Rafite Agency Inside Story: What You Buy May Not Be Real Wine!

In the late-night Shanghai Bund, Mr. Zhang gently swirled the Rafite Chateau in the crystal glass, and the amber liquid refracted a charming luster under the light. "This 2010 vintage of the First Growth has passed through the hands of at least 12 people from the French vineyard to the Chinese dining table," he said meaningfully. Today, let's lift the veil of this mysterious industrial chain of Rafite export agency and see how the wine worth tens of thousands of yuan comes to you and me across mountains and seas.

On the gravel ground on the left bank of Bordeaux, the Chateau Lafite produces only 150,000 - 200,000 bottles of First Growth wine annually. However, the quantity of "Rafite" circulating in the global market far exceeds this number. The mystery lies in the hierarchical agency system. The marketing director of Zhongshitong revealed: "For famous chateaus like Rafite, 90% of the production will be distributed through the export agency network, and only a very small number of VIP customers can directly trade with the winery."

• First-level Agent: Usually a family enterprise with a century-long cooperation relationship with the winery, responsible for global regional division
• Second-level Agent: Subdivided by country or region, for example, the Asian region may be further subdivided into Greater China, Southeast Asia, etc.
• Terminal Agent: Specific to the importer in each city, handling clearance, warehousing and other landing affairs

Ms. Li's wine e-commerce platform needs to digest 300 cases of Rafite every month. She frankly said: "Good agents can do three things that ordinary importers can't do."

The first is Vintage Management. Top agents will establish a "vintage bank" with constant temperature and humidity, and customers can specify the vintage such as 1982 or 2015. Secondly is Anti-counterfeiting and Traceability. Zhongshitong uses blockchain technology to enable each bottle of wine to display its complete circulation path. The most important is Quota Negotiation. In the case of a 30% reduction in production in Bordeaux in 2021, professional agents can still strive for stable supply for important customers.

Looking at the endless "Direct Procurement of Rafite" advertisements in the Moments, Mr. Zhang reminds to pay attention to these traps:

• Document Trap: The genuine winery authorization letter will indicate the specific vintage and quantity. Those vaguely written "Rafite Series" are mostly problematic
• Price Trap: "Special-offer Rafite" below 20% of the international market price can basically be judged as fake
• Warehousing Trap: Request to view the video of the agent's constant-temperature warehouse. Wines without cold-chain protection during summer transportation will age rapidly

With the rise of young consumers, this traditional industry is undergoing subtle changes. Zhongshitong's latest industry report shows:

The first is the rise of Small-batch Customization. In the past, agents only accepted full-container orders, but now there are service providers specializing in 6-bottle air express services. Second is the popularization of Digital Certification. NFTC-certified virtual wine cellars have become new favorites. Third is the popularity of Sustainable Agency. Although the quotation of agents using carbon-neutral transportation is 5% higher, the acceptance rate among young buyers reaches 72%.

Next time when you raise your glass, you might think about the global collaboration network behind this nectar. Perhaps as the wine master often says: "Good wine needs good terroir and also needs a good guide." When you last purchased Rafite, did you pay attention to the importer information on the back label? Welcome to share your observations in the comment section.