Talking and writing about China as a growing market for wine exports has become a bit like discussing our President’s extravagant estate – everyone has an opinion, but nobody really knows what is going on.

CEO of Leopard’s Leap, Hein Koegelenberg, seems to have at least some of the answers in the Eastern-equation and he shared these at the recent Shiraz SA technical workshop. Although South Africa’s share in the Chinese pie is relatively small at 3% – and getting smaller according to recent Sawis statistics, with a decrease of 12,9% compared to last year – Hein’s various brands constitute 60% of it. Clearly he knows what he’s talking about.