Wine and ag export summit set for Tuesday

Exporting wines and agricultural products from the Lodi region of the Central Valley to Shanghai will be the topic of an export summit scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 6 in Lodi.

The chief organizer of the event is Tie Zhang, president of the US-China Business and Culture Association, which is a bilateral U.S.-China trade organization with offices in Sacramento and Shanghai, China. An eight-person delegation from Shanghai is coming to Lodi and is to be led by Shanghai Wine Monopoly Management Bureau Director General Lu Rong Hua.

“We choose to hold this summit in Lodi for a variety of reasons, including strong personal and business relationships, and because Lodi has ultra-high quality wines, medium prices and superior consistency and volume,” says Mr. Tie. “Our extensive research has revealed that no other appellation in the United States is better suited for the Chinese market, which is the fastest growing imported wine market in the world.”

Lodi is the largest growing winegrape region in California, growing more winegrapes than Napa and Sonoma combined, according to Lodi Chamber of Commerce CEO Pat Patrick. “It only makes sense to marry the largest appellation with the fastest growing imported wine market in the world,” Mr. Patrick says.

The delegation will hear overviews of the Lodi region’s agricultural export capabilities highlighting wine, cherries, walnuts, almonds and olive oil. After the presentations some area wineries currently exporting to China will have an informal working lunch with the delegation to discuss growing the export volumes from the Lodi area through Shanghai.