1、WEST celebrates record number of Diploma graduates at aunnual awards ceremony.

Over 500 global wine and spirits professionals and industry influencers gathered at London’s historic Guildhall today to celebrate the annual Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) Awards & Graduation Ceremony – the first event in WSET’s 50th anniversary year.

Hosted by WSET Honorary President Steven Spurrier alongside Chief Executive Ian Harris, the occasion saw Sarah Jane Evans MW, last year’s WSET Outstanding Alumni Award winner, open the ceremony with a key note speech to WSET’s largest ever graduating class of Diploma candidates. 

This year 532 new WSET Diploma graduates were honoured, representing a 21% increase over last year. Graduates came from over 40 countries worldwide ranging from Chile to South Korea to Croatia. 

Among them, 63 graduates from greater China (56 last year), accounting for 12% of the total number of WSET Diploma graduates in 2019. This compares to WSET’s first ever graduation ceremony in 1970 when 84 students from the UK received their diplomas.

by WSET

2、Australian wine tariffs in China abolished

Australian wine which is exported to China, will no longer be subject to tariffs after the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) saw them abolished on 1 January 2019.

The FTA has been in place since December 2015 and in that time the level of tariff on wine has been gradually reduced. The Minister for Agriculture, David Littleproud, said that the FTA between Australia and China had pushed significant growth in exports to China over the last 12 months.

Wine exports have continued to increase, with China now the largest export market by volume for Australian wine. There have also been significant increases in the level of beef, dairy and fruit exports to China.

“Tariffs our on our farm produce going into China will be largely eliminated on January 1,” Minister Littleproud said.

“Key exports including wine, most fruit and vegetables, seafood and some dairy will no longer cop a tariff in China, which means our produce will be more affordable for Chinese consumers.”

With zero tariffs now in place and the popularity of Australian wine increasing year on year in China, the market is now a huge opportunity for Australian wine producers. With producers needing to look at whether they have the capabilities to succeed in the market, the Wine Communicators of Australia, along with key decision makers and influencers in the marketing communication space is launching an exciting new platform to build the necessary capabilities needed for Australia’s key wine growth market, China.                                   

www.theshout.com.au by Andy Young、

3、China ranks 3rd for Georgia's wine exports in 2018

Georgia exported a record amount of 86.2 million bottles of wine to 53 countries in 2018, with Russia, Ukraine and China ranking as the top three destinations, the Georgian National Wine Agency has said.

Georgia generated about 203 million U.S. dollars from the sale of wine abroad in 2018, the agency said in a statement on Friday, stressing that the volume of exports increased by 13 percent while the revenue increased by 20 percent from 2017.

The three top wine importers Russia, Ukraine and China purchased 53.6 million bottles, 10.6 million bottles and 6.95 million bottles respectively from Georgia in 2018, according to the agency.

Local wine makers said they especially have high expectation on the growing wine imports of China, which is a notable impetus for the rapid increase of Georgian wine exports in the future.

With border opening-up to the world and continuing growing of China's economy, China will even become Georgia's largest wine export destination in the near future, said Georgian analysts.

Xinhua by Xinhua 07/01/2019

4、Climate change is turning China into wine country

Environmental conditions are crucial for all agriculture but particularly so for wine-making. Temperature, sunlight and precipitation all impact grape quality. As climate change affects the industry worldwide, northern China may be set to benefit.

landrovermena, CC BY-SA 2.0 via IFPRI Flick

In fact, wine consumption is growing faster in China than anywhere else in the world. As of 2017, China was the seventh largest wine producer, the fifth largest wine market and the second largest grape-grower. 

In the early 1950s, China planted 3,200 hectares of grapes. By 2016 that area had expanded to 847,000 hectares. The growth, and the development of the wine industry in general, have been aided by technological advances. Climate change is another, often overlooked contributing factor.

According to the latest analysis from the Chinese Meteorological Administration, average temperatures in China have risen 0.5-0.8C in the last century, making it possible to cultivate wine grapes 100-160 kilometres further north. The zones suitable for wine grape cultivation have been creeping into China’s north-west and north-east.