Latest Wine News

● Lafite: Chinese vineyard was considered 15 years ago
Following the announcement of its new Chinese estate, the head of Domaines Baron Rothschild (DBR) has told decanter.com the company had been considering a move to the country for 15 years. Christophe Salin, the CEO of DBR, said their first dossier on China was started 'around 15 years ago'. Talks with the Chinese had started in earnest in 2006. ….. Although he was reluctant to state which varieties would be planted on the 25ha estate, he was adamant they would be red……. 'It will be our style, adapted to local conditions,' he said.
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● Small Napa company works to build ties in China, world’s largest emerging wine market
By David Stoneberg
STAFF WRITER
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Years from now, Dan and Marguerite Capp may look back and say they made history. The two Wooden Valley grapegrowers are working to bring premium wines from small Napa Valley producers to the biggest market in the world: China…….After researching the market in China, the Capps and Stevens formed a company, California-Asia Wine Exchange LLC. The company’s mission is to represent small Napa Valley wineries in China, a market dominated by several large distributors. Marguerite Capp said, “The Chinese market is potentially the largest market for wine sales in the world. It’s virtually untapped and wine is being presented by their government as a health food. The reason for that is that it is a health food, particularly in stark contrast to the clear liquor usually drunk during banquets. The French, the Australians, the Chileans, the Italians, the Spanish are all in China and the Californians are mostly under-represented. We want to help change that.”…… [ more details... ]

● Fury at EU rosé wine plans
March 16, 2009
Winemakers in France are fuming over EU plans to allow producers to make rosé wine by mixing red and white together. Producers say it is sacrilege to simply blend the two together rather than using the specialist technique of leaving the crushed red grapes to soak with macerating white grapes. But the European Commission believes that the method is holding back French, Spanish and Italian producers in new markets such as China……
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● US wine exports break $1bn
US wine exports exceeded $1bn in 2008, helped by huge increases in shipments to Hong Kong and China. Nearly 55m cases of wine – 90% of it from California – were shipped last year, up 8% on 2007. By value, exports rose 6% to $1.01bn (£782,877,047,915) according to US Department of Commerce figures. Exports to the European Union, up 2% by value and 9% by volume, accounted for more than half of export volumes, but the biggest growth came in Asia……
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● Yarraman Winery announces merger with Asia Distribution Solutions
Yarraman Winery, an Australian wine company, has announced that it will acquire Asia Distribution Solutions, a distributor of wine and spirits in China. After completion of the acquisition, Yarraman intends to change its name to Global Beverages Asia. According to Yarraman Winery, the stock acquisition of Asia Distribution Solutions (ADSL) has been accepted by more than 90% of ADSL's shareholders and the acquisition is expected to close soon…….
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● Australian sales at 15-year low
Sales of Australian wine are taking a battering at home and internationally, with exports being hardest hit.
Reasons for the downturn have been identified as oversupply, the global financial crisis, and until recently the strength of the Australian dollar.
Winemakers' Federation of Australia CEO Stephen Strachan said oversupply had led to price wars in major markets, especially the UK…….Strachan said that the only bright spot in the export figures was a 32.2% growth in value of sales to China, a result of less bulk sales and more bottled sales, making it the fifth most valuable market, the average price a litre jumping 58.2% to AUS$4.92.
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● Record Sale: on Christmas Eve, a Chinese Passenger Shattered the Sales Record of Aéroports de Paris Shops with a 46, 428 Euros Purchase
On Christmas Eve, a Chinese passenger flying to Beijing from Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport spent a record 46, 423 euros in a duty-free shop of Terminal 2E (la Galerie Parisienne)! The passenger bought several grand cru French wines including:
- two Burgundy wine bottles: a 1991 La Tâche Jeroboam costing 19, 990 euros and a 2002 Romanée Conti (4, 950€).
- Several Bordeaux wines including a 1947 Lafite Rothschild (9, 000€), a 1986 Pétrus double magnum bottle (8, 200€), a 1982 Vieux Certan (390€), two Château Palmer magnum 1994 (279€), a 1982 Château Margaux (1900€), a 1976 Château Latour (890€), and a 1958 Haut Brion (550€).
