The wine industry employs hundreds of thousands of people if tourism and other relevant industries were considered, Albanese said, adding trade with China is closely linked to employment in Australia.
by Zhang Jianhua, Zhang Na
ADELAIDE, Australia, June 3 (Xinhua) — The aroma of wine permeates the air of China-Australia trade since the re-entry of Australian bottled wine into the Chinese market starting from the end of March.
“Business is going pretty well,” Kym Teusner, a winery owner, told Xinhua, being optimistic about his wine products in the Chinese market.
“We have sent a few small shipments … the wines are still traveling across the ocean so we will be better positioned to make some plans once they arrive and we have the opportunity to assess how receptive the consumers are,” said Teusner, who has been producing wines under the Teusner brand in South Australia since 2002, and his products have been associated with the Chinese market for 18 years.
China’s Ministry of Commerce announced at the end of March to lift anti-dumping and anti-subsidy tariffs on Australian wine.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the resumption of trade will see an even higher amount of Australia’s wine exports to China than 2019 levels.
The wine industry employs hundreds of thousands of people if tourism and other relevant industries were considered, Albanese said, adding trade with China is closely linked to employment in Australia.
South Australia produces more than half of the country’s wine, whereas the Barossa Valley is one of the world’s great wine-producing areas. Teusner has about 200 hectares of vineyards there, with his winery capable of processing more than 3,000 tonnes of wine annually.
Teusner said the Barossa Valley is much warmer, and has a much more stable climate, so the grapes are much riper, which means wines are much richer, much more concentrated, and much more flavorsome.
“I’m pretty excited about the next few years,” he said, adding the Barossa Valley is a very diverse place that allows winemaking to suit different parts of China, as the Chinese market is diverse too.
Since 2006 when Teusner began to export his wine to China, the Chinese market has continued to account for 40 percent of Teusner Winery’s exports.
Fiona Yao, sales manager of Teusner Wines export, said most wineries are very eager to return to the Chinese market, as South Australia is an agricultural region, with red wine being the pillar industry.
Engaged in the Australian wine industry for 15 years, Yao said the Chinese and Australian wine industry has been deeply intertwined.
“South Australia alone has dozens of Chinese-funded wine enterprises,” she told Xinhua.
Coonawarra is a boutique wine region in South Australia, particularly with Cabernet Sauvignon wine favored by many around the world. A Chinese private enterprise has acquired the long-established, large-scale winery, Rymill Coonawarra, and retained all the original technical staff of the winery to continue the tradition and style of local wines.
Rymill Coonawarra’s Management Consultant Li Jie said the expansion of the Chinese market brought new prospects for Rymill after the acquisition.
“Sales orders have been hectic lately,” Li said, adding they would have three containers shipped to the Chinese city of Ningbo on June 6, and will also invite and assist more local wineries to invest in China and expand the Chinese-Australian wine trade.
Chinese Consul General in Adelaide Li Dong said Australian wine exports to China have shown signs of rapid recovery in April and May. Local wine enterprises in South Australia are confident of returning to the Chinese market.
The Chinese market will remain a huge attraction for the Australian wine industry in the medium to long run, Li said, adding the future of bilateral wine trade is promising as long as Australian policies remain stable.
