Joining Hands with the Michelin Guide, How Wuliangye is Spreading “Baijiu Aroma” Worldwide
DeepSeek is sparking new discussions on AI LLMs worldwide, while the movie Ne Zha 2 continues to climb the global box office rankings. At the beginning of 2025, as Chinese elements continue to amplify their presence on the international stage, Chinese Baijiu is not missing out on this vibrant global celebration.
On February 10, the UK & Ireland Michelin Guide Ceremony kicked off in Glasgow, where Wuliangye and the Michelin Guide once again joined forces to embark on their Global Harmony and Beauty Tour. This East-West “Gourmet + Baijiu” cultural exchange will span continents, reaching overseas markets including the UK, South Korea, Japan, France, and the United States. As a global partner of the Michelin Guide, Wuliangye will not only participate in the release of the Michelin Guide List and the combination of Baijiu and global cuisines but will also curate a series of innovative, targeted events to drive effective cross-border communication.
The powerful fusion of “Top Baijiu” and “Top Cuisine” represents the deep integration of Chinese Baijiu culture with the international culinary landscape. Through a sensory experience, Wuliangye seeks to explore the cultural richness behind the flavors, fostering harmonious integration with global cuisine and promoting China’s “Harmony and Beauty” culture.
A Clear and Progressive Path to Internationalization: Wuliangye’s Strategy and Vision
In 1909, Wuliangye was officially named. This “premium Baijiu, crafted from the essence of five grains”, embodies not only the values of symbiosis, harmony, beauty, and inclusiveness but also a relentless pursuit of innovation and exceptional quality. Today, Wuliangye stands as the pinnacle of aromatic Baijiu craftsmanship in China. During the same period, the Michelin Guide was born in Paris, France, encouraging people to travel and explore the wider world. Over time, it has evolved into a global culinary guide, even earning the title of the “Gourmet Bible”, reflecting the public’s curiosity about taste and their openness to diverse culinary cultures.
Since 2021, these two brands, united by similar values and ideals, have embarked on a journey to explore the ultimate fusion of “Taste and Culture.” From their initial collaboration as the official partner of the Michelin Guide in Chengdu to becoming the official partner across mainland China, Wuliangye has expanded its presence to Guangzhou, Chengdu, Hangzhou, Beijing, and Shanghai. Through the creation of “Gourmet + Baijiu” cross-border collaborations, the brand has forged a deep connection with consumers in high-end dining settings. Custom dishes like the “Pan-seared Norwegian Sablefish” in Chengdu and “New Fish & Lamb Soup” in Shanghai integrate Wuliangye’s distinctive aroma into the flavors, delivering an unforgettable taste experience. These efforts will elevate the global collaboration between Wuliangye and the Michelin Guide, promising even more exceptional quality experiences in the future.
Since the cooperation between Wuliangye and the Michelin Guide expanded from Chengdu to mainland China, and now to a global scale, this journey mirrors Wuliangye’s gradual path to internationalization, steadily entering overseas markets while laying a solid foundation.
In recent years, Wuliangye has made comprehensive strides in the international market. On the channel front, it has established three major international marketing centers in the Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the Americas. Meanwhile, Wuliangye Dining have enhanced overseas consumers’ understanding of Baijiu through its “Culture + Experience” approach. In terms of brand promotion, Wuliangye continues to amplify its global presence, entering the international spotlight through participation in events such as the Boao Forum for Asia, APEC, and the Fortune Global Forum. In terms of product lineup, in addition to 8th Generation Wuliangye, Wuliangye Ziqidonglai, Wuliangye Panda, and Wuliangye Classic Series, the brand has developed Wuliang Highball and the aromatic Baijiu cocktail base “WUGUSONG” specifically for young consumers. The latter has already made its debut in mainstream bars worldwide, creating a youthful and international drinking experience. Wuliangye is dedicated to exploring the fusion of Wuliangye with more types of alchohlic liqour.
In Wuliangye’s internationalization journey, its collaboration with the Michelin Guide stands out as a clear and profound exploration, targeting those who seek the ultimate in taste and creating a new model for Baijiu’s global expansion.
“Top Baijiu” + “Top Cuisine”: Deconstructing the global differentiation challenge through “harmony and beauty”
The Michelin Guide began expanding across continents over 100 years ago. Gwendal Poullennec, the current international director of the Michelin Guide, once described the challenges involved: “Creating a high-level, high-quality cuisine guide takes time, which is why we spent a significant amount of time researching local cultures and preparing the team of reviewers”.
