China is Australia's largest export market for wine over $10 a litre

''China is Australia's largest export market for wine over $10 a litre,'' says Lucy Anderson Wine Australia's director for Asia. ''It surprises people every time I tell them,'' she says.

According to the June export data released by Wine Australia, Chinese imports in the $10-plus category almost equalled that of the US and British markets combined.

This figure does not include Hong Kong which managed to import more wine in this price bracket than the entire British market.

More importantly, most of the growth for China came in the $20 to $50 price bracket which more than doubled from June last year.

Wine Australia, the Australian government sponsored promoter, is responding to these changes. Anderson moved office from Adelaide to Hong Kong last year and now employs three staff in China.