Australia’s world-class wine on show at China Roadshow 2019

Australia’s rich diversity of world-class wine will be showcased at Wine Australia’s China Roadshow (21–29 May 2019) – the largest travelling Australian wine tasting in China.

The four-city roadshow, now in its eighth year, will feature more than 170 Australian wine brands, giving thousands of Chinese trade and media an opportunity to experience Australia’s regional and fine wines.    

Each year, the roadshow travels to new locations in China to raise awareness of Australian wine.

This year’s event – supported by the Australian Government’s $50 million Export and Regional Wine Support Package (the $50m Package) – will visit Tianjin, Hangzhou, Kunming and Shenzen, bringing an Australian wine tasting exhibition to each city, along with masterclasses run by leading winemakers and experts.

Wine Australia Chief Executive Officer Andreas Clark said, ‘China is one of Australia’s most important and fastest-growing export markets, and we’re celebrating this continued growth with a showcase of Australia’s fine wines.

‘We have a huge contingent of wineries taking part, with 53 of Australia’s 65 wine regions represented, and – in a first for the roadshow – we’ll be unveiling our new online Australian Wine Discovered education program in Simplified Chinese’, he said.

Highlights of the roadshow include:

• an Australian wine tasting exhibition in each city that will showcase wines ranging from those made by exciting young winemakers to those from world-famous Australian First Families of Wine (AFFW)
• AFFW master classes featuring iconic wines from the families’ private cellars, the history behind each family and the benchmark wines that have given them global recognition
• additional master classes exploring the ‘Foundations of Australian wine’, AFFW Shiraz and ‘Mature icons’, McLaren Vale premium Cabernet and Shiraz, ‘Australia’s great Chardonnays’, ‘Barossa rare and distinguished’, and ‘Diverse Australian Shiraz’
• dedicated lounges where people can explore the translated Australian Wine Discovered program – a comprehensive suite of education tools for those wishing to learn more about Australian wine, its stories and its history, and
• the launch of Wine Australia’s consumer website in Simplified Chinese, which tells the story of the places, the makers and the wines that make our wine sector unique.

Wine Australia Regional General Manager, North Asia, David Lucas said, ‘The roadshow allows us to provide a taste of the history and innovation behind Australian wine.

‘Our concerted promotional efforts underline the importance we attach to the China market, which now accounts for around 40 per cent of Australia’s total wine exports – worth over A$1 billion’, he said.

Mr Lucas also noted that underpinning this significant growth was the growing demand for higher-end boutique Australian wines, ‘reflecting growing maturity and wine appreciation in the surging Chinese market’.

Mr Lucas said that the backing from the $50m Package was crucial to maintaining this momentum, by giving China’s wine trade, media and consumers ‘a better understanding of the uniqueness and diversity of Australian wines’.

In addition to the China Roadshow, Wine Australia’s multi-channel consumer campaign – Australian Wine Month – comes to China for the first time in May.

The campaign is spearheaded by a consumer-facing retail promotion in 80 high-end supermarkets including Ole’ and BLT. Another promotional activity will run on Wine Australia’s flagship Tmall store.

For more information about China Roadshow 2019, click here.