January 18, 2017
The South Burnett Wine Industry Association took another step towards opening up a new export market in Hong Kong when wine writer Nelson Siu paid a flying three-day visit to the region on January 6-8.
Mr Siu is editor-in-chief and CEO of Wine.Luxe magazine, which reviews wines from all over the world, and holds an influential position in the Hong Kong market.
During his visit, Mr Siu and his multimedia producer Matthew Ma visited Taabinga Station, Kingsley Grove Estate and Crane Wines near Kingaroy, and Moffatdale Ridge Winery, Tipperary Estate and Clovely Estate at Moffatdale, as well as Clovely Estate’s winery at Murgon.
They were also guests of honour at a lunch organised by the SBWIA at Cassis Restaurant attended by South Burnett Mayor Keith Campbell and most councillors, as well as an informal evening barbecue at Barambah Station hosted by Clovely Estate co-owners Brett Heading and Dr Susan Mercer.
The visit was organised by the SBWIA and Trade and Investment Queensland (TIQ), which are both keen to see the region’s wines exported into the booming Hong Kong market.
Hong Kong now imports more than $1.8 billion in wines each year, and has become the wine hub of Asia.
Australia’s share of this market has grown from 9 per cent to almost 24 per cent in the past three years, and the China Free Trade Agreement which came into effect in December 2015 will see tariffs on imported wines drop from 14-20 per cent to zero over the next few years.
This has made Australian wines highly competitive against the European wines that currently dominate Hong Kong’s wine market, and interstate wineries have already taken advantage of this.
During the visit, Mr Siu said he had been to Australia several times already and was very familiar with wines from the Barossa Valley, Margaret River and the Yarra Valley.
But he knew almost nothing about South Burnett wines until this visit, and was surprised not only with the variety and quality on offer, but also their potentially good fit with his home market.
“You have a hot climate here that seems to be a lot like Hong Kong’s,” Mr Siu said.
“Your verdelho, in particular, would be very appropriate for us. And I am excited about some of the other varieties you’re starting to produce, which I think will do very well in the Chinese market, too.”
SBWIA president Jason Kinsella, who organised Mr Siu’s trip in conjunction with TIQ, said the visit was a vital first step in opening up trade links.
“Mr Siu holds a very influential position in the Hong Kong market, which has almost no Queensland wines available at the moment,” he said.
“But with Wellcamp Airport’s new weekly freight flights to Hong Kong, we believe it would be possible to airfreight pallets of South Burnett wines directly into this market, and there will be eager buyers for it once Hong Kong residents know more about our wines.”
Mr Kinsella said the SBWIA’s next step would be to exhibit at the HOFEX food and hospitality trade show which will be held at the Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Centre in early May this year.
The SBWIA is also organising an export-ready course for its members so they can learn how to export wines to Hong Kong, and what requirements needed to be met.
Brett Tucker, from TIQ, said Queensland seafoods from Wide Bay were already doing well in the Hong Kong market.
He was hopeful TIQ could engage a leading chef and Mr Siu for the HOFEX exhibition to showcase how well South Burnett wines paired with Queensland seafoods, whether they were cooked in European or Chinese styles.
Hopefully, this would help generate buyers in Hong Kong’s restaurant and hotel industry – the next step towards developing a long-term, stable export market for the region’s wines.
Mayor Campbell said he thought Mr Siu’s tour of the region had been a success.
“It was a fabulous opportunity to showcase not only the quality of South Burnett wines, but also to show off our region as a tourism destination,” he said.
“There’s already been expressions of interest in our region from the Chinese tourism market, and I hope Nelson’s visit helps to further that.”
The Mayor said Council was pleased to lend support to the SBWIA’s export initiative because it could open up new opportunities not only for the region’s wine producers, but also local food producers and tourism operators.
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