Epidemic causes big setback to imported wine business

"With severe epidemic ongoing in Italy, some wineries have suspended operations, and they have stopped receiving new orders. If the contagion can't get under control in June, and the production and distribution can't fully resume, we might face a situation of no supply," said Ye Juke, general manager of Guizhou Mingxianghui Wine Co Ltd.

"By then, we will have to start cooperating with other importers and domestic chateaus to get some products dispensed," he said.

He added that the company has exclusively introduced a new kind of Italian wine, but it is expected to arrive in China as late as September, only if the epidemic could get under control in Europe in summer.

Nevertheless, the Guiyang importer said the peak season of wine sales in China occurs in the second half of the year, and it is still confident to develop new sales channels and net further growth.

Meanwhile, with the contagion continuing to ferment globally, more than 10,000 wineries and 8,000 vineyards in the United States may lose as much as $5.94 billion this year due to COVID-19, and small-scale producers will be hit the hardest, according to Jon Moramarco, an alcoholic-beverage industry researcher based in Denver, Colorado.

In south Australia, total yields of wine are expected to decline 50 percent over last year, dampened by frost, intermittent extremely high temperatures, forest fire and the epidemic, according to the South Australian Wine Industry Association.

In New Zealand, chateau owners said the mandatory quarantine measures have slowed down the process of grape picking and wine making, and it has thus brought more uncertainties to the sector in the wake of the novel coronavirus crisis, according to a report from global wine information and service agency winespectator.com.

Wang Jin in Guiyang contributed to this story.