"The sale took place in two phases : a first purchase of 43, 088 euros, then the passenger came back after a few minutes of reflection and bought three other bottles for the sum of 3,340 euros" declared Lynda Chong, a salesperson in terminal 2 E duty-free shop……
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● Regal Life Adds Wine Industry Veteran to Advisory Board
Regal Life Concepts, Inc. (OTCBB: RGLC) is pleased to announce that it has added Terry C. Moran to the Company's Advisory Board. Mr. Moran will assist Regal Life and its pending portfolio investment company, Awa Wine Co. Ltd., in the overview and oversight of marketing strategy, branding and in identifying premium wine brands for distribution through the growing Awa Wine distribution network in Asia…...Terry Moran commented: "It is indeed a pleasure to join the Regal Life advisory board as I see tremendous opportunity in the emerging wine import business in China. The Awa Wine distribution and wine club membership concept is very impressive. I believe the Awa business model presents great opportunities for scaling up its operations quickly and that the company will soon become widely known as an innovator in the premium wine import business in China."…
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● Castel doubles wine sales in China
The Castel Group, France's largest wine producer, has doubled its wine sales in China. Active in China since 1998, Castel saw its sales volume reach 5.5m bottles in 2008, double that of 2007. The company expects a further rise of 18%, or 6.5m bottles, in 2009……'The results have shown a sharp progression over the past two years, but it's a result of 10 years' hard work,' Castel's marketing director, Franck Crouzet, told decanter.com…
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● Golden Dragon Holdings, Inc. Signs Exclusive Distribution Agreement With Bodegas Regalía de Ollauri
Golden Dragon Holdings, Inc. (PINKSHEETS: GDHI) www.gdfbhk.com , reports that the company has just signed an exclusive agreement to distribute wines into China from the renowned Spanish winery Bodegas Regalía de Ollauri…….Mr. Cuenca, President, states, "We are delighted in representing such fine wines from the Rioja region of Spain. Their award-winning Crianza from Marquez de Teran and Tempranillo from Azento are exceptional wines that come from the Bodegas Regalía de Ollauri."…
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● Italy's winemakers see China as new top destination
Only a couple of years ago producers from Tuscany, the wine heart of Italy, used to say China was not mature enough to embrace their top quality labels.
Now, with recession hovering over their main markets in Europe and the United States, makers of premium Italian wines are turning to China where wine is becoming increasingly popular and the newly rich easily splash out on a top-price bottle……The French and other major wine producers have been faster than Italians in realizing the huge growth potential of the Chinese market. The competition is fierce for carving out market niches, Mugnaioli said…
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● Legacy imports Californian wine to China
Legacy Wine and Spirits International has forged an alliance with Bronco Wine, a private grape grower with ownership of 17,000 hectares of wine grapes and five Californian wineries. Legacy is importing 750ml bottled wines in several varietals of Bronco Winery's Hacienda Cellars brand from Sonoma County, California to China……
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● China imports more wine on high demand
China's wine import continued to grow in the first five months of this year, thanks largely to tariff-cuts, strong demand at home and high profits for dealers, according to the General Administration of Customs. ……The arrivals were valued at $310 million, up 49.1 percent. Foreign-funded companies made up 64.4 percent, or 54.71 million liters, of the total arrivals, up 9.9 percent, and private businesses accounted for 16.7 percent, or 14.18 million liters, up 16.7 percent……. was bought from Argentina, up 21 times, and 27.69 million liters from the European Union, up 17.9 percent.
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● Australia targets China's wine lovers.
Win for Australian wine exporters as China has become the top export destination for Australian bottled wine in Asia. The Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation (AWBC) in partnership with Austrade have made a major investment in the burgeoning but embryonic Chinese wine market. ……In June 2007, the People's Republic of China became the top export destination for Australian bottled wine in Asia, and the AWBC forecast that this demand will continue to grow with the estimated total market size reaching just over one billion litres by 2011/12.
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● Olympics give celebrity chefs a taste for Beijing
The compound, built in 1903, also houses Japanese restaurant Shiro Matsui, run by Hong Kong restaurateur David Yeo, and Sadler, with two Michelin-star Italian chef Claudio Sadler…….By 2011, Chinese drinkers are expected to drink more than 1.1 billion bottles of wine, double the figure of 2007, according to a study by the International Wine and Spirit Record in London……."I don't think as a French chef I should try to turn Chinese tomorrow just to make everybody happy. Asian people are well aware of what good dining is now," said Boulud.
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● China nouveau riche get taste of fine wine investing
SHANGHAI (Reuters Life!) - Well-heeled Chinese can now invest in fine wines via the mainland's first "wine futures", but the vintages on offer are from aspiring local vineyards rather than rare Bordeaux labels……."Chinese consumers are richer and have become more picky about the quality of wine, so the value in good wine will keep rising," said Wang Yiguo, food industry analyst at China Jianyin Investment Securities……
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●  Young Shanghai billionaire soaks up Napa Cabernet
ST. HELENA, California (Reuters Life!) - In Napa Valley, the most hallowed of America's wine regions, a young Shanghai billionaire has tongues wagging.
