The largest travelling Australian wine tasting in China, the Wine Australia China Roadshow, kicks off its four city tour tomorrow and will feature more than 170 Australian wine brands.
Now in its eighth year the roadshow, which travels to new locations each year, will give thousands of Chinese trade and media the opportunity to experience Australia’s regional and fine wine trends.
This year’s event – supported by the Australian Government’s $50m Export and Regional Wine Support Package – will visit Tianjin, Hangzhou, Kunming and Shenzen, bringing an Australian wine tasting exhibition to each city, along with masterclasses run by leading winemakers and experts.
Wine Australia Chief Executive Officer Andreas Clark said: “China is one of Australia’s most important and fastest-growing export markets, and we’re celebrating this continued growth with a showcase of Australia’s fine wines.
“We have a huge contingent of wineries taking part, with 53 of Australia’s 65 wine regions represented, and – in a first for the roadshow – we’ll be unveiling our new online Australian Wine Discovered education program in Simplified Chinese.”
Highlights of the roadshow include:
- an Australian wine tasting exhibition in each city that will showcase wines ranging from those made by exciting young winemakers to those from world-famous Australian First Families of Wine (AFFW)
- AFFW master classes featuring iconic wines from the families’ private cellars, the history behind each family and the benchmark wines that have given them global recognition
- dedicated lounges where people can explore the translated Australian Wine Discovered program – a comprehensive suite of education tools for those wishing to learn more about Australian wine, its stories and its history, and
- the launch of Wine Australia’s consumer website (www.australianwine.com/zh-CN) in Simplified Chinese, which tells the story of the places, the makers and the wines that make our wine sector unique.
Wine Australia Regional General Manager, North Asia, David Lucas said: “The roadshow allows us to provide a taste of the history and innovation behind Australian wine.
“Our concerted promotional efforts underline the importance we attach to the China market, which now accounts for around 40 per cent of Australia’s total wine exports – worth over A$1 billion.”
This will be AFFW’s second trip with Wine Australia to China, an opportunity AFFW Chairman Stephen Henschke says will “strengthen a highly valued relationship” that has been built over many years.
“As AFFW, we made our first solo visit to China in 2013, followed by a second visit with Wine Australia last year, in order to help raise the image of Australian wine,” Henschke said.
“It’s fascinating to see how rapidly the Chinese market is developing and changing each time we visit. Chinese wine consumers are gaining more confidence as they learn to appreciate wine.
“AFFW embodies the spirit of historical, multi-generational wine producing families, and with the next generation of AFFW at the fore, they are able to provide the touch points for the younger Chinese wine lovers of which there are many. As a group we agree, and as the export figures show, the Chinese market is still very much the future for premium Australian wine.”