WINE INDUSTRY

Ms FOX (Bright) (15:16): My question is to the Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries. As a keen drinker, I ask the minister whether he could please update the house on Wine Australia's Vintage 2011 program, which aims to promote South Australian wine?

The Hon. M.F. O'BRIEN (Napier—Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries, Minister for Forests, Minister for Energy, Minister for the Northern Suburbs) (15:16): I thank the 'keen drinker', the member for Bright, for her question. Through Wine Australia's A+ Regional Heroes program, Wine Australia has brought 100 Chinese traders, educators and some media to Australia for a hands-on experience of this year's vintage. Forty of these visitors are currently visiting South Australia's various wine regions. I formally welcomed them at a reception event held at the National Wine Centre on Sunday evening. I thank Lucy Anderson (who is now based in Hong Kong with Wine Australia and she is also a member of the South Australian Wine Industry Council) for the work she has done in bringing those 40 visitors to Adelaide.

The visitors were divided into smaller groups, with each group spending several days within one of South Australia's famous wine regions, including the Adelaide Hills, Barossa Valley, Clare Valley, Eden Valley, Coonawarra, Langhorne Creek and McLaren Vale. They are currently being hosted by leading winemakers and wineries, experiencing picking, pressing and plunging, at a time when South Australian wineries are delivering the 2011 vintage.

The 2011 vintage program has been designed to develop a new and informed generation of Chinese wine influencers, who will be able to promote premium South Australian wines to their markets in China. It will give our visitors a live experience of South Australia's regional wine, food and culture. I am pleased to say that the state government, recognising the importance of this initiative and its potential flow-on benefits to the South Australian wine industry, has contributed $70,000 towards the Vintage 2011 program.

This visit by Chinese stakeholders demonstrates that this government is working together with grape growers, wineries and the regional, state and national wine bodies to increase the awareness and increased uptake of South Australia's world-class wines. China is Australia's fastest-growing wine market. It is expected to overtake Canada as Australia's third-largest export market in the near future, and this state government-assisted initiative is not only contributing to further developing this market but also ensuring that South Australia secures the majority share of this growth.