Winemakers need to 'plant trees'

Vintners must invest resources to educate consumers in quality

At the four-day 49th Vinitaly, the world's largest wine trade expo, in Verona, Italy, more than 4,000 exhibitors and 150,000 wine industry professionals eagerly sought out business opportunities and potential partners.

Unlike previous years, for the event in March organizers introduced a series of initiatives targeting the Chinese market. These included inviting more Chinese wine professionals to study at the Vinitaly International Academy, arranging special seminars and promotions, setting up a marketing team in Shanghai, and opening accounts on Sina Weibo and WeChat, two Chinese social networking services.