White and red

Poland could hardly be described as a wine-loving nation. Apart from in exceptional circumstances, Poles have always preferred to drink vodka, which was particulary popular during the bleak communist times and as the market economy took root, beer. But in recent years wine has elbowed its way into the Polish subconscious and onto the palette.

According to Polish wine importers, the market for premium wines in Poland has been steadily improving for several years. Today the annual wine market is worth an estimated zł.100 million and many claim there is plenty of room for growth.

"We have been dealing with wine-related business since 1988, just after parliament passed laws permitting the existence of private enterprise," says Bernard Porowski, CEO of Seneclauze, which owns La Passion du Vin, one of the biggest wine and spirit chains in Poland. "Since that time we have grown to the point where we now represent more than 100 wine producers from all around the world."

"The premium-wine market's revenues increase annually by around 10 percent in Poland," says Zbigniew Kawalec, the CEO of Reddry.pl, a website and chain of four up-market alcohol stores. "Believe it or not, in regards to expensive goods, this is really a big number. Especially because the competition is much stronger than when I started my business. Back in 1997 when we imported the first wine to Poland, there were only several companies in the field. Now, there are dozens, if not hundreds. Of course, most of them deal with the middle and low-end market but even in the premium market it is not easy anymore."

Culture and spirit

The boom in the premium wine market has two main factors. In the early 1990s, after the first period of unrestricted business freedom, several bills introducing heavy customs taxes clipped almost every alcohol importers' wings. However, these bills slapped heavy import taxes on spirits and beer, but not wine. The second reason is more tactile - Poles have become more attracted to wine and less attracted to other alcoholic beverages.

"Once the word 'wine' had a pejorative meaning in Poland. It was understood as something cheap and common. But at some point Poles ceased to see things this way. They have even stopped to consider wine as one of many types of alcoholic beverage. And even though there is still a long way to go, much has already been done," Porowski points out. "This is why we want to open another five stores in the following year. We will also start a new venture - wine bars. These kinds of high-class places have been operating in Western Europe, i.e. France, for years. I believe our country has become mature enough for this as well."

If Poles acquire as much of a penchant for wine as other alcoholic beverages, then the wine market will be a ripe market for picking profits.