty wineries. Yeah. It's quite a lot from the sixteen regions. Yeah, still for reasons missing. But, anyway, so it's the only company in South Korean, which is the specialized in internet wide. So maybe I can tell you something today. Yeah. So, well, again, actually, I I I am also the Italian wine and both of them because, I get the certification at the first edition, which was a really, really difficult because, professor was the Ian Dakata at the time. So was very hot. But, anyway, yeah. So let us begin to talk a little bit more about the Korean wine market. So I'm not sure how much all of you know about the wine market in Korea, but what I can say for now is that it is one of the vibrant markets in Asia for sure right now, especially, and ironically with the COVID nineteen situation. Cause the situation in Asia is a little bit different from Europe as it seems like inter country travel is possible here. But in Asia, the travel is still very difficult. So everyone is confined mostly in their own country unless they have very urgent business or personal matters to take care of. And you might not know what's changing in the Korean market so far. So we're here to talk a little bit more about it and so that you can be better prepared to distribute your wine in Korea. So let me go through the brief changes that we've seen with the COVID. So like I just said, the pandemic has definitely changed much everywhere, but one of the unexpected things was the change of consumer behavior in Korea. So first of all, those who drink a lot of wine used to go overseas to buy wines and bring back. And they were the ones kind of trying small shops countryside overseas that don't even have their stock items online. So what they did is they usually just traveled to buying wines overseas but they can't do that anymore unless they have already developed some. That's worked with the local shops overseas. So what they do now is buy more wine from local shops in Korea. So they are the ones that relatively know more about their chase the wine and have all the wine knowledge. And they most likely have a fine power with thicker wallets. So they spend a little bit more on each bottle, and they know the quality that comes with a premium wine. So these ones by all the expensive wines available in Korea right now. And there are some who go for the super budget wine because people can go out as much to restaurants anymore or in Korea, even if they can. People just refrain from going anywhere that's crowded. So they get most of their meals at home. So either with food delivered or food they cooked. And for some special night, they want to make their dining table a little bit different. And the best tool that makes it look different is a bottle of wine on the table or just the glasses filled with wine. So they start with something very affordable because it is not exactly for drinking, but more for studying the mood, But that happens more regularly, like, once every month or two over a course of the year last year with the COVID, and they're getting actually more used to making drinking wine as part of their daily routine. So plus it looks fancier. Since it has not been that long since people in Korea picked up the habit of wine drinking, people still tape wine as something more fancy and luxurious for sure. So when they want to make their life look somewhat fancier than their usual days, they usually go for wine, not beer or not soju. Soju is the distilled alcohol that everyone drinks on daily basis in Korea. So beer and sewage are more like an everyday drink. Well, wine is everyday drink here in Europe, but in Korea still isn't. And one thing I briefly want to add on before we move on is that actually resulting getting the attention of younger generations. So we'll definitely go deeper about this issue later today in Hong session, but the youngsters who started drinking alcoholic beverages with beer and soju now pay more attention to wine as they drink more. And they mainly go to convenience store or supermarket to buy some super budget wine for less than, like, ten, seven euros per bottle. And sometimes they splurge a little bit onto something that's felt like thirty euros tops. And like I said, wine cell chairs that image of something expensive and something fancy among many average Koreans. So many importers in Korea have been trying to discover more wine that's cheaper, but still good quality. So that they can bring non wine drinking population into the world of wine drinking. And that's a little bit of a little overview about how things are changing with the COVID. And this is some pictures, many from the Instagram. As Somerset, wine is not their everyday drink, so people really want to show how they drink mine at home usually. Yeah. So this kind of cheese and, some some ham secretary. It's not that typical Korean food, but that they, you know, they try to show that. Also, some, yeah, very high the rock shore is bird of wine. Just drink at home. Yeah. Like that. And then very looks very fancy. It's really Korean cultures and some barolo is there, which, yeah, I improved it. Also, just open at home. This is, sir, what we Mhmm. The the way what we drink. Yeah. Yeah. So, like, you can see, it's not the matter of what wine you drink. The image of glass that should filled with wine on the table, that's what matters. And then people sharing online, and then they kinda wanna grab two others, and then this is what I do at home. My dinner is a little bit different than yours. That's what they're going fine. Yeah. So, during the COVID nineteen, so it's the wine size