Australian wines’ ageing ability highlighted in China

The ageing ability of Australia’s finest wines and some rare Barossa gems came under focus at a series of master classes organised by Wine Australia across China last week.

Fongyee walker MW presented the aged wine master class (source: Wine Australia)

More than 400 of China’s wine media, educators, sommeliers and other trade members participated in the masterclasses held from 20-24 February in Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai, underscoring strong market interest in Australian wines as wine exports continue to grow.   

China has become Australia’s most valuable wine export market and a record of AU$520 million (US$399 million) worth of Australian wines were exported to the country last year.

The aged wine masterclass featured wines from different regions of Australia comparing current vintages with back vintages of at least 10 years old for wines’ evolution in the bottle.

In addition to aged Australian wines, Wine Australia also partnered with the Barossa Grape and Wine Association for a second master class in Beijing and Guangzhou to highlight some of the rare Barossa wines that will go under hammer at the upcoming 2017 Barossa Wine Chapters Auction in April.

Fongyee Walker MW, who presented the aged wine masterclass, said, “I was honoured to be invited by Wine Australia to lead the important discussion on the ageing ability of Australian wines. Australian red and white wines both have the potential to age gracefully in a fascinating way. This class was a wonderful chance for the Chinese wine media and trade to explore these wines.”

James March, CEO of Barossa Grape and Wine Association (photo credit: Wine Australia)

“Barossa is one of the most well-known Australian wine regions in China and many are already familiar with Barossa’s well-established wineries. Through the master classes in Beijing and Guangzhou, we introduced some of Barossa’s rare and distinguished wines, as well as some of the perhaps lesser-known but still world-class wineries,” James March, CEO of Barossa Grape and Wine Association, commented speaking of the second master class on Barossa wines.

“I hope there will be an even wider choice of high quality and diverse Barossa wines for the wine trade and consumers to discover and purchase in the future,” he continued.

“The aged Australian wines are not so frequently seen in the China market. This has been a rare chance to do an interesting comparison of the new and back vintage of the wines at the master class, which beautifully illustrated the ageing ability of Australian wine,” commented James Dai, certified Australian wine educator.

“The wines at the Barossa master class not only showcased premium quality, but also reflected the characteristics of the place they come from. Very impressive!” said Li Meiyu, founder of DrinkArts and Wine Director of Park Hyatt Beijing.