Asia ‘presents exciting opportunity’ for Australia

Key “influencers” such as sommeliers are changing the landscape of Australian wine in Asia, according to Wine Australia’s regional director Aaron Brasher.

Speaking at Wine Australia’s “State of Play” seminar in Hong Kong, Brasher said that despite there being “numerous challenges to overcome” due to current economic uncertainty, Australian wine has become part of the fabric of wine in Asia and producers need to rally together.

“A coordinated effort is needed if we are to crack the market,” he commented at a recent Wine Australia ‘State of Play’ presentation and seminar in Hong Kong.

“The demand is there; in Hong Kong alone over the past 20 years, exports of Australian wine have grown from AUS$3.9m to AUS$110m and average value per litre is AUS$15.5, compared to the UK at AUS$4.13. Producers need to work with each other and not against.”

Brasher reported that his visit with regional manager Hiro Tejima had been important in establishing key in-market reference groups to help Wine Australia build on the already strong Australian wine base present in Asia. Educating the wine trade about the proposition of Australian wine through the company’s masterclasses in four of Australia’s top ten export markets, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore was also “crucial.”

“Sommeliers and key influencers are the ones leading and changing consumers’ opinions and we need to work with them to explore the diversity of the Australian wine landscape.  Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan and Malaysia respectively are the fifth, seventh, ninth and tenth largest export markets by value for Australian wine and collectively are worth AUS$250 million to our wine sector,” said Brasher.

“The region is a key growth market and presents some exciting opportunities for Australian wine.”