China’s wine influencers to get ‘hands on’ with Australian wine
This Sunday, 15 March, two groups of influential Chinese media, trade and educators will arrive in Australia for the fifth annual China Vintage trip.
The 20 guests from across China will experience vintage first-hand with a full immersion into grape harvesting and winemaking at wineries in the Riverina (NSW), King Valley (Victoria), McLaren Vale, Barossa and Adelaide Hills (SA), and Margaret River (WA).
The nine-day visit is designed to give guests insight to the unique characteristics of each region through winemaker dinners, winery tours, tastings, masterclasses and informal education sessions with regional experts. The visit is hosted by Wine Australia in partnership with the participating wine regions.
Wine Australia’s Regional Manager for China, Willa Yang, will accompany one of the visiting groups and said this year’s itinerary is longer than previous years, giving guests a better understanding of Australian wine and regions.
‘One of best things about Australian wine is its sheer diversity, so it’s been wonderful to get so much support from regions right across Australia. It allows us to take these important wine influencers to more regions than ever before from the Riverina in NSW to Margaret River in Western Australia.
‘Our guests will get to experience an Aussie vintage and at the end of this trip I know the y’ll have a better understanding of Australian wine quality and the diversity of our regions. It’s our hope that when they return to China, they’ll become ambassadors for Australian wine and will share their positive experiences with their professional and personal networks.’
These influential guests were selected based on their demonstrated commitment to promoting Australian wine in China. They include recipients of awards at Wine Australia’s annual awards in China as well as the winner of the Thirsty Thursday bling tasting sessions held last year.
Guests on the China Vintage trip are:
- Michael Zhang – Chief Sommelier, The Langham Xintiandi, Shanghai
- David Hua – Secretary General, Dalian Wine Association
- Sophie Liu – Wine writer, educator and founder of Shanghai Vinosophie Culture Communication Co Ltd
- Sam Chen – Wine and spirit consultant, I-WAY Wine Education and winner of Wine Australia’s Thirsty Thursday Blind Tasting series
- Karla Wang – Founder, Penguin Guide
- Eva Xia – Product Director, Vinehoo.com
- Daniel Zhang – CEO, Pran Wines Co Ltd
- Liuyi Wang – Store Manager, Cellar Door Wines
- Eddie Lu – Vice President, Winekee.com
- Herwin Dayrit – Restaurant Manager, Kakadu, Shanghai
- Dorian Tang – International Training Director, ASC Fine Wines
- Yang Guo – Manager, China National Research Institute of Food and Fermentation
- Hailin Yi – Business e-Commerce Manager, Aussino Fine Wines
- Lily Fan – Project Manager of Wine, City Shop
- Johnny Guo – Sommelier, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Shanghai, Pudong
- Stephen Jiang – Executive Director, G The Urban Harvest and Mustache Restaurant
- Clark Wang – Executive Vice President, YesMyWine.com
- David Liu – Area Sales Manager, Summergate Fine Wines
- Xubo Liu – Executive Editor-in-Chief, Alcohol and Wine Magazine
- Yin Zhu – Editorial Director, TimeOut Shanghai.