scrum. Yeah. We went off a lot. So we sell a lot of wines. So, also, plus wine glasses and also wine accessories, Yeah. Because the the the hard to show is real is really important. So people, yeah, buy this kind of things together. Also, the cheese and amputeeres, and some packages. Yeah. So some can tell you as just some details. Yes. So what is the largest retail in Korea, Loteborg? So about eighty three point four percent increase in its wine sales in two thousand twenty. Compared to the sales in two thousand nineteen. That's before COVID. And another large lead to air layer, Xin Seguid department store also saw about forty one percent increase in wine sales. And another Hyundai department store saw about twenty six percent increase. And like I said, small convenience stores in every corner of the street in Korea, so jumping sales as well, and especially with the budget wines. And one of the largest seven eleven saw about thirty one percent increase at the bottles that are less than seven euros. And more wine sales contributed in making more sales and wine accessories, of course, the sales and wine glasses went up by forty three percent at the same mark, moved end marks, and cheese sales went up by. Twenty seven percent of the beef jerky, the security items, by, like, twenty percent. So because now more wines are sold in Korea, some resilient wine importers, like, hon himself, at the theft, to import more wines, because it sells very well. So Korea saw the largest amount of wine import last year, and that actually pushed beer down to the second place, and it is expected to see even bigger numbers this year. And we're gonna take a look at some grass here. So here, the blue is the imports of beer to Korea, and the orange one is the wine. And you can see that the number for wine is obviously going out while the beer is falling. And then you can actually take a little bit details with the numbers here. So from January to August this year, the amount of in purchase already gone up ninety six point five percent from the same time last year that's already almost doubled, and it already went way over total amount of the imports marked for last year. And the total imports of wine is about two point five times more than the imports of beer from January to August this year. And all the industry experts in Korea are actually really shocked to see such numbers as until two thousand nineteen, the top position was always filled by beer. Yes. So with these numbers, we're gonna we kinda, like, put together the what's been different in the past two years past. And there's, yeah, we we chose about, like, five different distinctive entrants, and then he's gonna go over. Yeah. Because, it changes so fast and, we just catch it these things. And the first one, there's so many wine shops in every corner and in every street. Because, online commerce is still restrict, so people should go to the store. So there is too too much because, because of the the restriction for the e commerce, so big company couldn't sell by all night, but the small one shop in the, yeah, outside of town is the they they they do sometimes. So and, yeah. So surprisingly, Korea is very well connected. An online community, but still buying online is not possible in Korea. It's still restricted for many different regions. So for the consumers, it's easier for them to just go to the shops right next corner instead of going all the way to the supermarket that carries a lot of things. So a lot of people see the opportunities under more shops coming up. Yep. You're right. Ma'am, the natural wines they're very popular. Yeah. It's the it's quite steady, and they keep steady increasing. And then, yep, it's especially young people, they're they're still like their natural wine. So, natural wine bar or just wine shop for only natural wine is plus more heat or it's, something new. So it's is also very, yeah, a project room, I think. Then some celebrity, very famous. Maybe you have you have heard about the BTS the the boy, the boy group. Yeah. When when they drink some, some wine from Barclay. Yeah. It's like a bird bird trip, Sanju Resiermo, Montepreachana, from the woman is working. Yeah. Very beijing left. They drink on the their YouTube, and then it's immediately sold out. And, it's one of the most famous Italian mind in South Korea because, BTS drank that wine. So I tested, yep, nuts. No more the I don't recommend. Okay. So is this gonna get trending? Yeah. It's trending because, okay, this is BTS minds, it's like that. And also some restaurant and bistro. They, we we should order the wine because it's new culture, during the COVID nineteen. So they stopped, suffered a lot. Yeah. Because, nobody go to the restaurant and and it's true. And delivery or just sub the food is not enough. So when I when we go to the restaurant, some restaurant, they, yeah, pushed to the order the wine. So, yeah, it's not one of the trends. So we'll talk about, right, and more. And then more people make, it's like a direct, direct purchasing. Yeah. So just directory order to the winery, some Korean people. So on some of my partners, like, I'm a bravo bravo producer, they receive a lot of mail from Korean people. Can I order the barrel directly, something like that? But it's impossible. But, some winery to that and some wine shops ship, they deliver the directly. So it's quite or some popular trend, I think. So we're gonna go over these five trends in more detail from now. And we'll talk a little bit more about who opens all those wine shops. So wine importers here kinda joke that there's, like, five different wine