The global expansion of the Michelin Guide highlights how cultural differences, dietary habits, and religious beliefs across regions profoundly impact the ability of the restaurant industry to establish itself in overseas markets. Looking at the current state of the global spirits market, the market share of the top three spirits companies is less than 20%, highlighting the significant challenges in the globalization of liquor brands. In particular, the internationalization of Chinese Baijiu faces even greater challenges. On the one hand, some countries are accustomed to drinking before or after meals, preferring low-alcohol beverages, which creates a lack of suitable consumption contexts for Baijiu. On the other hand, while Baijiu has a long history of culture and Baijiu-making craftsmanship, overseas consumers often lack understanding of it and may even harbor misconceptions.
Joining hands with the Michelin Guide to start the global “Harmony and Beauty” tour is actually a proactive expression from Wuliangye, embodying harmony, symbiosis, and shared enjoyment. By deeply integrating taste, quality, brand, and culture, it has sparked emotional resonance among overseas consumers. This will be a long-term and visionary exploration. Just as the cooperation between the two has gradually expanded geographically, a series of activities in overseas markets have also established a comprehensive cycle for cultivating overseas consumers.
Next, Wuliangye will actively participate in the Michelin Guide ceremonies across multiple countries and regions, while creating innovative food and Baijiu pairings to craft differentiated consumption experiences. This will facilitate the integration of the food cultures around the world and help overseas consumers “discover” Chinese Baijiu. Moreover, Wuliangye innovatively creates a unique tasting experience through Michelin Guide Influencers Dining, where special dishes blend Wuliangye with global cuisine, allowing overseas consumers to experience Chinese Baijiu from multiple perspectives. Wuliangye will also collaborate closely with Michelin Guide Masterclass Chefs to Chefs, providing a platform to promote Baijiu culture and Baijiu-making techniques, helping overseas consumers “embrace” Chinese Baijiu. In this process, Wuliangye will genuinely “enter” overseas markets by integrating local goumet, creating exceptional consumption experiences, and establishing a comprehensive cultural communication pathway.
The influence of the Michelin Guide not only comes from its broad global audience but also from its stringent standards and high expectations for goumet and Baijiu. Through its collaboration with the Michelin Guide, Wuliangye will further strengthen its position in international high-end dining and promote Baijiu culture around the world.
Leading the Long Journey of Internationalization: Wuliangye’s Determination and Confidence
Chinese enterprises are embracing the wave of internationalization with a fresh perspective, collectively building a comprehensive and systematic overseas ecosystem through the global expansion of technology, branding, and culture. This has created unprecedented opportunities for the internationalization of Baijiu. As the domestic market gradually stabilizes, the pursuit of broader opportunities in overseas markets and the need to become international enterprises make it imperative for Baijiu companies to expand abroad.
Nevertheless, Wuliangye is fully aware of the long and challenging journey of “going global”. “The internationalization of Chinese Baijiu is still in its early stages, facing numerous challenges such as limited awareness among overseas mainstream consumers, few consumption scenarios, and a small overseas consumer base, as well as cultural, technical, and tariff barriers, along with taste differences”. Zeng Congqin, Chairman of Wuliangye Group&Wuliangye Yibin Co., Ltd., called at the World Famous Alcoholic Drinks Advance Conference 2024: “Representatives of famous alcoholic drinks must take the lead, assume responsibility, act proactively, and be at the forefront of the new journey of going global.”
As a leading Baijiu enterprise, Wuliangye has accumulated extensive experience in international expansion since the last century. With China’s accession to the WTO in the new millennium, Wuliangye further advanced its brand proposition of “From China to the World”, actively expanding into international markets and enhancing its global influence. Today, Wuliangye is refining its specific internationalization strategy of “Top Baijiu” + “Top Cuisine”, which shows Wuliangye’s determination and confidence.
In 2022, global retail sales of spirits reached 608.256 billion USD, marking an 8.05% year-on-year growth. At the same time, the concentration of leading brands within individual categories of spirits remains high, highlighting the significant influence of brand power. As a typical representative of strong aromatic Baijiu in China, Wuliangye is not only a famous Baijiu in China but also a distinguished spirit on the global stage. Yibin, the birthplace of Wuliangye, is recognized as one of the world’s top ten spirits-producing regions, with a Baijiu-making history spanning over 4,000 years and a unique ecological environment. A series of ancient fermentation pits from the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, in continuous production for 700 years, have imbued Wuliangye with profound historical significance. Therefore, in the wave of Baijiu’s internationalization, Wuliangye has unparalleled advantages in brand storytelling and cultural communication.
In the future, through its in-depth collaboration with the Michelin Guide, Wuliangye will promote Chinese Baijiu in the global market by appealing to the taste buds, integrating Baijiu culture into global culinary traditions. This will be an effective way of spreading China’s “Harmony and Beauty” culture.
