THE State Government recently led a group of representatives from 36 South Australian wineries to Asia’s largest wine show to recapture elements of the state’s previous $900m wine market.
The representatives’ aim at VinExpo, which was hosted in Hong Kong, was to potentially reconnect with China after tariffs on Australian wine exports were lifted in March this year.
China’s wine export market with Australia was originally valued at $946.5m per year at peak and accounted for nearly half of the state’s wine exports before tariffs against exports were introduced in late 2020.
The visit marked the first trade delegation to Hong Kong since the beginning of the pandemic.
Minister for Trade and Investment Joe Szakacs said Vin Expo was a “timely opportunity” for wineries to diversify the market and explore further export opportunities.
“While the recent decision by China to remove trade barriers on Australian wine is excellent news, it’s also important to diversify,” Mr Szakacs said.
“We’ve seen wine export increases of 73 per cent with Hong Kong over the past year, so now really is the perfect time for SA wineries considering exports to explore China, Vietnam and other Asia-Pacific countries.”
A number of wineries predicted export growths of about 60 per cent by the end of 2025 following China’s return to the market.
Exports to China in all categories were reported to have grown by 39 per cent over the 12 months to March.
