Asian Wine Association Debuts
With a mission to champion the wines and heritage of Asian American and Asian vintners in the U.S., the Asian Wine Association of America has launched.
There are estimated to be more than 200 Asian affiliated wineries in the U.S. According to the Wine Market Council, around 5% of U.S. wine drinkers are Asian, which is over 4.25 million consumers. Having Asians embrace wine as much as the average American could lead to 100,000+ new wine drinkers and 5,000 Asian restaurants with more extensive wine lists.
How AWAA Was Conceived
The concept for the organization came about during the Wine Market Council Research Conference in Napa Valley in March of 2024.
“We were featuring a panel of experts on marketing wine to young adults and multicultural consumers, and we had representatives from the African American and Mexican American wine associations, but we didn’t have an Asian representative. The reason was because, until now, there wasn’t an association that represented Asian American wineries and consumers,” explained Liz Thach, MW, Wine Market Council president and member of the AWAA steering committee.
Dr. Ronald Jan, a wine lover, WSET Diploma student and Medical Director Emeritus at the Paul Hom Asian Clinic in Sacramento, attended the conference and approached Thach afterward.
“He was concerned that Asians were not represented on the panel and encouraged me to look into the issue,” stated Thach. “So I reached out to my network of Asian friends and over time, we recruited a steering committee. Next, we started contacting Asian American and Asian owned wineries in the U.S. to get their input on the organization's formation.”
Fortunately, one of these contacts was Jane Aitong Jiang, Owner, CEO & Consulting Winemaker for Duncan Peak Vineyards and Kale Wine Consulting. She had also been working on laying the foundations of such an organization with D. Marc Capobianco, Founder of Risorgimento Wine Trade Association and Sostevinobile Events. Jane informed the team about a Chinese Wine Tasting group that sponsors an annual event at the Empress M Restaurant in Napa, CA.
“I invited steering committee members to attend the event, and everyone was pleased to taste the delicious wines produced by Asian American wineries and pair them with Chinese food,” said Jane, a member of the steering committee.
This event helped people to recognize the potential of expanding the size and number of Asian American winery tasting events in the future.
The AWAA Board of Directors is being formed, and Lin is grateful for the continued passion and contributions of AWAA’s initial steering committee, whose members also include Peter Yeung, Business Consultant, Author and Co-founder of the XChateau Wine Podcast; Sunny Yang Liao, CEO and Co-founder of VinusClub; Angela Shih, Senior Director of Consumer Insights at Treasury Wine Estates; Kale Anderson, Winemaker at Kale Wines; Mike Dunne, Wine Writer and Asian Food/Wine Pairing Expert; Marc Capobianco, Founder of Risorgimento Wine Trade Association and Sostevinobile Events, and – of course - Dr. Ronald Jan, Medical Director Emeritus at Paul Hom Asian Clinic, who helped instigated the association with his query about Asian American wine representation.
Next Steps
During the months of discussion and organizational planning, the steering committee, with input from Asian American wineries, decided that the concept of an association was viable, and that there were many positive potential outcomes. They agreed on four key principles, listed below:
1) Promotion & Marketing Efforts: Create promotional opportunities for Asian American and Asian owned wine businesses, helping them gain visibility and thrive in the marketplace.
2) Outreach Through Events & Tastings: Host tasting sessions and events that connect consumers and the wine and restaurant trade, showcasing the richness and diversity of wines by Asian American and Asian vintners.
3) Communicate Wine & Asian Food Culture: Explore and promote the exciting possibilities of pairing Asian cuisine with wine while championing Asian American wines with all styles of cuisines.
4) Uplift Future Generations With Professional Development: Recognize the vital contributions that Asians make to the wine industry, advocating for a culture of excellence and quality while promoting all voices within the community, regardless of ethnicity. Empower the next generation by offering professional development resources to Asian Americans pursuing careers in the wine industry.
Launching the AWAA Non-Profit Organization
“We have launched a funding campaign to cover the legal costs of drawing up the paperwork for a 501(c)(6) non-profit trade association and other logistical costs of establishing AWAA,” explained Susan R. Lin, MW. “Please consider supporting us with a gift at https://www.gofundme.com/f/awaawine. Your contribution will help us grow,” concluded Lin.
Membership will be open to anyone who wants to support the mission of the Asian Wine Association of America. The organization is dedicated to being inclusive and championing diversity.