Chile, it seems, could be another gap filler for Australian wine in the Chinese market. According to various reports, exports from the South American growing country have increased significantly in the first quarter of this year, by 40.6 percent. This is not only true in the wine sector. According to data from the Chilean customs authorities, all exports to China have increased by 40 percent compared to the same period last year. The latest data from the Chinese customs authorities put the amount of imported Chilean wine at 15.8 million litres.
The background to this development is China's trade dispute with Australia. Due to the tariffs of up to 218 percent on Australian wine, virtually no Australian wine is sold in China anymore. But the demand remains, of course, and so China seems to have looked elsewhere – and has probably found what it was looking for in Chile.
It was already reported last week that France has now become the number one importing country in China, previously occupied by Australia. Now Chile's producers are also benefiting from the trade dispute between China and Australia. For example, Chile's largest producer, Concha y Toro, reports a 128 percent increase in its sales to China. aw