shops overnight almost every day. So basically, they're not that many wine experts in Korea anymore. So who opens these wine shops, they're just the wine lovers. So they just use to go to the shops, but then they realize that they can if they own a shop, they can actually drink more wine at a cheaper, like, a wholesale price. So they're like, okay. I'll just open a shop. And then if the sales doesn't make it, I'll just drink them all. That's the idea behind them. So there's so many shops opening up. Yeah. My office, last year, maybe after September, we we couldn't make the business with the new one shop. Yeah. Because for one year, we couldn't make the new videos because there is so much offer, so much, request to work with our company, but we don't have enough wine, and then we don't want to, you know, supply our wine to the the kind of the very easy small wine shops, but the recasting, it's still a lot. Yeah. So one of the funny things happening is that you actually have to wait in line to get the wines. So sometimes even if you secure a certain wines, you can only get five bottles. For shop. So you can't really have a steady listing on your wine menu. So that's been a problem, and then a lot of people actually complain. And then the the importers or the distributors, they actually cultivate us some relationship with the stores that they, they sold wine for, like, years over, like, ten years. But then the new shop owners, they're like, this is so unfair. You need to give me some wines as well. So there has been a lot of fight. There's a lot of lot of tensions going on. So it's kind of there it's it's a new trend. So we, none of us know what to do with it, but that's what's happening in Korea right now. And one of the interesting thing is because they don't really have deep wine knowledge. They can't really explain in details of how to consume the wine in the best condition. So what they do usually is they don't tell the customers what variety this is, what region this wine is from, but they mostly just explain the experience they had on their own. So let's say that the customer walks in and then say that they're going to the beach area for the weekend and the children to wine with the friends or family, then the shop owners would tell them the story of how they drink certain wines by the beach area and then what the wine reminded them of, and that they share such experience and that that actually speaks better to the local consumers because the consumers also don't have that much point knowledge. And then instead of just talking so much about the great variety, the how the wine is made, the history of the wine ring, it actually the description of the wine itself, the wine experience actually speaks to them better. So that's the new trend we've been seeing. So we're gonna maybe talk about it in the later session a little bit more, but then the work of the Sunlier, the role of the Sunlier in Korea is getting a little bit fuzzy right now. And if we already kind of talked about it a little bit, but the online wine purchase is not possible in Korea. So there are so many wine shops every corner to make it convenient for the locals. But one of the things many, importers, many large companies they're actually lobbying actively to make the online purchase possible. So they're trying to find many loopholes to make it legal because a lot of shops, they they also go through somewhat illegal or fuzzy lines to this distribute wine without having them actually visit the store. But this is something in the making. So if that happens, if the online sales made possible, there are gonna be so many wine shops going bankrupt. So also the importers, the important job is for them to control the quality or how they keep it in their warehouse. Because they might have to take it all back later on. So So that's why I stopped doing the the having business. The So with the newcomers. Yes. And one of the interesting things, so this is the photos of the wine shops now in Korea. So these places are strictly It really is a supermarket. Inside the local traditional market, they sell mostly the cooking ingredients, but they also saw that people are going for the wines. And then they see that they can they just add a little bit of margin so they can sell it a little bit cheaper. So consumers, they actually go to these places to pick up wines because, obviously, it's just cheaper. Yep. Yeah. Yeah. This is really amazing because, Actually, this is really the the supermarket. So, yeah, they but, some parts of the market, they ran to the wholesaler, but the wholesaler, they hiding. They they hide. Their their their self because, wholesaler cannot, yes, to the private customer. It's a they they re they reen the structure of the market, but they did. And then the price is the it's lower than wholesale the price. So no more people like me go there and then buy the barrel lowers, yeah, it's really cheaper than the what I supply. Yeah. So it's it's because just they the the the proportion of Barzin is less than five percent. So I don't know why, but, it was super popular because it's so cheap, and then the money is good there. And then is there still expanding. So you can buy the cockpit, or crew. You can buy there. Yeah. Also, I I I I broke the group there through my wife's park because it's cheaper than at the mindful service price. So this is really something weird, but people, yeah, people like this. And then it's not the lakers. So But does do you supply your wines to these ways? No. No. That's all. So I I I really checked in my eyes. And then, yeah, I just caught the