Trade mission targets China gold

Rymill Coonawarra winemaker John Innes will leave Australia tomorrow to join 11 other small business owners on a trade mission aimed at breaking into the multi-billion dollar booming Chinese economy.

The business owners were winners of a four-day trip to Beijing in Telstra's national "Win Business Gold In China" competition.

The family-owned Old Penola Pastoral Company, selling under the Rymill Coonawarra brand since 1974, exports to many countries, including China.

While China may lack the wine drinking culture of France or Australia, consumption per head in China has doubled in the last five years.

Australia's wine exports to China have grown by 482pc to 11.75 million litres in the year leading into 2007.

Rymill has been establishing a presence in China for the past two years and as an established brand with strong distribution models, their export sales are currently 40pc of total sales revenue.

China is now the winerys' major export focus, with a Rymill warehouse and corporate facility established in Canton.

Rymill also exports to the UK, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong.