Selling our wine to the Chinese

New Zealand wines are the way to go for a casual drinking experience. That's the message to be aired on Chinese television in 2012.

Wellington business Gibson Group is working on a TV series for the Chinese to help introduce New Zealand wines to more of the world.

The series, which will feature episodes about three Marlborough vineyards, will air on Tianjin Television some time next year, Gibson Group legal and business affairs manager Victoria Spackman said.

The vineyards were working on exporting to China or expanding their reach there by introducing the idea of a more casual wine drinking environment, she said.

"In China, wine drinking is done in more formal ways, at a banquet or a function. New Zealand wines are more suited to a more casual environment - a barbecue or picnic."

The series would also highlight the tourism and scenery around the region to encourage people to travel to New Zealand.

Ms Spackman was part of a mayoral delegation that travelled to Asia in July.

The trip was a success, with the television project under way, and connections made with a couple of museums, she said.

"We are up against other businesses, but the good thing is they [the museums] have approached us, and we've met them.

"The first project is important. Other institutions look to that and say, 'Oh, that went well, so we know what you can deliver can be successful.' The first project is the kicker."

Travelling with the mayoral group allowed those in the delegation to make ties they otherwise would have found difficult, Ms Spackman said.

"The role of mayor is very influential in China, and being with her [Celia Wade-Brown] brings kudos to us," Ms Spackman said. "We were able to meet people we otherwise wouldn't have."