caught the business with the whole server because they bring the green the price of the product, and then this is not the right way. But, yeah, some impurities really want to I have a business with them, and, yeah, it's really mixed and a mess. That, but this is a trend. It's very, very trend. Yeah. And then I hear that a lot of people go online and they share the prices of the wines making these merchants and then And they also send the, the the message every day. Oh, yes. Yes. They what they do is they have a kind of a mailing list. Like, they send out the group tax So, yeah, I I got there multiple times too. And sometimes if the price is attractive, I called them. Right. Right. Okay. Moving on to talk a little bit more about the natural wine scene in Korea. So surprisingly natural wine got super popular in the past two, three years. And then a lot of us point experts thought they will die down soon, but it's still going pretty strong. Yes. Why do you think that is? Actually, yeah, the naturalized, the new wine for the, the Korean consumer. Still, many people have have not no experience about the, end wine. So And, you know, young people try to, you know, try to drink natural wine because it's just very fashionable. And then also in their Instagram, the natural wine has more flash fashionable label and some influence, influencer there. They, they preferred the natural wine. So it's still, yeah, bring up, I think. Also, the the quality of the natural wine. Yes. So in the past, there was some argument because, because of the some fall towards some special, house mask, but now it's going more balanced, I think, because the, the producers there, they improved, and then also they also before the the customers, the, the taste. So now the quality is going up and also in the market, it's still very good. Are you enjoying this podcast? There's so much more high quality wine content available for mama jumbo shrimp. Check out our new wine study maps. Our books on Italian wine including Italian wine unplugged. The jumbo shrimp guy to Italian wine, Sanja Vazzy Lambrusco and other stories, and much much more. On our website, mama jumbo shrimp dot com. Now back to the show. I think it's okay to say that the natural wine master contributed a lot in making the wine market in Korea bigger. Because in a way, if you're already a wine lover, you already know what style you like, so you will just go for what you like. But natural wine actually helped a lot of novice drinkers or the people who don't have any knowledge in wine actually start drinking wine because they would say that Korea used to import a lot of, like, chili and bordeaux wines that are, like, heavy. Big tangy. And then, apparently, they thought they tried it before, and they said that they didn't like it. But natural wine is more juice life. So it's easier for them to drink it. So they're like, oh, I like this kind of wine. So they start drinking different styles of natural wine, And that actually lets them to dream more of other styles of wine. So that actually contributed a lot in expanding the white market here. And, yeah, we have to talk about the labels when it comes to natural wine because a lot of people choose wine to give us a gift. Yeah. And then what they go for is the pretty labels to look at. Sure. So and then there's a rumor that it actually pairs very well with the cream food, especially the spicy food? Yeah. Because it normally, the natural one has the highest high acidity and a lower, yeah, sugar, and also lower alcohol. So, actually, it's korean food because korean food is quite spicy. Yep. But, I I think it's it's it's is talking about the good natural wines because there is also so so many just normal natural wine because it's not so good. So it's the same as same as the class wine. If you are drink good class wine, yeah, it's mesh very well with the creams or maybe the pretty labels to make everything case better. So we just took out some of the the wines with the interesting labels that actually capture their eyes and local consumers, or these are the screenshots of the Instagram photos from the local shops in Korea. Yeah. Yeah. So this is what they usually do. They whenever there's a some I wouldn't say the serious ones, but what instead of just putting all the all the regions, like, something's too long in Italian that they don't understand. This is, like, simpler. They can just put, like, their stories out of this label. Just the picture. Yeah. Yeah. Because, in the middle, you, you know, that that line from Sicholese is one of the the most famous metro by America firms, Italy, but they don't care about the, the grape varieties. Maybe it's made by Nernail Muska Liza, but they don't care. It's just natural wine, easy. And also this is expensive wine as a natural wine. And then, okay, this is the expensive natural wine. That's one drink. Yeah. It's simple. And we'll move on to people following what their favorite celebrities drink. So one of the things we recently saw is I don't know if you're, familiar with the singer, Ihuri. She's, like, the nineties k pop star that's as popular as BTS back in Korea, and that she's still very popular. And then she actually brought a bottle of Italian wine to her friend's place on the reality TV show, and that it got instantly so popular. And the old all the wine shops, they kept on saying it's completely sold out, and that everyone's still asking questions whether they can still somehow get in? Yes. It's yes. It's it's still on the not one of it's the best selling natural one. Ethernet natural one is South Korea because of