U.S. exports to China increase

China is developing quite a taste for wine, and looking to the United States for supplies.

In the last five years, China's consumption of American wines has increased fourfold to 6.26 million liters in 2009, according to USA Today.

China's demand for the product is increasing rapidly, causing U.S. winemakers to focus more on exports. Traditionally, demand for wine in the United States has been sufficiently high that most sales were domestic.

But the Chinese interest has caused winemakers and enterprising business people to seize the opportunity of supplying a growing market. Some entrepreneurs are selling bottled wine overseas, others are commissioning bulk wine to bottle in China.

At the same time, some Chinese businessmen are looking to buy vineyards in California's Napa Valley. Recently a group of Chinese investors purchased a vineyard there for $6 million.

That is seen as the beginning of a trend, and one California real estate agent has started an agency to serve Asian clients, particularly those from China and Hong Kong.

California accounts for 90 percent of the U.S. wine exports overseas. Other states such as Washington are positioning themselves for wine exports as well.

"China is a tremendous opportunity," said Linsey Gallagher, director of international marketing for Wine Institute, an advocacy group for the California wine industry.

U.S. wine exports dropped 9.5 percent to $912 million in 2009. But exports to China and Hong Kong are increasing in spite of a tough economy.

Perhaps the Chinese would appreciate New York wines as well.