On 11 March 2011, Japan was hit by an earthquake, a tsunami and a nuclear incident. Professionals were expecting a decrease in demand, but "the activity is even more sustained, and figures go up for Burgundy wines" according to Christian Ciamos (commercial director of the Burgundian house Albert Bichot). "In 2011 Japan remained the third largest value market for Burgundy wines, representing 9.8% of the volumes exported. "

"What surprised us most is that just 15 days after the disasters, the Japanese came back to us speking of projects started before. While we didnot dare to say a business word! Japan is our most mature market. Everyone speaks about China, but even with recent increases, China accounts for the tenth of the Japanese market for Burgundy. And the Chinese consumer is far from the maturity of the Japanese. Since the catch of 1998, wine has become a reflex of conviviality in Japan, replacing sake and whiskey "