Yeah. The the singer is in black, and that's another singer in red, and then yeah. And there are other wines that are featured in, like, for internal issues, also one of the top actors in Korea, and then she was featured just chugging the wine out of the bottle. And then that was from Bordeaux, I believe. And then they actually changed the label. So it's not the real label for the wine, but the the wine with the same name, it got instantly popular and sold out completely everywhere in Korea. Yep. And then they still these two, the white importers of these two wines, they still marketed as, like, the the EOR UI for these actors' wines. And then they still use it as a catch phrase even now. We're going moving on to this new trend we've seen in Korea. So you might be very unfamiliar with the concept, like the restaurant or the bars you hiring of consumers to order at least a bottle of wine. So if you refuse to do that, they don't seat you. So it has to happen. So even if you say that, oh, I'm pregnant, so I can't drink, there's no exception that you can get served in that restaurant. And then one of the reasons they say they do is to make a steady profit in a way and also some chefs and restaurants that are trying to receive. They said that, oh, this is the culture what people do in elsewhere, like in Europe or in the United States. But I don't know. I've I've traveled a lot, but I never thought, like, people might look at you funny because you're not drinking at a bar, but then they don't really require any order. No. Yes. And then another interesting thing is usually the reason why I think that the restaurants do this to make a profit is that. And well, they actually told me that. That's the reason. They don't have any wine by the glass. So it has to be the order of a bottle. So it doesn't matter whether you can only do one class And then they said, oh, you can just take it home then. But then sometimes you just wanna have a good meal with just a glass of wine afterwards, but that's almost impossible. So a lot of my friends and then other foodies in Korea, they complained that they can't go to anywhere. Just to have a casual dinner. It's like, yeah, that's one trend. It could be a weird trend, but I think it's the it's during the change period because, the the Korean culture and the, also, the wine culture is still is mixed. And then, we are finding a way how to enjoy, how to also, yeah, find us some profits for their restaurants. So So I guess it's also it used to be not as much now anymore, but certain importers distributed the the certain wine that's, like, that's not important in a large bulk. They only discretes certain wines only to the restaurant to the wine boys. Yeah. Because I hope so. Work with many producers, and then some producers, they want to sell their wine in the the top restaurant where it might stop out. Like, yeah, I'm right in the, for, for example, of Ruchan Sandranet. Yeah. If I step to the supermarket, the Sandranet Bureau might be, you know, Barbara, she she will be of self. That kind of sense. But the the the the kind of product is really limited production. So I can choose my clients. So, and in that case, I, yeah, tried to supply to the the restaurant, only restaurant, not the one shop. Were just few private, classic customers. That's all. And then this actually takes us back to the thing. Like, I mentioned that the distributors can only give, like, up to maybe three, five bottles of popular ones in these restaurants. Yeah. So some of the diners, they actually hop different restaurants and that when they cherry pick the ones that are popular that are trending. So this is why these restaurants want to have all the hotshot lines that are trendy on social media. And then that actually brought these serious drinkers to the restaurants. So it is interesting in a way that it gives that actually educates Korean consumers about this is the so called normal behavior when you go to the restaurants in Europe. But, yeah, this is I don't I don't I don't know how I feel about this still. I'm a wine drinker. I still feel very funny about it. So a lot of people complain. I hear that, but this is, like, that we're in the transitioning period in a wine with COVID. So this is, like, something very new and is something somewhat disturbing. Yep. Yeah. And, actually, such requirements of ordering a bottle at a restaurant. It's interesting because the hottest restaurant trend in Korea right now is so called Tasa bars. Yeah. It's really the strain because they they serve only processors. And many parts are very small portion, and then it's like looks like bars. So there are some pictures. Yeah. This is Yeah. One of the most, famous pasta bar. And then, yeah, that the reservation is really impossible. Right. Yeah. It's like you have to wait, like, month or two to just dine at a casual restaurant in your neighborhood corner. And then what they do is there's so many requests to make a reservation. So they open the reservation spot, like, one day. Let's say that, like, December first, and then the slots got filled in within, like, five seconds. So it's impossible. Then if you lose that spot, you have to wait another month to try getting to that spot. So it's been really having a social media and who has been to these restaurants. So, but one of the good things for the Italian wines is that these places also require ordering of wines. And since they offer Italian foods, so mostly pasta, so most of the times, almost all the time, The selection of Wednesday carry is all Italian. Yeah. So this, surprise is our client, and then the the