Exporting Washington Wines

Exporting Washington Wines

I’m Lacy Gray with Washington Ag Today.

The Hong Kong Trade Development Council has been very aggressive in working with western U.S. states, especially Washington, in importing agricultural products and other goods into Hong Kong. One of those items is Washington wines. Duane Wollmuth with the Walla Walla Wine Alliance.

WOLLMUTH: They have a big wine trade show there in Hong Kong in November each year, a wine and spirits show, and they’re reaching out to Washington wineries, and in this case Walla Walla wineries to get them to attend that show - and if they’re not already exporting into Hong Kong, to try to get them to do so.

During their recent visit with the Walla Walla Wine Alliance Chinese trade officials discussed some of their programs and what’s available to the wineries to export into their country, as the Hong Kong marketplace along with mainland China has really opened up in recent years. Wollmuth explains.

WOLLMUTH: Many of our wineries here in Walla Walla are still very small and basically don’t even sell wholesale outside of the Pacific Northwest or even the state of Washington because of the size of their production, but for the top fifteen or so wineries here in the valley that distribute throughout the U.S. and to some degree internationally there’s big challenges with international sales - there’s a big investment on the part of the wineries. Many countries around the world have added tariffs that are charged to bring the wine into those countries. So, the steps that Hong Kong has taken in breaking down those tariffs and also some of the logistical things have really moved them up on the priority list in terms of international distribution - and an attractive market for not only wineries in Walla Walla, but also the state of Washington.

 

I’m Lacy Gray and that’s Washington Ag Today on the Ag Information Network.