Voting on Australia might happen sooner in China than in the land down under—at least on the issue of wine choice.
Over the past year or so I’ve found it hard to resist commenting time and time again on China’s phenomenal rise as a global wine superpower, and now it seems that Australia is placing bets on the fact that the Chinese wine market is here to stay, in a big way.
Decanter magazine this weekend reported on government-based wine organization Wine Australia, which will now be spending AUS$2 million annually to promote the country’s offerings globally, through a special initiative called A+ Australian Wine. The campaign currently consists of ten experienced winemakers who’ll travel the world, sharing 'stories about the place they are from and the history of their wines and wineries.'
And A+ Australian Wine has premiered in no other than China, on a one week road show that began at the Shanghai expo on June 30 and moved onto Beijing, Guangzhou and Hong Kong, wrapping up last week. The move has captured headlines and proves that the Australian wine industry is undoubtedly seeking to win over consumers in a market that wouldn’t have even been considered a couple of years ago.
Meanwhile, an article published recently by the Wall Street Journal from The Australian, places further emphasis on Australia’s wine potential in China. Although Australia’s wine already holds about a 20 percent share of China’s imported wine market and is thus only second to France, according to the piece, ‘Australian wine exports to China are expected to grow up to 50 percent this year and will be worth as much as $200 million.’