chef, the owner chef is really interested in the the the character of each Italian regions. The wines, the dog, some typical wines. So when he serves some, the, the labo wreath dogs, yeah, he he he's working for heroes for the some FedEx wine because the the dog labo is, is famous. Food here. And then, yep, they're kind of fixed. So, of course, the very typical Italian wines, they always restate it up, like, a Swaveen or some white wine from freely, some, m, bravo. Yeah. And then they tried to introduce very, various pastors, and then also the many kind of the wines. Yeah. Yeah. It's the I think it's very good things. And then given that most of these restaurants are really tight and small, and then it's a bar seat, so you can actually have a close communication with the chancellor to somebody there. And then they actually tell you a lot, and then you can't. And then if you keep a good relationship, there's some things to offer a more glasses, different glasses of Italian wine. So I think this would be a good way to nave into the minds of the trained consumers if you are really into spreading more than by Italian wine. Yeah. This is very interesting. Because, I I've never had the that's four or five dishes of only pasta, but Yeah. It works very, very well. This is another restaurant that serves. So this is supposed to be a casual spot. So how they present it is really, like, some fancy. Like like we said before at Koreans because they can't really die in Austin outside anymore. So whenever they get a chance, they wanna have a fancy experience as possible, the luxurious ones. Yeah. Just looks very. Yeah. K. And the last thing No. Order wise directly from overseas. So with even with the crazy increased number of amount of wines imported to Koreans. Still some trendy wines not available in Korea. Yep. So a lot of people who can manage to place an order overseas, they look for the shops overseas that ships to Korea. Mhmm. And then even, like, contact the winers directly? Yeah. Actually, yesterday, I I also got a man from my partner who is seen freely. Yeah. It might be you heard about the Damien. Because, they are one of the best French wine and freelee. So that, he talked about that, the price. They're in the online wine shop because in Italy from online one shop, they deliver to the South Korean in British Price. So I think one of the things it was really trendy last year more so than this year because I think when they see the retail price in Korea, they think that it's too much with everything, the tax. We even have to pay the education tax to buy mine. Yeah. So when they see when they heard the retail price in Italy, they think that, oh, this is way cheaper. So I ain't gonna directly purchase from the shops overseas, but they actually went through the process last year and then they end up knowing all the taxes they have to pay the customs and then the shipping costs. So they realized that it's not worth it because it takes like a month for them to actually get the wine. And sometimes you get broken. But everybody want to try once. Yes. Yes. Yes. So still, yeah, there are people trying, but I think the attention on this like ordering wine from directly overseas is a little bit dine down, but it's still going on because like I said, everyone wants to be the trendsetter in Korea. And then if they wanna have a first access to certain wines that are so rare in Korea or not yet imported. Yeah. Yeah. That's They would definitely try everything to get a hold of it. Mhmm. And then especially someone who have a very specific wine taste. They also go for international orders as well. Yeah. Alright. Okay. So we went over all the five distinctive trends that we've noticed in the past two years since the COVID. And one of the things we think to get to the minds of the customer is using the social media probably. And then one of the things they really like and that they really want to share with their friends is, like, when they post something of a white maker, And then they always tag their account. And then they really like it if the producer or the wine shops in the restaurant reply back and to say something to their post. So they have something to grab at them. And then they actually if they actually respond to such posts that actually inspired them to keep on going back to the same producers' wine. So it actually creates some kind of, like, good circle in a way. Some communication directly to their producers and then the final consumers. Just tag the producers. And then they also replied, it's really getting common. And then many producers do that. I think that's a really good thing for their yeah. It's really, really, yeah, good way of marketing because, that makes the customer head because, you know, so if the trouble becomes more readily available, they will actually choose make that winery as a destination. So Yeah. Yeah. So this is All we have to appear so far. If you have any questions about the crane market, please do tell us. Yes. Actually, overall, the suffering wise, really, increased. Thing, because of champagne. Yeah. Also, some prosecco, maybe, but not many portions. Actually, I also worked with some a fan shop called a producer, but it doesn't work very well because of many reasons, the quality is very good, very, very high quality that we have. But, it's the it's not easy. To remember, you know, Francia Goursa. Because the champagne has many brands like, Mooyang or True. So very strong brands are really, yeah, works well, but the Italian smuggling has a high quality, but only Proseco has a grant just prosseco. And the other