Lodi-Shanghai Wine and Agriculture Export Summit held

The Lodi-Shanghai Wine and Agriculture Export Summit was held at the Lodi Chamber of Commerce on Dec. 6.

The chief organizer of the event is Tie Zhang, president of the US-China Business & Culture Association, which is a bilateral U.S.-China trade organization with offices in Sacramento and Shanghai, China.

An eight-person delegation from Shanghai went to Lodi and being led by the director general of the Shanghai Wine Monopoly Management Bureau, Lu Rong Hua. The delegation also includes Ms. Hao Yan Ming, secretary general of the China (Shanghai) International Wine Expo.

Lu noted that the Chinese middle class increasingly seeks premium imported products and that Lodi wines, such as the zinfandel and tempranillo he tasted at dinner Monday night, had flavor suited to the Chinese palate.

"These types of products can be quickly embraced by Chinese consumers," Lu said.

Bob Lauchland, chairman of the Lodi-Woodbridge Winegrape Commission representing its 750 grape growers and about 80 wineries, said China poses both a great opportunity and a challenge.