Wineries eye Chinese market by Darren Snyder of the Mudgee Guardian

At least five wineries within the Mudgee region have shown they are fighting an Australian wine glut by working with the NSW government’s Asian export wine strategy.

While it has been reported the Australian wine industry is producing 20 to 40 million excess cases of wine every year, there are numerous wineries jumping on board to enter one of the world’s fastest growing wine markets.

Rapid growth in the Chinese market has been a catalyst for the State Government committing resources to local wineries in an attempt to sell more NSW wines in Asia.

[...]  Click here to access the full article from the Mudgee Guardian

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Beijing wants a taste of Australian wine sector by Michael Sainsbury of The Australian

CHINESE companies are poised to target Australia’s $26 billion wine sector with a range of companies across the country — most of them government-owned — exploring deals that would result in them buying local wineries or taking equity interests in wine and beverage groups.

Australia’s largest trading partner is extending its investment activities into sectors other than mining and resources.

Shanghai-based food and beverage conglomerate Bright Group — one of China’s biggest — this week signalled its interest in paying $1.5bn cash for the sugar and renewable energy division of CSR, and is eyeing winemakers as part of a wide-ranging look at investment in Australia.

Other major beverage groups — including the massive food and drinks group COFCO, owned by the central government, which has recently stepped into the wine market in China as a major distributor — are also believed to be mulling Australian wine industry purchases.

[...]  Click here to read the full article from The Australian

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Grape Wall of China – CHINA is tipped to become the world’s biggest wine producer by Jane Hamilton of The Sun – UK

The Far East giant – better known for its Great Wall than its vineyards – already makes more wine than Spain and Portugal.

And with British supermarkets stocking up, experts predict it will overtake Australia in 2010 and Italy and France within 50 years.

Nine out of ten bottles of Chinese wine are red. Supermarket chain Morrisons has trialled one and now Waitrose plans to sell another.

Waitrose wine buyer Andrew Shaw said: “Chinese wine is the hot new trend. We’re hoping to have a quality one in store by the end of the year.”

[...]  Click here to read the full article from The Sun – UK