Two producers, measured.

Bosio Family Estates is a family wine group from Piemonte with three houses: Bosio, Bel Colle and Contrada Rivella. When we started working together in 2020, the family already sold in China through some two dozen importers, and had a few accounts of its own in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea and Singapore. The question was easy to ask and hard to answer: how long does it take to open the next market, and the one after that?

Six years of records give a plain answer. It depends on the market, and it is never instant.

China, about six months. Our agency agreement took effect in May 2020, with our Shanghai office covering China first. Samples went out that summer, and the first order through us came at the end of October 2020.

Australia, about two years. Our first approaches there date from late 2020. The first Australian order came in November 2022.

Taiwan and Singapore, 2023. We added new importers alongside the producer's own accounts, and took over the day-to-day follow-up of its existing accounts in Hong Kong.

Japan, about two months. We began presenting the range in Japan in April 2024. The first order came in June 2024. That importer ordered again in 2025 and in 2026, and by October 2026 eight Japanese importers had ordered.

What it took. Between 2020 and 2025 we held more than 500 meetings where we presented the range, sent samples to more than 180 importers and ran more than 30 tastings of our own. In 2026 the wines were poured at our events in Australia, Seoul, Shenzhen and Tokyo.

What the producer did. The family quoted a price for each new account rather than a list price, accepted half-pallet first orders on most wines, and offered a different label to new importers where an existing distributor already held the main brand. Without that flexibility, several first orders would not have happened.

Where it stands. Orders are on record in seven Asia-Pacific markets from more than 80 importers, more than 40 of them new to the producer. More than half have ordered more than once, and we have handled dozens of orders a year since 2022.

For a producer looking at Asia, the lesson is to plan for different clocks. Where the range fits and a buyer is ready, a market can move in weeks. Where buyers work on long cycles, it can take two years. What brings the second order is the follow-up after the first one.

FSP is a Paris wine négociant that sources wines from Spain and from many French regions, from Bordeaux and the Rhône to Languedoc and Burgundy. Its general manager, Amaury de Sinçay, signed with us in December 2019, just before our launch. The agreement took effect on 1 January 2020 and covered Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, Australia and New Zealand. A few weeks later borders closed, and China stayed shut to visitors until January 2023.

That is where a team on the ground made the difference. Our office in Shanghai kept meeting importers in person.

2020, the first year. More than 150 meetings where we presented FSP, in 15 Chinese cities. Our own tastings in Shenzhen, where 21 importers came, and in Shanghai, plus ProWine Shanghai in November. 39 prospects received samples. The first order was completed within nine months, and four deals were won by the end of the year.

2021, new countries. Eight tastings of our own in six Chinese cities, and FSP on our stand at ProWine Shanghai, which more than 100 importers visited. A Mongolian importer placed a first order in April, seven months after our first contact. A Korean importer followed in July, about two months after our first discussion with them.

2022 and 2023, keeping importers active. Lockdowns cancelled most fairs, so we held tastings in our office and in hotels whenever the rules allowed. In mid 2023, FSP's report listed 11 active importers.

Australia, the long one. Our first Australian approaches date from March 2020. The first recorded orders came in 2023. That buyer has ordered every year since, most recently in July 2026.

The record. Our CRM shows nearly 90 importers approached with FSP's wines, more than 55 of them sampled, and more than 12 who ordered, in four Asia-Pacific countries: China, South Korea, Mongolia and Australia. At least five ordered again in a later year.

Looking back, Amaury says that, thanks to us, FSP « hired multiple importers in different countries of Asia/Oceania during the 3 first years », and that the team is « reliable and efficient ».

For a producer weighing Asia, the lesson is simple. You do not have to live in a market to be present in it, but someone has to be there every week, follow every sample, and come back with what each importer actually asked for.