Sixteen exhibitors join Wine Australia at ProWine China
Wine Australia, in partnership with 16 exhibitors, staged a successful first showing at trade fair ProWine China 2015, held in Shanghai on 11–13 November.
The 108m2 Wine Australia pavilion showcased approximately 100 wines from 21 brands and 15 wine regions across 5 states. Exhibitors were a mix of brands already in-market and brands seeking distribution for the first time.
Throughout the three-day fair, A+ Australian wine educators James Dai and Denis Lin delivered a program of tasting classes where guests explored key Australian white varieties, key Australian red varieties and the diversity of Australian Shiraz. The classes gave visitors the chance to learn more about the diversity and regionality of Australian wine and how the unique terroirs of the regions influence a wine’s style.
Wine Australia also partnered with the Institute of Masters of Wine, organising an ‘Introduction to the Institute of Masters of Wine’ session held at the Wine Australia pavilion. Debra Meiburg MW and Matthew Stubbs MW presented the class that attracted a highly enthusiastic crowd of local wine influencers and professionals.
A dinner hosted by Wine Australia gave exhibitors a chance to network with local wine influencers and potential buyers, with guests including wine media, educators, retail buyers, and food service professionals. Austrade’s Senior Trade Commissioner in Shanghai Liu Bing also attended the dinner, delivering a welcome speech to guests.
David Brown, Director of Landaire Wines from the Padthaway region in South Australia commented, ProWine was a pleasure to attend with a friendly, helpful atmosphere. It’s been a great opportunity to introduce our new brand to the Chinese market.
‘We’ve already had two or three enquiries from wine distributors,’ he said.
Sam Wade, General Manager of existing in-market brand Irvine Wines from the Barossa agreed.
‘The stand’s location was excellent and the Wine Australia team were very helpful. It was a good opportunity to network with new distributors and reconnect with existing customers.’
Willa Yang, Head of Market, China said, ‘ProWine China is one of the most important trade shows on the calendar.
‘We’ve had incredibly positive feedback from our exhibiting partners and visitors to our pavilion. The fair has been a great opportunity to encourage the trade in China to learn even more about the quality and regional diversity of our wines, and to understand that there’s really no such thing as a typical Aussie wine style.’
According to event organisers, ProWine China had approximately 10,300 visitors during the 3-day exhibition, up 25 per cent from last year. There were more than 600 wine exhibitors from 33 countries.
China is now Australia’s third most valuable export market for wine. In the last 12 months, exports to China have increased by 47 per cent to A$313 million and more than a third of those exports are in the higher price points above A$10.