Bendigo Wine Region News

Three Bendigo Wineries go to China

18 May 2009

BlackJack Wines, Sandhurst Ridge Winery and Turner’s Crossing Estate are three Bendigo region wineries that will showcase their wines in China during May, as part of the Targeted Trade Mission to Asia.

The mission has been arranged with support and funding from Regional Development Victoria with assistance from Austrade, Victorian Government business offices in Hong Kong and Shanghai, and Wine Australia.

Each of these Bendigo wineries currently export wine to China and this mission will assist them to further raise awareness in this emerging wine market.  They’ll each partake in a variety of components of the trade mission. 

BlackJack Wines and Turner’s Crossing Estate spent last week at Hofex – Hong Kong’s premium food and wine event from 6-9 May, where 12 Victorian wineries exhibited alongside 28 Victorian food companies.

BlackJack Wines are attending Shenzhen and Taipei for a two-day event with up to 100 trade representatives for 18 Victorian wineries.  Then together with Sandhurst Ridge Winery they will travel to an event in Shanghai.  It will involve 25 small Victorian wineries, featuring a ‘Wines of Victoria’ Master Class plus wine tastings for consumers and retailers to demonstrate the quality of Australian wines.

The evening event in Shanghai, presented by Austrade and Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation, will have around 150 guests representing large companies and government representatives from across China.  Invitations for attendees at the event have been extended on behalf of the Australian Consul General.

“We’ve been on Targeted Trade Missions before to Canada, Hong Kong, and Japan but we’ve not been to mainland China before,” said Paul Greblo, Sandhurst Ridge Winery. 

“We’ve found Targeted Trade Missions to be very beneficial.  For small wineries like us it can be daunting to go out in the world and sell yourself, no matter how good your wine is.  It’s very important to have a structured, targeted program.”

While in Asia, the Bendigo winegrowers each have busy itineraries that include visits to their specific importers as well as more trade mission activities.  Just some of the additional destinations include Chongqing, Kunming (Yunnan), Xiamen (Fujian), Guangzhou and Taichung.

These activities aim to capitalise on a growing thirst in Asia for bottled wine.  In 2007-08, sales of Australian bottled wine to China grew by nearly 40% to 10 million litres (Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation Annual Report 2007-2008).  The Chinese wine market is projected to grow to more than one billion litres by 2011-12.

“Clearly there are export opportunities in China.  Now we need to get in there and have people taste our wines,” said Mr Greblo.

ENDS………..

For more information contact Aileen Walsh on 0407 706769.