Drinking in success

Radical career move pays dividends for French wine entrepreneur

A change of career and country - switching from financier to wine-bar proprietor and swapping France for China - proved to be hugely beneficial for Olivier Six. The Frenchman came to Beijing six years ago and is now firmly settled in the capital, as Beijing manager of the French-owned wine importing company East Meets West (EMW). It is a job that has allowed him to tap into a vast range of wine-drinking contacts, established when previously running a popular bar in the city.

La Baie des Anges, situated close to scenic Houhai Lake, in one of the historical hutong (alleyways), was a particular favorite of the French community, known for its affordable wine, high-quality bar snacks and warmly welcoming atmosphere

Six and his brother Benjamin made it a going concern and would be pouring generous measures of wine to this day if a steep rent rise had not forced them out of business. When the landlord demanded a big increase, Six decided it was time to bid au revoir to Houhai, taking with him some fond memories and a wealth of hard-earned knowledge about doing business in Beijing.

"I learned a lot running the wine bar. The main thing was patience," he says. "The second thing was how to make a business in China with a company. When we registered the bar as a wholly owned foreign enterprise, I did every part of it - a lawyer helped me with the paperwork - and it took six months.

"When we first came, we didn't speak the language, didn't know anyone, had no friends or family here, it was like a brand-new beginning. My brother had been working in computer engineering and I was in finance. We were bored and wanted to do something different. Coming to China was definitely different."

The Six brothers had secured the venue through a Chinese family friend, but after the initial introduction they were on their own. The hutong dwelling, in one of the most charming parts of imperial Beijing, was given a major makeover and equipped with a small stage for entertainers to perform.

That was six years ago, in a very different Beijing, a city that did not have a surfeit of bars, or that many local Chinese oenophiles. The EMW customers that Six deals with today include significant numbers of young Chinese who are au fait with wine and eager to learn much more.

Beijing also has many more wine-drinking options compared with the time Six first arrived in the city. Bars and restaurants such as Mesh and Sureno in the Opposite House, Scarlet in the Hotel G, Enoterra and Aqua in Nali Patio, Capital M and the Temple Restaurant Beijing all take their wine lists very seriously.

It is also becoming much more common for Chinese restaurants to have a decent range of affordable options.

"In a typical Chinese restaurant you see young people drinking wine, whereas a few years ago it was not like this," Six says.

"You can see different wines now, not just Bordeaux. It is Burgundy and New World wines. Rich Chinese have gone from grand cru to drinking second-growth wines and understanding that you don't need to drink only Lafite.

"The big surprise for me was that people in the trade who are buying wines for restaurants and hotels want to have many wines from different regions and countries, all the different grapes.

"At EMW we specialize in family estates, not the big-name wines, and we target five-star hotels and restaurants and private customers. You won't find us in Wal-Mart, or Carrefour, only a few places like high-class wine stores."

It is a French-owned company, but Six has no qualms about pushing the merits of wines from Italy, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, Chile or Argentina, all represented in the stable of 40 different wineries that, between them, offer almost 400 different styles of wine.

Having said that, French wines are what he knows best. Six's personal favorites include champagne from Duval Leroy, made by a woman winemaker, the great-value wines of Gerard Bertrand made in Languedoc, and the chardonnay of Tocques et Clocher from the south of France. Other picks are Planeta wines from Sicily and Casablanca from Chile.

The Provence native regularly organizes wine dinners for passing-though winemakers, so they can demonstrate their products to the ever-growing band of oenoephiles and expert wine writers.

"People are keen to learn, not only about wine in general, but how to taste, how to pair, even when to drink," says Six, 33. "The market is changing. Young people are more aware. Tastes have changed. Red wine is still the best-seller but now it is about 70-30 red to white. French is still by far the most popular."

Later this year, Six is planning to take his Singaporean events-manager wife Claire Chong on an extended tour of his native country, starting in Paris. The pair met in the wine bar but, to date, have not been able to take a long holiday because of their respective work commitments.

Six will be able to visit some of his old haunts in his home region of Provence and meet up with brother Benjamin, now back in France working as a chef in a two-star restaurant. China was a life-changer for him too. He arrived as a computer engineer and, after meeting so many hospitality-industry people during his time at La Baie des Anges, decided to retrain as a chef.

Another appointment on the vacation calendar of Six will be to meet up with former colleagues at the bank where he worked. The executive's pals are certain to be amazed by stories of growth in China. In one year alone, EMW recorded a sales increase of 50 percent, an unheard-of level for any enterprise in Europe.

"Businesss is very nice," Six says. "Growth is not as big as last year, but we can't complain. In the long term, the growth will still be good, especially in the secondary cities. By the end of the year we will be able to deliver everywhere in China.

"If I had not left to go to China, I think I'd still be in finance in France and be really bored, or maybe have moved to London or somewhere else to change career. I have never regretted coming to China. Even after two weeks' vacation, I miss China for its energy, its lifestyle and its effervescence."

China Daily

(China Daily 08/24/2012 page28)