I. Italian Red Wine Import Trade Situation: Opportunities and Challenges Coexist

In recent years, China has leapt to become the world’s third-largest export market for Italian red wine (source: 2023 report by the Italian National Institute of Statistics), with annual import growth holding steady at 8 %–12 %. This increase is driven by domestic consumption upgrades (demand for mid- to high-end red wine accounts for over 60 %) andChina-Europe Railway Express,Maritime transportRoute optimization is also confronted with multiple challenges: the EU enforces stringent SPS (sanitary and phytosanitary) measures on food exports, China’s customs authorities have tightened inspections of imported food (e.g., the 2023 “Administrative Provisions on the Registration of Overseas Food Production Enterprises for Imported Food”), and these are compounded by exchange-rate volatility and geopolitical risks (such as settlement restrictions on trade with Russia), making professionalImport Agent ServicesServices have become the key for companies to cut costs and mitigate risks.

II. Core Competencies of an Import Agent: The Dual Drivers of Documentation and Logistics

(1) Document Processing: Precisely Safeguarding the Compliance “Lifeline”

Importing Italian red wine requires completing 10+ core documents; a single oversight in any step can trigger return or demurrage. As a professional agent, our strengths lie in:

• Official document review: Strict verificationOrigin Certificate(It must be issued by the Italian Chamber of Commerce or Customs; for EU countries, the ordinary Certificate of Origin—Form CO applies), Health Certificate (must state “in compliance with Chinese food-safety standards” and be issued by an agency under the Italian Ministry of Health), ensuring full consistency “document-to-document” with the bill of lading and commercial invoice;
• Label Filing Pre-Review: Pre-review the Chinese label in advance according to GB 7718-2011 (General Rules for the Labeling of Prepackaged Foods) and GB 2758-2012 (Hygienic Standard for Fermented Alcoholic Beverages) to avoid customs rejection due to issues such as “unlisted raw-material ingredients” or “incorrect alcohol-content labeling.” (Typical case: a client was ordered to correct the omission of sulfur-dioxide content; the rectification originally took two weeks, but our pre-review shortened the filing process to three days.)
• Full-process management of trade documents: From the packing list (which must specify the number of bottles per carton and the gross/net weight) to the bill of lading (a carrier’s original B/L is recommended to avoid customs clearance issues with house bills) and the insurance policy (under CIF terms, All-Risk marine coverage is required to protect against breakage in transit), every single document is cross-checked shipment by shipment by a documentation team with over ten years of experience, ensuring zero defects during customs verification.

(II) Logistics Services: Professional Assurance of Temperature Control and Timeliness

Italian red wine is highly sensitive to transport conditions (optimal storage & shipping temperature 12-18°C, humidity 60-70%); the logistics plan directly affects quality and cost. Our services cover:

• Customized Transportation Mode: Choose between full-container load (FCL, 20-ft/40-ft reefer containers, suitable for orders of 2,000+ bottles) or less-than-container load (LCL, co-loaded with other wines, requiring coordination with the carrier for temperature-controlled consolidation) based on cargo volume; prioritize the direct Genoa–Yangshan (Shanghai) service (transit time 28–32 days) to avoid temperature fluctuations caused by trans-shipment.
• Temperature Control Technical Support: Collaborate with shipping lines such as Maersk and CMA CGM to customize Reefer Containers (refrigerated containers), monitor temperature in real time via onboard GPS and temperature-humidity sensors, and push a “transport environment report” to customers three days before arrival.
• Fast customs clearance at destination port: A “pre-declaration” lane has been set up with customs at major ports such as Shanghai and Ningbo; manifest transmission and electronic filing are completed before the cargo arrives. Under normal circumstances, release is achieved within 48 hours (the average for general agents is 72 hours).

