Wine heading to China

''The co-operative will be of enormous economic value to small wineries which have been hit hard by declining wine tourism,'' co-operative chairman, John Higgins, said.

He said the cooperative will provide a new market for independent grape growers, many of whom face uncertainty over future contracts.

Carolyn Bertuch from Mt Cole Wineworks in Warrak said the co-operative provides a great opportunity for people to work together to promote the area.

''We're particularly lucky to have had so much of the work done for us already,'' she said.

''It's a lift for a smaller vineyard. It's all looking very promising.''

Mr Higgins said the creation of the wine co-operative is remarkable for several reasons.

''Unlike most new business ventures which hope to carve out a niche in the marketplace, Ararat Rural City and NMIT already had developed that market,'' he said.

''The customer is there, ready and waiting for us to deliver the product. And, most remarkable of all, that market is for high quality table wine, at a price point close to what we could obtain on the domestic market.''

The project will further cement trade ties between Ararat and China's Guangdong province,

''The Ararat/NMIT venture into China has brought to the fore that the Chinese are looking for rich, fruit-driven wines, predominantly from Shiraz grapes, for which the Grampians and Pyrenees regions are famed,'' Mr Higgins said.

''They are looking for wines which are well made, fault free and properly oaked. They are looking for our quality product in preference to lesser, bulk-style wines from irrigation regions.''

The venture will also allow NMIT to commission its winery in Ararat and to turn it into a fully operational educational facility.

Associate director of NMIT's Faculty of Earth Sciences, Wayne Pappin, said NMIT's Aradale facilities will provide smaller growers and wineries with the opportunity to pool their resources and to take advantage of a major export opportunity.

''This will give them more security than they've had in the past and in years to come we expect there will be more opportunities for NMIT students and graduates of our viticulture programs,'' he said.

The Grampians-Pyrenees co-operative involves nine wineries: Eurabbie Estate, Avoca; Clayfield Wines, Moyston; The Ludvigsen Partnership, Great Western; Michael Unwin Wines, Beaufort; Mount Cole Wineworks, Warrak; NSP Winery, Armstrong; Chandler's Vineyard, Redbank; Concongella Vineyards and NMIT, Ararat.