Wine Australia concluded China Roadshow with ‘record visitor number’

A record number of visitors participated in this month’s Wine Australia China Roadshow 2018 that stopped by Shenyang, Jinan and Wuhan before concluding in Shanghai on 11 June, the trade organisation announced; with visitors apparently unfazed by the recent wine delays reported by six Australian companies at Chinese ports.

The roadshow is a key component of the Australian government’s AU$50 million ‘Export and Regional Wine Support Package’, according to Senator Anne Ruston, assistant minister for Agriculture and Water Resources. 

“We want to help business spend more time in the market and visit more cities so that they can build interest and grow demand for Australia’s high-quality wines,” she said.

“We had a record number of participants at this year’s Roadshow, with more than 2,500 trade, media and key opinion leaders attending the Buyer and Grand Tastings of 700 wines and more than 1,000 people participating in the 10 masterclasses,” said Wine Australia’s regional general manager, David Lucas.

“Notably, this year many of the attendees were younger people and there was also a growing interest in white and sparkling wines and the full range of red varieties being presented,” he added.

Leon Wang, a journalist from Liaoning Radio and Television Station, said, “this is quite a rare chance for wine lovers in a second-tier city like Shenyang to taste so many Australian wines from various regions and different varieties at one time, and we can even talk to winemakers and get to know their cutting-edge concepts. I do hope we can see more activities of Australian wine like this coming to Shenyang!”

Meanwhile, relations between Australia and China are turning sour over Australian concerns of Chinese political interference in domestic affairs. The tension has spilled over into wine, with a few Australian wine companies including Treasury Wine Estates and Pernod Ricard’s Australian wine business reporting lengthy custom delays.