instruction line is really almost impossible to sell. In in also in my company, there's many other sparkling lines, but it's not easy yet. I tried, I tried. Still trying, but, made by Chardonnay. It's really not not a good idea. Yeah. We're or some very special. Right? For example, I, essentially, I imported the spot plane made by grill from Skeline, and then, yep, it won't it works because it is particular and then price is good, high quality. Yeah, because the grill, the grill is often one. Never heard the the, some of the air work. Yeah. It's very new because people like something new. So they kind of think it's okay. Yeah. I see. We also talked about, like, the share between the sparkling white wine and red wine in terms of is the overall amount of imports is increasing. So we were actually wondering if people are drinking more sparkling or white wines. But one of the things I'm expecting, we haven't seen numbers from this yet, but since the sales of the beer actually fell. Yeah. And then people are going for wine more. So they might try to find more affordable sparkling wine Mhmm. To substitute their beer consumption. So that's one of the, ideas that I have. We might see more of that in the coming years maybe next. Yeah. That's I don't know. So there's some champagne producers. They do marketing very well because, they know what young people want. But what's the the second is that looks like just classic Italian wine. Yeah. It's a but the if the they try to, try to look more fancier or the easier because, just per se, it's okay, but, there is two networks. Sometimes, yeah, that's that's not the hassle. Yeah. Actually, I'm not sure if you're familiar with the Korean, characters. The the, you know, like, there's a Cal Cal tonk. It's a Messenger program and that there's another counterpart called Line. And then one of the champagne importers in Korea actually collaborated with that brand. And then that brand is so popular. So a lot of visitors from overseas, they go to that specific store to buy goods by the cushions and pens and everything. Do they actually put the face of the character on the champagne and that it's so crazy. Like, even what was the name of the champagne? I forgot. That's Moi. Yeah. No. No. No. There there's a Moi and then there's a one more. The Moi follows. Okay. Oh, it has a yellow light bulb. I think the the the point is the quality is very important, but not only for the only with the quality. For the sparkling wine, you need more. Yeah. Yeah. The other red one, white one. Yeah. I can't tell. With only quality, but the sparkling one is not. So that the collaborating with the the character was a big hit, and then Muang followed right away to create their own version Yep. With the the different character. Mhmm. Okay. Anything else? Another question? It'll be, available for consumer to buy online and receive the So some is half and half. So right now, the reason why it's restricted is will the government put some of the excuses, like, they're trying to protect or encourage the sales of the traditional style of Korean legal course because nobody trains Like, I don't know if you have heard about the Mahwane or the premium soju. So Korea is trying hard to make the market for such very traditional Korean thing. Like like like Italian, I have all these wines and then My Russia has blood counts. So Korea still needs to I don't think that you would be reminded of any kind of Korean offer besides soju, but soju is not premium. So what they're trying to do is that. So right now, it's available to buy such options, the traditional options through online. So the system is there. Everybody is gearing up for it. So they think that it's gonna so a lot of optimistic, they think that it's gonna come possible within the next five years. So they actually have every system ready. So I actually personally know my friends who's actually trying to find a loophole to make this online purchase possible. So he's working with the wine shops and then ready have all the connections. So they have everything ready. They just need a go sign from the government, but the government is very cautious, Basa. And then another reason they say is it's still underage drinking. Is another problem. So government is not sure if they have enough safety measures to keep the underage from buying the alcoholic beverages online. So unless they figure something out of that, it's gonna take some time, but Optimists think that it's gonna happen within five years. But I I'm yeah. No one's for sure. Yes. But one of the one of the biggest e commerce company, Cutel, that I mentioned just now, So Krakow is one of the mobile messengers that most of the Koreans use. So it actually has been working with the company that I just mentioned so that basically you you text message and then there's a shop and then you go in the shop and then you click on purchase that you can send the wine directly to that friends. So it's possible with the traditional pre insurance right now. So as long as the government hit yes to that, then it'll become possible, but we think at least five years. Yeah. Kind of, I want to know what are the most important, exhibition events that there are that are attending in, inside the Korea because you're saying you have been saying that there are a lot of increasing the wine sector. So would like to know how an Italian producer can penetrate at the first step your market. So if there are some, exhibition that trade the fair or something, that we cannot tend to start the first contact with the important of the final consumer. That would be a really big