The verdict in three sentences
A Singapore or Tokyo importer discovering a Burgundy négociant decides within two minutes whether the house is worth working with: tech sheets, allocations, ex-cellar prices and responsiveness. A site in 4 languages (French, English, Simplified Chinese, Japanese) with a secure trade portal and clean hreflang markup turns a brochure site into an export prospecting tool. Allow 8 weeks, EUR 1,220 to 5,340 at Kolonell depending on the tier, plus EUR 0.12 to 0.20 per word for professional translation. For a Singapore importer benchmarking agencies locally, a comparable build runs SGD 20,000 to 50,000.
What Asian importers actually look for
Asian trade buyers do not read the house history first. They look for the range by appellation (Bourgogne, Côte de Beaune, Côte de Nuits, Premiers and Grands Crus), available volumes, recognised critic scores, formats (75 cl, magnum) and commercial terms. A site that forces an email to get a tech sheet loses half its leads.
| Market (2026 estimate) | Expected language | Dominant search or channel | Key expectation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Singapore | English | Google, LinkedIn | Tech sheets, vintages, FOB prices |
| Hong Kong | English + Traditional Chinese | Google, WhatsApp | Premier Cru allocations, fast replies |
| Mainland China | Simplified Chinese | Baidu, WeChat | Page reachable from China, WeChat QR |
| Japan | Japanese | Google, Yahoo Japan | Technical precision, soils, ageing |
| South Korea | English or Korean | Naver, Google | Prices and logistics |
| Taiwan | Traditional Chinese | Google, LINE | Quick contact, samples |
Simplified Chinese targets mainland China and part of Singapore's buyer base; if Hong Kong and Taiwan become priorities, a fifth Traditional Chinese version can follow.
The architecture: 4 languages, a trade portal, clean international SEO
Each language has its own subfolder (/fr, /en, /zh, /ja) with reciprocal hreflang tags and an English x-default. Wine pages (60 to 120 cuvées) live in a single CMS with translated fields, avoiding vintage mismatches between languages. The trade portal, opened after manual account approval, gives access to ex-cellar prices, PDF tech sheets, high-resolution label photos and allocations.
| Item | Specialist wine agency | Kolonell |
|---|---|---|
| 4-language website | EUR 15,000 to 35,000 (SGD 22,000 to 51,000) | EUR 1,220 to 5,340 (800,000 to 3,500,000 FCFA) for Starter, Growth or Premium |
| Secure trade portal | EUR 4,000 to 9,000 | Included in Premium |
| Professional translation (25,000 words × 3 languages) | EUR 9,000 to 15,000 | EUR 0.12 to 0.20 per word via partner translators |
| Hosting reachable from China | EUR 100 to 300 per month | Quoted on request |
| hreflang and schema.org Product markup | Often an add-on | Included |
| Delivery time | 12 to 16 weeks | 8 weeks |
Machine translation alone is a mistake for Japanese and Chinese: clumsy wine vocabulary instantly damages credibility with a trade buyer.
Alcohol rules and export sales
Because the site is published in France, the Loi Évin applies to every language version. Content must stay informative: origin, appellation, grape variety, winemaking, ABV, terms of sale. Imagery linking wine to social success, partying or seduction is excluded, and every page carries a health warning about drinking responsibly. An age gate at entry is best practice and effectively required for online sales. Singapore's own rules on liquor advertising point the same way, favouring factual product information.
In the trade portal, quoting ex-cellar (EXW) or FOB Le Havre prices is allowed because the audience is identified professionals. A Singapore importer will then convert to SGD landed cost, adding excise duty and GST.
Mini case study
Need a professional website?
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Pierre, export director of a Beaune négociant-éleveur, generates EUR 4.8M from exports (60% of EUR 8M). He targets 3 new importers in Asia within 18 months, with an average first order of 2 pallets, about 1,200 bottles at EUR 18 ex-cellar, or EUR 21,600 per importer per year. Three importers mean EUR 64,800 in annual revenue. Costs: Premium site EUR 5,340, translation of 25,000 words into 3 languages at EUR 0.16, or EUR 12,000, and EUR 2,400 a year for Asia-facing hosting. Year 1 total: EUR 19,740 (about SGD 29,000), covered from the second year of a relationship with a single loyal importer.
FAQ
Do we need a domain per country?
No, a single .com or .fr domain with subfolders and hreflang works for Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan. Only mainland China may justify separate hosting, at EUR 100 to 300 per month.
How many words need translating?
A 60-cuvée site runs 20,000 to 30,000 words. At EUR 0.12 to 0.20 per word, plan EUR 2,400 to 6,000 per language.
Does the Loi Évin apply to Japanese pages?
Yes, the publisher is in France, so every version is covered. Content stays informative and the health warning appears on each page.
Can prices be shown publicly?
Retail prices can appear if the house sells online. Ex-cellar and FOB prices stay in the approved trade portal, protecting existing importers' pricing.
How fast will the site generate leads?
First enquiries often arrive within 2 to 4 months, especially when the site is promoted at fairs such as Vinexpo Asia or ProWine Singapore.
Let's scope your project. Tell us your target markets, number of cuvées and trade portal needs: we will price the site, translation and hosting for an 8-week launch. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
