Wine Australia is gearing-up for two of the wine sector’s major China events for 2018 – the 6th annual Wine Australia China Awards and ProWine China – both supported by the Australian Government’s $50 million Export and Regional Wine Support Package (the $50m Package).

The China Awards ceremony and gala dinner will be held on 12 November at the Bvlgari Hotel in Shanghai. The ceremony will recognise trade, media and educators who are actively adding their mark to the growth, demand and sales of Australian wine in China.

This year’s awards will honour achievements across eight categories, including:

• Best Australian Wine List (sponsored by KPMG Sydney Royal Wine Show)
• Best Australian Wine Promotional Campaign – on premise
• Best Australian Wine Promotional Campaign – online stores
• Best Australian Wine Educator (sponsored by Barossa Wine School)
• Best Feature Story on Australian Wine – consumer media
• Best Feature Story on Australian Wine – trade media
• Online Wine Communicator of the Year (sponsored by McLaren Vale Grape Wine and Tourism Association), and
• Online Food and Wine Communicator of the Year (sponsored by Tourism Australia).

The judging panel for the China Awards includes a Master Sommelier, a Master of Wine, industry leaders, and a line-up of key trade, media and wine education influencers. See the full list of judges here.

Wine Australia Chief Executive Officer Andreas Clark said, ‘The annual Wine Australia China Awards are a major celebration of the wine sector, offering a fantastic opportunity to celebrate people and businesses and helping to promote premium Australian wine in China.

‘China is Australia’s most valuable wine export market and the growth in China is a testament to the wine sector and the great work being done to stimulate more interest and educate Chinese consumers on the quality and diversity of fine Australian wine.

‘It’s critically important for Australia to have a strong presence in China. Just this week we took part in the first China International Import Expo, which brought together thousands of companies from over 130 countries to connect with domestic and foreign buyers. The Chinese Government put a lot of support behind this event…it’s part of demonstrating their economic engagement with the world’, he said.

Next in line is China’s leading international trade fair for wine and spirits, ProWine China held 13–15 November at Shanghai New International Expo Centre.

This year, Australia will showcase its largest-ever pavilion with close to 90 brands representing more than 20 wine regions across 5 states. See the full list of participating wine businesses here.

The Australian pavilion will showcase the diversity of style, terroir and premium quality of Australian wine with:

• six regionally-themed on-pavilion tastings, featuring well-respected educators Corinne Mui and James Dai, and
• two master classes taking an in-depth look at ‘Barossa rare and distinguished wines’ and ‘McLaren Vale premium Shiraz’, featuring Corinne and Master Sommelier Lu Yang.

Background
China is Australia’s largest wine export market by value and – along with the USA – is a key focus of Wine Australia’s dedicated marketing activities supported by the $50m Package.
Exports to China, including Hong Kong and Macau, grew 24 per cent to AU$1.06 billion in the 12 months to 30 September 2018.