Winery plans Chile tie-up in China bid

MENDOZA, Argentina - The Chinese mainland market is key to Argentine wineries in their efforts to open up new markets and businesses, a winery owner said.

Alejandro Vigil, the owner as well as an oenologist and agricultural engineer, said that China is one of his "most important objectives".

The winery, El Enemigo, is situated in Cachingo near the central city of Mendoza in western Argentina.

"Chinese gastronomy is known around the world. It is one of the most important in the world. Of course we want to be there," said Vigil, whose winery cooperates with two Chinese importers now.

"We are thinking of being in Beijing in the next year," Vigil added, saying his winery will team up with other wineries from Argentina and Chile, among others, to boost its presence in China.

El Enemigo initially spread its wings in Latin America, especially in Brazil and Peru, and now has businesses outside the continent.

"We are currently in Hong Kong, as well as South Korea, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Spain, France and Britain," explained Vigil.

According to government figures, Argentina exported $1 billion of wine in 2015. Wineries are teaming up with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to boost Argentina's global market share from 3.8 percent to 5.8 percent.

In May this year, President Xi Jinping held talks with Argentine President Mauricio Macri during Macri's visit to Beijing, and the two sides agreed to further promote bilateral ties.

Xi hailed Argentina's participation in the Belt and Road Initiative and called for dovetailing it with Argentina's development strategy.

Under the initiative, China and Argentina will deepen cooperation in various industries.

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba signed a memorandum of understanding with the Argentine government in May to boost the selling of Argentine wine to China, as Chinese people are increasingly looking for overseas products.

Vigil illustrated the importance of the wine trade for the Mendoza area.

"In Mendoza, everybody has a brother or a cousin who works in the wine trade. This is an area where we breathe wine, we live wine ... It is our passion as it is our way of life," he said.

Xinhua