SMALL and medium wine makers are set to benefit from an additional $500,000 in grant funding to open more doors in key export markets from the Coalition Government.
Member for Barker Tony Pasin said the extra funds for the Wine Export Grants program, which now totals $1.5m, would make it easier to sell Australian wine to China and the United States.
Producers will be able to claim up to $25,000 or 50pc of the cost of promoting their wine in either country.
Mr Pasin encouraged local producers to take advantage of the grants.
“South Australia produces some of this country’s best wine, a lot of which comes from Barker and we want China and the US to know about it,” he said.
“We expect exports to China and the US to keep growing and these grants will keep us competitive.
“On January 1, 2019, tariffs for Australian wine into China will fall to zero, making it a great time to promote our product.”
The program is part of the Federal Government’s $50m Export and Regional Wine Support Package, which aims to showcase Australia’s vigneron industry and drive demand.
Australia is the sixth largest wine producer and the fifth largest wine exporter, with two-thirds of Australian wine exported. The market in China in particular is continuing to expand with the value of wine exports up 55pc to $1.12b and volume up 47pc in the year to June 2018.