III. Expansion of Business with Russia: VTBConvert foreign exchange into RMBUnique advantages

For customers involved in re-export to Russia or sales within Russia, we rely on our cooperation with VTB (Russiaforeign tradelong-term cooperation with the bank) to provide an efficient foreign-exchange settlement solution:

• Ruble-Renminbi direct settlement: Avoid losses from USD intermediate exchange rates (saving an average of 2–3% on the spread) and comply with the Central Bank of Russia’s de-dollarization policy.
• Cross-border payment compliance: Assist in verifying the authenticity of trade backgrounds (ensuring the “three flows” of contract, logistics documents, and customs declaration are consistent) to avoid being placed on Russia’s “high-risk transaction” list;
• Funding arrival time: Via the VTB RMB clearing-bank channel, funds arrive in T+2 (versus T+5 for ordinary agents), significantly boosting capital turnover.

IV. Customer Notice: The Boundary Between Certification and Compliance

Please note: we do not directly provide product-certification services, but we will guide our clients through every required procedure.

• Importer registration: Assist in preparing materials such as the business license and food operation permit, submit them through the “Internet + Customs” platform, and complete the filing within 3 working days;
• Registration of Overseas Exporters: Guide Italian wineries to submit applications through the General Administration of Customs’ “Registration Management System for Overseas Food Production Enterprises for Import” (factory qualifications, product test reports, etc. are required); the registration is valid for 5 years;
• Inspection and Quarantine Cooperation: Upon arrival, customs will conduct a 10% sampling inspection (increased to 30% when special supervision requirements apply); we will help book a qualified laboratory (e.g., SGS, CTI) and follow up on the testing progress (routine items: report issued within 7 working days).

V. Full-process service: closed-loop management from consultation to feedback

Drawing on 20 years of hands-on experience, we break down import agency services into nine key checkpoints, ensuring every step is traceable and optimizable:

1. Client Consultation: Use the "Needs Assessment Form" to specify the wine type (still/sparkling), volume (200 bottles/20,000 bottles), and customs-clearance port (Shanghai/Guangzhou), then match a tailored solution;
2. Negotiation and Contract Signing: Focus on reviewing the “quality clauses” in the contract (e.g., “alcohol content ±0.5%”) and the “risk-transfer nodes” (allocation of responsibilities under FOB/EXW terms) to avoid pitfalls such as “no liability for cargo damage.”
3. Orders & Payment: Supports L/C (?L/C?), T/T (telegraphic transfer), D/P (documents against payment), and other methods; for L/C, assist in reviewing “soft clauses” (e.g., “payment subject to buyer’s confirmation of quality”) to avoid discrepancies in documents;
4. Production supervision: If requested by the client, a local Italian third party (e.g., BV) may be commissioned to inspect the winery’s production environment (e.g., fermentation tank cleanliness, storage conditions) to ensure compliance with HACCP standards;
5. Customs Compliance: Accurately classify HS codes (e.g., tariff 14% for 22042100 “sparkling wine” and 22042900 “other fermented beverages”), compute the aggregate tax rate (14% customs duty + 13% VAT + 10% excise tax, total tax burden ≈ 43.1%), and help apply for “l(fā)ump-sum taxation” to reduce capital tie-up;
6. Delivery and Distribution: Provides “door-to-door” service, partners with JD Logistics and Sinotrans, distributes to regional warehouses (e.g., East China/South China) according to customer needs, and supports “drop-shipping”;
7. Quality Assurance: Complete the visual inspection within 3 working days after arrival at the port (e.g., cork leakage, label detachment); for non-conforming products, assist in arranging return or technical rectification (e.g., re-labeling);
8. Summary Feedback: Provide the "Full Import Process Analysis Report," covering logistics lead time, document error rate, and tax & duty breakdowns, to help clients optimize their next import plan (e.g., adjust the port of departure to cut freight costs).

Conclusion: A professional agent is the “safe anchor” for importing Italian red wine.

Against a backdrop of tightening trade compliance and intensifying market competition, choosing an agent that possesses dual-core strengths in documentation and logistics can cut hidden costs—such as demurrage and amendment fees—by more than 30% and, more importantly, shield you from policy risks like the carbon-emission requirements that the EU’s planned 2024 Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism will impose on transportation.Zhong Shen International Trade Co., Ltd.Always drawing on 20 years of experience and staying focused on the core goal of “making imports simpler,” we safeguard every bottle of Italian red wine on its “journey to China.”