California to lead wine education in China

As newly affluent Chinese have become consumers of vintage wines, California vineyards are not only eager to tap into that demand, they're also eager to get a foothold in the fine wine market in China.

Family Wine makers of California, a trade association of more than 500 family-owned wineries, and Stonebridge Research Group, a major research firm for the wine industry, have been awarded a $369,292 grant from the US Department of Agriculture to help sell California fine wines in China.

"Most of the wine producers in California are small, family-owned producers of handcrafted, fine wines - some of the finest wines in the world," said Barbara Insel, president of Stonebridge. "Many wine consumers in China are not aware of these wines, of their history, exceptional quality or the people who have devoted their lives to making them. That's what we're trying to change."

She added that Stonebridge wants to "help Chinese wine consumers, and those who import and sell wine, to learn about experience and appreciate the fine wines from our family producers."

As leader of the project, Insel recently spent four weeks traveling across China. "We have completed our draft assessment and are awaiting approval by the USDA to proceed with specific plans for the next phase of the project, to be executed in the winter," she said.

The initiative is part of the Emerging Markets Program, which was launched by the USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service and "helps US organizations promote exports of US agricultural products to countries that have - or are developing - market-oriented economies and have the potential to be viable commercial markets," said Ellen Dougherty, deputy director of public affairs at the USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service.

Total US wine exports - 90 percent of which come from California - reached a record $1.43 billion last year, up 2.6 percent year-on-year.