'Sunshine in a bottle'

As the world's fourth-largest wine exporter, Australia sells more than 400 million liters of wine a year to international markets, including major wine-producing countries France, Italy and Spain, as well as more than 100 other countries.

Just six years after its listing on the Australian Stock Exchange, one Australian winemaker is keen to share its much-loved wines with the world.

Located outside Tanunda in the famed Barossa Valley of South Australia, Cockatoo Ridge Wines has acquired a reputation for high quality wines produced from its own vineyards and grapes from top growers across the country.

The leading producer of quality wine in the country has capitalized on its Australian identity to expand globally and increase its share in markets including China.

"Our first shipment to China was in 2002 but our most significant shipment has been in the last 12 months," said Managing Director Peter Perrin. The company attributes its success to its variously priced products.

While packaging bulk exports of Cockatoo Ridge wine in China helps achieve competitive prices, the main driving force of the significant trade growth has been the company's own brand wines, which include Norman's, a 150-year-old premium red wine, and Kingsland Estate, an exclusive label for a Chinese importer bottled in Australia.

"These products at different price levels will support our growth in China across all levels of our production and I expect China to possibly be the largest export market for our company in the next few years," Perrin said.

"We like to say Australian wine is 'sunshine in a bottle' with its good fruity character and Cockatoo Ridge Wine very much adheres to that. We want to be seen as a producer of high quality premium wine" he added.

www.cockatooridge.com.au

(China Daily 08/07/2008 page42)