STORY: Australian winemakers excited about re-entry of bottled wine into Chinese market
SHOOTING TIME: March 17, 2024
DATELINE: March 31, 2024
LENGTH: 00:01:45
LOCATION: ADELAIDE, Australia
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the Dowie Doole winery in South Australia's McLaren Vale
2. various of Chris Thomas, managing director and chief winemaker of the Dowie Doole winery

STORYLINE:

China's Ministry of Commerce announced on Thursday that the country will lift anti-dumping and anti-subsidy tariffs on Australian wine from Friday.

Australia welcomed China's decision, which comes at a critical time for the Australian wine industry, said an Australian government statement.

The re-entry of Australian bottled wine into the Chinese market will benefit both Australian producers and Chinese consumers, the statement said.

Australia's wine exports to China were worth 1.1 billion Australian dollars (some 713 million U.S. dollars) in 2019. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said in the wine region of Hunter Valley in the north of Sydney on Thursday that the resumption of trade will see an even higher amount.

The wine industry employs hundreds of thousands of people if tourism and other industries were taken into account, Albanese said, adding, "Trade is about Australian jobs."

Chris Thomas, managing director and chief winemaker of the winery of Dowie Doole in South Australia's McLaren Vale, was thrilled at the news.

He said the re-entry of Australian bottled wine into the Chinese market means he can come back and visit his friends and business partners in China, and celebrate that over a glass of wine.

"As soon as the vintage is finished and I'm able to leave my vineyard and my winery, I'll be back in China instead of just virtually catching up (with friends)," he said, adding he is looking forward to sharing Australian wine with Chinese hospitality, food, and friends.

Coonawarra, another boutique wine region in South Australia, is known for the local Cabernet Sauvignon wine. A Chinese private enterprise has acquired the long-established, large-scale winery, Rymill Coonawarra.

As Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon is very popular in China, all the original technical staff of the winery have been retained to continue the tradition and style of local wines, said Rymill Coonawarra General Manager Li Jie.

Li told Xinhua that they will assist more local wineries to invest in China and expand the Chinese-Australian wine trade.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Adelaide, Australia.
(XHTV)