ASC Fine Wines: events are the gateway to China’s wine consumer
Wine businesses must strengthen their emphasis on direct engagement to better understand evolving Chinese consumer habits, says ASC chairman and CEO Don St. Pierre Jr. Rebecca Lo reports.
In 2009, ASC Fine Wines hosted its first World Wine Tour at the JW Marriott in Hong Kong under the leadership of Don St. Pierre Jr.
Suntory acquired the importer in 2010, and kept up the annual event throughout the years. But in October 2025, St. Pierre made his return to the World Wine Tour, once again at the company’s helm after his family’s reacquisition of the brand following 15 years of Suntory ownership.
St. Pierre admitted afterwards that he was surprised at the level of enthusiasm he witnessed throughout the day, which was split into welcoming on-trade in the afternoon and wine enthusiasts in the evening.
“The best takeaway was seeing so many people come together, including people from our launch event all those years ago,” he said.
“As an owner, there is pride and a gratifying sense of connection with the past. We had Michelin-starred restaurant owners come to speak about wines they never considered before, recognising what consumers want now. There was a very strong showing of people who wanted to taste and learn. All the new faces reflected how the market has changed.”
Importantly, St. Pierre I didn’t feel any of the “negativity” associated with narratives about the Hong Kong wine industry today.
In the six months since the reacquisition, the St. Pierre family has been busy getting up to speed with changes to China’s wine landscape.
“People are spending money more carefully,” St. Pierre observed. “There is no longer as much emphasis on buying famous brands. Instead, they want to learn more about value. The level of uncertainty permeating all industries is impacting wine consumed in China.”
Events, he said, have therefore become critical for building trust among both trade and consumers. Throughout its history, ASC has used events as a vehicle to bring wine brands closer to drinkers.
But today it is not enough to simply host educational tastings.
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“In the past, we may [have invited] some on-trade or key people to sit down with winemakers to talk about the fermentation process or harvesting whole bunches versus individual grapes,” St. Pierre said. “Today it is more about stories and experiences. Fun memories retold. It keeps us busy rethinking, with November a key month when suppliers make pilgrimages to visit markets here and across Asia.”
In November, ASC hosted 30 different events across greater China including an interactive pasta and sauce making dinner with Giovanni Gaja, the owner of high end family winery Gaja in Piedmont. A Château Margaux dinner held at the new Waldorf Astoria Pudong hotel on 18 November welcomed First Growth estate owners to the table. An ASC WSET alumni reunion dinner is in the works for the coming months in a historic Shanghai building, the theme of which is still under wraps.
“We are leaning more into unique themes,” St. Pierre said.
He sees potential in China, where regulations for imported wine are more open than in many Asian markets.
The country also boasts state-of-the-art logistics infrastructure, making it easy for brands to reach their consumers at speed. “It is common for Chinese consumers to order bottles and have them shipped to the table in the restaurant they are currently dining in,” St. Pierre said.
But this has had a negative impact on brands and on-trade venues. “This is a big shift for small wineries that relied on restaurant recommendations to build their brand. The loss of profit means a lot of pressure for on-trade owners,” he explains.
Hosting events and getting the wines in front of consumers is one way ASC can continue to support both brands and businesses, “and we want to support them”, St. Pierre said. “In the end, we all want the same thing: more consumption of wine.”
St.Pierre has seen a shift in the way consumers are buying wine in China, transitioning from gifting to drinking. “Wine was previously a tool to enhance a relationship,” he stated. “Today, people buy to consume. The occasion for wine has changed, impacting how purchasing decisions are made.”
As younger Chinese consumers are heavily influenced by digital platforms, St. Pierre believes that understanding social media channels and utilising them to tell stories is critical for brands selling in China, especially amid tough trading conditions.
He said: “It is a deflationary environment right now: people have too much inventory, which means a race to the bottom and lowering of prices to offload cases. Wineries need to be extra careful. In the end, great storytelling will help spread the word over a wider geographic area.”
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