David Li, 32, was the top bidder at last weekend's Auction Napa Valley, one of the biggest charity wine auctions in the United States, dethroning the big bidders from Silicon Valley. Li told Reuters that he spent "a little bit" at Saturday's live auction, but wouldn't elaborate…….He spent $500,000 for the Screaming Eagle lot of six magnum bottles of 1992 Cabernet Sauvignon, the first vintage, donated by the cult boutique winery of the same name…….Only 225 cases were made of that first vintage of Screaming Eagle and it earned cult status when wine critic Robert Parker gave it 99 points out of 100.
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● Record $500,000 paid for 27 bottles of red wine
While the global credit crunch has forced many consumers to rein in spending, one Beijing-based billionaire has splashed out a record $500,000 on 27 bottles of red wine, London-based Antique Wine Company said on Saturday. The client bought 12 bottles of Romanee Conti 1978, two bottles of the 1961, 1966, 1996 and 2003 and single bottles of the 1981, 1990, 1992, 1995, 1999, 2001 and 2002…….
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● Chinese in Bordeaux buying for the Olympics
Chinese buyers are in Bordeaux this month sourcing wine to drink during the 2008 Beijing Olympics…….'We are looking to buy twice as much en primeur as last year, to meet higher long-term demand,' she said. 'But we are also looking for ready-to-deliver wines to cater for the greater demand that the Olympics are creating.'….The Chinese market entered into top 10 for Bordeaux exports for the first time in 2007 with an increase of 82% in volume over 2006 and 158% in value of 45m….
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● Shanghai Whites
With new wine bars, retailers, and clubs, Shanghai is leading Chinese tastes in wine.…..The growth of wine consumption has partly been encouraged by relaxed restrictions on wine licenses and a gradual drop in the consumption tax. Several factors put Shanghai in the lead among Chinese cities when it comes to wine: its high concentration of foreign expatriates, its average per-capita income ($8,130 in Shanghai versus $1,970 nationally in 2006), and the fact that it is a major port: Shanghai is the landing point for close to half of all wines imported to China….
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● Chinese lay down roots as new wine growers of Bordeaux
THE chateau's walled courtyard under the gracefully decaying 15th-century tower and the irregular pond shaped like a kidney caught Haiyan Cheng's eye……..Zuochang Cheng's huge trading conglomerate already imports wines to China from Australia, Italy and South Africa. With the chateau, however, the family was buying respectability……."It's a good thing. The Chinese being here is good publicity for Bordeaux."…….
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● Wine lovers show passion for French
A growing number of middle class Chinese are discovering a taste for French wine, with sales experiencing triple-digit growth last year, trade figures have shown.
Sales of French wine grew 145 percent last year, the French Federation of Wine and Spirits Exporters said on Wednesday…….Chinese tipplers spent almost 247 million euros ($364 million) on French wines and spirits last year, making the country the 11th-largest market by value.
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● French wine: China does Bordeaux
Although climate change might be having a negative affect on wine, France still managed to come out on top for 2007. The land of wine and cheese saw record scores for exports, $13.8 billion to be exact. Where were the big buyers? China…….China purchased a whole $364 million worth of French wines, cognac and other spirits, encouraging us to ask, is China going à la francaise? The country's growing middle class discovering the delights of wine has made China France's 11th largest market. And the Chinese aren't just sitting at home sipping on Bordeaux; many are investing in French vineyards.
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● China's Kweichow Moutai raises liquor prices
Kweichow Moutai Co, one of China's top makers of traditional Chinese liquor, said it has raised producer prices by an average of 20 percent since Friday. …"The price adjustment will have a positive impact on our company's annual earnings," Kweichow Moutai said in a statement at the weekend, which was seen by Reuters on Monday….
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● Moutai, Uni-President mull China acquisition
SHANGHAI, Jan 3 (Reuters) - China's top traditional spirit maker, Kweichow Moutai, is approaching a bankrupt domestic rival in a potential acquisition deal that could be worth $25 million, a wine association official said on Thursday…….Diageo Plc, the world's biggest alcoholic drinks group, Pernod Richard and LVMH, maker of Hennessy, have all bought stakes in Chinese traditional spirit companies…….
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● Were Chinese first to make wine?
