/ Journal

Journal

Field notes on wine export: how to find importers, which markets to target, and how to reach buyers in a way that actually lands.

01
/ Markets7 min readStart here

The World's Biggest Wine Import Markets in 2026

Where does the world's imported wine actually go in 2026? A clear guide to the biggest markets, the rising ones in South America and Africa, and how to choose the right few for your wine.

02
/ Markets3 min read

How to Find Wine Importers in the United States

The US is the world's biggest wine market by value. Here is how the import system actually works, and how a small producer finds the right importer.

03
/ Deliverability2 min read

What Email Warmup Actually Is, and Why Skipping It Kills Your Campaign

Warmup is the least glamorous part of email outreach and the most important. Here it is explained plainly, with no jargon, for producers who just want results.

04
/ Strategy2 min read

The Send-Samples Trap: How to Qualify an Importer Before You Ship

"Looks interesting, send samples" feels like a win. Often it is a polite dead end. Here is how to tell a serious importer from a tire-kicker before you pay for shipping.

05
/ Markets2 min read

How to Find Wine Importers in the UK

The UK is the world's second-largest wine market by value and one of the most open-minded. Here is how importing works post-Brexit, and how to find the right partner.

06
/ Outreach2 min read

Why One Email Never Lands a Distributor (And Consistency Does)

Importers rarely reply to a first email. The ones who win distribution are not the loudest. They are the most consistent. Here is why rhythm beats the one big push.

07
/ Markets2 min read

How to Find a Wine Importer in Japan

Japan imports around 70% of the wine it drinks, and EU wine now enters tariff-free. Here is how the market works and how European producers find an importer.

08
/ Strategy2 min read

Importers Don't Need Another Great Wine. They Need the One They're Missing.

The trick to getting an importer to open your email is not praising your wine. It is finding the specific hole in their range, and offering to fill it.

09
/ Deliverability3 min read

Why You Should Never Pitch Importers From Your Winery's Own Domain

Running cold outreach from your estate's main email address can quietly damage every email you send. Here is why a separate sending domain protects you.

10
/ Markets3 min read

Breaking Into China: How to Reach Chinese Wine Importers

China is the market that humbled a lot of producers. Big, demanding, and full of rules. Here is how it really works, including the GACC registration nobody warns you about.

11
/ Outreach3 min read

The Lead List Mirage: Why Your Hand-Built Importer List Is Already Half Dead

Spending a weekend scraping importer websites feels productive. The brutal truth about data decay, and why a stale list can quietly wreck your ability to send email at all.

12
/ Markets2 min read

Seoul's Quiet Revolution: Reaching Korea's Natural and Boutique Wine Importers

Korea's mass wine market cooled after the boom, but its natural, organic, and boutique scene is alive and young. Here is how artisanal producers find the right Seoul importers.

13
/ Outreach2 min read

What Reply Rate Should a Winery Expect From Cold Outreach?

An honest benchmark for wine producers. What a realistic reply rate looks like, what drives it, and why the number matters less than who is replying.

14
/ Markets3 min read

Getting Noticed by the LCBO and SAQ: How Canada's Monopolies Actually Work

Canada is a premium wine powerhouse, but the LCBO and SAQ are a bureaucratic wall. Here is how the agent system works and where small estates actually get in.

15
/ Deliverability2 min read

Why You Can't Just Email 300 Importers From Your Estate Address

Google says you can send 2,000 emails a day. Spam filters say something very different. Here is the real speed limit on cold outreach, and how the pros get around it.

16
/ Markets3 min read

Selling Into the Nordic Monopolies Without Waiting for a Tender

Sweden, Norway, and Finland run state wine monopolies that scare off small producers. Here is how the system actually works, and the quieter door most estates miss.

17
/ Outreach2 min read

The Spreadsheet Graveyard: Why Manual Follow-Ups Always Leak

Writing one cold email is easy. The pain starts with follow-ups: who to chase Tuesday, who to pause, who not to double-email. Here is why spreadsheets fail at it.

18
/ Markets2 min read

Switzerland: Small Market, High Margins, and a Quota System Worth Understanding

Switzerland sits outside the EU and pays generously for good wine. The quota and permit system scares people off. Here is why it is largely your importer's problem, not yours.

19
/ Strategy2 min read

The Real Cost of Running Your Own Export Campaign

Landing a few importer meetings means properly reaching hundreds of buyers. Here is the unglamorous hour-by-hour reality of doing that yourself, laid out honestly.

20
/ Strategy2 min read

How to Place a Niche Appellation

Niche appellation, small buyer pool, no name recognition. The instinct is to widen the net. The opposite works. Here is how distinctive wines find their importer.

21
/ Strategy2 min read

Getting Help to Pay for Your Export Push: Wine Promotion Grants Explained

Many wineries do not realise that export prospecting, agency fees, and outreach setup can be co-funded up to 50% by EU wine promotion grants. Here is the plain-English version.