CHINESE LAPPING UP AUSSIE WINES
CHINA’S thirst for Australian wine continues to grow at a faster rate than anywhere else in the world.
Industry group Wine Australia says China remains the top destination for Australian wine, with exports growing 44 per cent to $607 million in 2016-17.
That drove a 10 per cent rise in total Australian wine exports in the financial year to $2.3 billion, or 778 million litres.
The US remains the second largest consumer of Australian wines, with exports there rising 3 per cent to $464 million.
Shiraz is Australia’s largest export, followed by cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay.
Sirromet Winery owner Terry Morris said about 30 per cent of the Queensland company’s exports went to China.
“We’ve got a different model to most in the market, we really focus on exporting premium wines to China,” he said.
“Our market there is increasing all the time. Where the Chinese might have to pay €10,000 ($A14,550) for a premium bottle of Burgundy or €5000 for a Bordeaux, they can get a high quality Queensland wine for much less.”
Mr Morris said the most expensive bottle of Sirromet wine which was exported to China retailed for $US390 ($A490).
Wine Australia chief executive Andreas Clark said the wine culture in China is still evolving, and consumers are enjoying the discovery of wine.
“Australian wine is front and centre of that,” Mr Clark said.
“We have 65 wine regions, we produce wine from a whole host of varieties and in different styles. So what we have really focused on in the last six or seven years is education – trying to help people understand what Australian wine is and where it comes from.”
The free trade agreement signed by Australia and China in 2015 had also added to the growth of Australia’s wine exports to China.
Wine Australia says Australia is the world’s fifth biggest wine exporter behind France, Italy, Spain and Chile but outperformed each of those markets for rate of export growth.
Mr Clark said the strongest growth was in wines priced at from $30 to $49.99 a litre, based on the price at the point of export.