Neolithic people in China may have been the first in the world to make wine, according to scientists who have found the earliest evidence of winemaking from pottery shards dating from 7,000 BC in northern China…….Previously the oldest evidence of fermented beverages was dated to 5400 B.C. and was found at the Neolithic site of Hajji Firuz Tepe, in Iran…….
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● China takes its place in wine world atlas
The names of the great wine regions roll off the tongue: Bordeaux, Burgundy and... Yongning. The map of the world's most renowned wine-producing areas has been officially redrawn this weekend to include countries such as China, India, Georgia, Canada, New Mexico and Belgium…
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● NSW wine exports target middle class Chinese
New South Wales winegrowers are among the faster growing exporters of wine to China, according to State Government figures.
Wine exports to China have increased by 260 per cent in the past year…
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● China develops taste for Aussie wine
China has now outstripped Japan as the number one destination of Australian wine. The latest statistics show China's thirst for Australian red wine has more than doubled over the past year to 7 million litres…
The Wine and Brandy Corporation says there has been a rise of 140 per cent in bottled red wine sales…
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● Fruit of the Vine
Wine consumption in China has grown rapidly in recent years, leading to fierce competition between Chinese wine producers and their foreign rivals…
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● The Great Wall of Wine
China plans to enter the world wine market. Should Napa be nervous?
Some Chinese grape wine producers, such as Lou Lan and Dynasty, have partnered with foreign wine firms or consultants to develop better wines. And with production costs so low, several Chinese brands are trying to sell wine here in the United States, including Chang Yu, Dynasty, Suntime, Great Wall, Grace Vineyards and Huadong…
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● China 'huge but possible' for wine importers, conference hears
The Chinese could be drinking as many as 50m cases a year by 2017?and the market is not nearly as daunting as we think.…Speaking at a Decanter seminar entitled 'How to be successful in China - presenting the facts, exploding the myths, and profiling the new consumer' at the London International Wine and Spirits Fair yesterday, an expert panel said the current 2.3m-case market is expanding …
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● What kind of wine goes with Chinese food? How about Chinese wine?
Still, the Chinese are trying to put on party hats, according to a story in The People's Daily: "Chinese people often say: 'If there's no alcohol, it can't be called a banquet because alcohol makes for a cheerful atmosphere'." …… French winemaker Jerome Sabate says growing conditions are similar to those in central and northern France. He says he uses French vines, state-of-the-art equipment and French and American oak barrels to make pinot noir, merlot, cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, riesling and an all-chardonnay blanc de blancs style sparkling wine …
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● China's newly rich developing taste for fine wine
BMWs and Gucci handbags are already firm favorites among China's emerging class of newly rich. Now, fine wines are becoming the latest symbol of luxury …"Probably the fastest growing part of our business is the premium wine end, in particular Bordeaux first growths from the five great chateaux," he said. "It's just booming unbelievably. So our biggest challenge is having enough wine here to supply the demand," St. Pierre added …
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● American wine producers 'ignorant' of Chinese culture
Adam Lechmere in Napa - Americans must gain a far greater understanding of Chinese cuisine and culture before they can make inroads into its wine market, a conference heard yesterday … She stressed that China's 1.5bn population and its 'thriving, pounding' eating culture, was already embracing wine as a drink of choice. 'In Shanghai, every other day there is a restaurant featuring a wine region.' …
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● Chinese tourist in 23,000 euro duty-free wine spree
A Chinese man bought carry-on wine and spirits worth a record 23,000 euros (15,600 pounds) at Paris airport's duty-free shop -- including a bottle of 1806 cognac that might have slipped through the fingers of Emperor Napoleon … "Recently we got a collection of rare wines, but it's the first time I've seen a sale like this," said Chong, who has been serving hurried travellers at duty-free firm Aelia for 20 years …
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● TPG fund makes first China investment: Yunnan Wine
A growth fund managed by the Texas Pacific Group [TPG.UL] has made its first investment in China, a $14 million stake in Yunnan Red Winery, underscoring growing private equity investment in the world's fourth-largest economy …Yunnan Red is the largest single wine brand in southwestern China, TPG said …
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● Senior Chinese official visits winery in Chile
Senior Chinese official Wu Guanzheng on Saturday visited a winery and grape plantation in Chile … Wu, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC), was warmly greeted by Ricardo Claro, Board Chairman of the CSAV Company, a shipbuilding giant in South America, and owner of the plantation and winery …
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● Italian companies zero in on the Chinese market
"The faster China's economy rises, the more Italian companies will follow the trend of investing here," Antonino Laspina, trade commissioner with the Italian Trade Commission (ITC), told China Daily in Beijing … He predicted "tremendous growth of investment from fashion sectors into China like wine, furniture, food, clothes and shoes" …
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● Exports of French wine and spirits climb
