Home > News & Media > Great Southern hosts first Chinese wine mission to WA

Great Southern hosts first Chinese wine mission to WA

Last week saw an inbound Chinese wine trade mission with delegates touring the Great Southern and Margaret River wine regions.

Last week saw the Great Southern and Margaret River wine regions host a delegation of 11 Chinese wine buyers. The delegates experienced multiple guided vineyard tours and wine tastings which featured a diverse range of premium Great Southern wines paired with quality local produce.

The first day featured a tour of Forest Hill vineyard, lunch and tasting hosted by Singlefile Wines, a masterclass with local wine makers, and a trip to the iconic Greens Pool and Elephant Rocks.

The “Great Whites” dinner was the highlight event in the Great Southern itinerary, welcoming the Hon Don Punch Minister for Regional Development, delegates and other distinguished guests at Denmark’s Pepper + Salt Restaurant. The evening paired the region’s world-class Rieslings and Chardonnays with premium local produce cooked by Chef Silas Masih.

Day 2 saw the delegates travel to the Franklin River sub-region for a vineyard tour at Swinney Wines, a Great Southern Shiraz tasting at Ferngrove Wines, and a relaxing BBQ at Alkoomi Wines.

GSDC Acting Chief Executive Officer Jarrad Gardner highlighted the valuable nature of trade missions for regional producers.

“The Great Southern produces world-class wines sought after by the Chinese market. Re-entering this market could be a challenging prospect for producers, so providing the opportunity to directly connect producers with this market once again, is extremely valuable”, he said.

The mission was a collaboration between Wines of Western Australia, Great Southern Development Commission, South West Development Commission, Great Southern Wine Producers’ Association, Margaret River Wine Association, Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade) and Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.