question. Yeah. Because, finding importers is is it actually is to your job. But it's not easy because, time company they donate the our wine market because the Korean importer has a also distribution as well. And also some big company has their own supply chain, like a sports store, department store, at the and, actually, you you should consider about the size, the your size and the size of the inverter because, you know, you produce just one hundred thousand bottles per year. So that means you should find some small importer. Yeah. But if your producers are locked, yeah, you should find some big importer, but, the kind of big importer is just fuel. So, but the if you make some very particular in the small quantity, actually, you can find, yeah, easily because there's a lot of very private, the importers. Yep, move is, or so before COVID nineteen, there was too many one event. And so if you attend there and then testing together, yeah, is that's the one of the best way But the other things is, you know, now it's not easy to find the encoder because, we couldn't book to each other, not yet. So, mhmm, not yeah. I'm I'm no at spurt in this area. This is more like yours, but what I've noticed is that sometimes you get connected with your winemakers' friends or friends. That's that's very normal because, if I want some some some new reason. And then I just asked to my partners. So, well, which is the best winery in that reason. And then, yeah, Italian people goes, then they have friends. So that kind of connection is also very Yeah. Uh-uh. A lot of issues. Times like this, you can really physically travel to Italy to taste the wine and then have a come to a vacation. So yeah. Mhmm. Mhmm. Hope that helps. Thanks. Yeah. So you say that not every wines, available in Korea, there are still some wines that we cannot find, and you talked also about special taste. Is there any wine that does not taste well for Korean markets because of the food or because their wines more complicated to bring in, but more based on the taste, not on the price. I'm not sure if I get your question right, but one of the things why it's, I guess, Korea is not the largest market for the producers in Europe or the US because there are there is Hong Kong, Japan, China. So We're not the country that gets the most bulk when it comes to some premium wines, I think. So that's why we we have relatively limited number of wines available in Korea compared to that of Japan. So a lot of, consumers in Korea, they know that certain wines are imported here, but sometimes they travel to before COVID, they travel to Japan to buy more because there are always wines in stock at the wine shop. And we'll see I was thinking Rosie wines or Actually, it's a matter of the history, the wine market history because the our market is really new. It's just started. And, just early in early two thousand. Yeah. Yeah. So it's it's like, my my company is just twenty years, old company, and then it's one of the oldest company. But in Japan, we're home home that has they they are is, historical market, and they have many experience, and then they try, more wines. And then, so that's the difference. We are just we're still trying, or, yeah, we are trying. So, also, many, my friends, they are try trying to introduce Rusein from Provans, who are friends, who are who are Italy. But, yeah, Rusein's It's very new, but it's still strange for the people. Yeah. That's really strange because it's pink. Oh, yep. That's the the tiny perception. Like I said before, Priya, didn't come from the wine drinking culture. So the images we have seen from movies, books, it used to be always red wines. So even now, many are kind of struggling to say that, oh, like, if I go to the restaurant with, like, a bunch of Nova drinkers, they would say that, oh, I definitely wanna red wine. Other than red wine is not like doesn't feel like wine. So they automatically just go for that. And then since Korea is relatively new market. So in the maybe he said that it's been it started about twenty years, but I think it started it really booming in the past ten years may be fine. So we're expecting to see more diversity, but for now, the red wine sells. So more importers are going for the different styles of red wine so far. But now the market is growing, there are some other people who go for natural wine, who go for white wine, who go for sparkling. So we expect to see more diverse sales coming into the market. If the consumer still wanted, the importers will have to bring it. So that's what we've seen in the past year with the COVID. Everyone drinks wine. So importers, they just keep on importing more and more. So it really depends on the how we educate the consumers. And I think it's also now your job to do it. Because everyone in careers online, they always check what's trendy on social media, Instagram. And then like I said, they always wanna be the trendsetter. So if there's a chance of them becoming the hot star among their friends and the colleagues. They will go for them. So what they see online, they're gonna try it. And when Wednesday can travel, they're gonna actually try it in that country. So what you create online would contribute a lot and change the consumer beavers in Korea and that that would actually lead to change the behaviors of the wine importance themselves, I think. Listen to the Italian wine podcast wherever you get your podcasts. We're on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, email ifm, and more. Don't forget to subscribe and rate the show. 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