Exports of French wine and spirits were up a record 12.9% in 2006 .The figures, announced this week by the FEVS, show the total value of exports was €8.74bn, up 12.9% on 2005…Exports to China showed the biggest single increase at 44.8%, a total of €101m …
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● EU study sees China opportunities
China holds out enormous opportunities for European exporters of green technology, high-value goods and business services, a European Union study said on Tuesday …
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● World-class wine label pressing magnate aims Chinese market
Recently, Nigel Vinecombe, president of the largest wine label pressing group-Collotypr Labels, along with his managers Brenton Barrett and Bridgit Peng paid a visit to China and performed a big interest in Chinese wine market …
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● Aussie wine exports reach record levels
Australian wine exports reached record volume and value levels in the 12 months to the end of January... China was a primary factor in the overall value and volume growth, the corporation's information and analysis manager Lawrie Stanford said …
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● Study: Wine sales to grow 5% by 2010
Russia and China will also are keys to growth, Beynat said. He estimated that only between 50 million and 100 million people currently drink wine at all in China but it will enter the top 10 markets by 2010, particularly as the local industry gets off the ground …
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● Wine In Fashion In China
"More and more Chinese drink wines because it's fashionable and a kind of social status," said Zhou Ning, market strategy manager of a Beijing-based real estate company whose ads often feature young couples drinking wine or beautiful women lounging with a glass of wine …
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● U.S. Wine Exports, 95 Percent from California, Jump 30 Percent to $876 Million in 2006
U.S. wine exports, 95 percent from California, totaled $876 million and 404.5 million liters in 2006, an increase of 30 percent in value and 4.0 percent in volume compared to 2005. "China's increased growth rate is significant because of the market's huge potential the country's economic growth and the numbers of consumers who can afford imported wine continue to grow. …and our participation in trade shows and retail promotions have been successful in increasing the sales of brands active in China," said Eric Pope, Wine Institute Manager of International Winery Programs …
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● French Vintners Woo China’s Nouveau Riche
Last year, Yan Xin tasted wine for the first time in her life - not any wine, but a $700 bottle of 2005 Cheval Blanc from this fabled village near Bordeaux. "It was fruity and the alcohol wasn't too strong," says the 26-year-old from the Chinese coastal province of Jiangsu …
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● Wine Evolution Reportback - Industry advised to stop talking hectolitres and start talking money
Continuing downward price pressure in the global wine industry was the first item on the agenda at the annual Wine Evolution gathering in Paris last week …
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● Australian wine exports at record levels in 2006
Australia' s wine export for 2006 reached record levels thanks to markets like China and Sweden, said the Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation in a report released on Monday …
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● Portugal and China sign agreements valued at 21 million euros
Chinese and Portuguese companies Wednesday in Beijing during the Portugal-China Forum for Economic and Business Cooperation, four agreements of a total value of 21.5 million euros …
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● China: Urban Consumption of Imported Wine Surges
"More and more Chinese drink wines, because it's fashionable and a kind of social status," said Zhou Ning, market strategy manager of a Beijing-based real estate company whose ads often feature young couples drinking wine or beautiful women lounging with a glass of wine …
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● For China's Newly Affluent, Imported Wine Is De Rigueur
Citing data from China' s customs bureau, the Shanghai Daily newspaper recently reported that wine imports surged by 91 percent in the first nine months of 2006. According to industry experts at a conference in Beijing this month, consumption of wine rose 13 percent between 2004 and 2005, to about 564 million bottles …
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● China-EU trade hits $272.3bn, up 25.3%
The trade volume between China and the European Union has shot up 25.3% to hit US$272.3 billion, the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) has announced …
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● China's economy still sizzling
China' s economy recorded faster-than-expected growth for the whole of last year, despite the government's belt-tightening policy to cool it down …
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● New Zealand winemakers eye Shanghai
New Zealand winemakers are joining forces to launch an assault on the Asian palate, with the latest trade mission targeting Shanghai as a lucrative new market …
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● China's taste for wine grows
China is on its way to becoming the world's fastest-growing wine market with growth in consumption seen far outstripping global rates, a study released Tuesday said …
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● The Mediterranean Diet Export is Booming
Coldiretti reports that there has been a 6% increase in the exports of typical Italian products pertaining to the Mediterranean diet, including wine, oil and pasta, which are being bought in record amounts for over €20 billion of value in 2006…Despite the fact that the absolute value of imports still fairly low, China resulted one of the most important new markets …
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