Midwest Wine Press

Chinese Wine Buyers Tour Iowa

by · October 26, 2012

Jasper Winery in Des Moines hosted a reception for a delegation of Chinese wine buyers on October 23rd.

This week, a delegation of seven wine buyers from China toured Iowa vineyards and wineries. Among the locations that the Chinese visited were Tassel Ridge Winery,  Summerset Winery, Jasper Winery and North River Valley Vineyard. The USDA Foreign Ag Service Cochran Program, working with the State of Iowa, helped arrange and host the Chinese wine buyers.

“Iowa is a brand name in China,” according to Mike White at Iowa State University.  “They respect our quality when it comes to Iowa pork and corn so it makes sense to have our Chinese friends get to know our wine industry better.”

White said the Chinese delegation also visited the wine lab at Iowa State University (ISU) and learned about the Iowa Quality Wine Consortium that is managed by ISU. “They were very impressed with our quality wine program,” White said.

According to White, the Iowa wine industry is now considering whether to participate in the 2013 China National Food Wine and Spirits Show in Chengdu. White said the Chinese wine market is “exploding” and the world’s most populous country is now an active importer of wine from many of the world’s top wine producing regions.

Separately, Midwest Wine Press has learned from several unconfirmed sources that the Chinese are interested in planting cold climate grapes that have been developed and licensed by public and private Midwestern breeders.

 

 

 

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Mark Ganchiff

Mark Ganchiff is the publisher of Midwest Wine Press, the leading source of news on the growing wine industry in the central United States. Mark has been a wine judge at the 2012 and 2014 INDY International Wine Competition, the 2014 Cold Climate Wine Competition, the 2013 Mid-American Wine Competition, the 2012 Illinois State Fair Wine Competition and the 2013 Michigan Wine Competition. He also enjoys speaking at wine events including the Cold Climate Wine Conference, the Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Association Annual Meeting, the Midwest Grape and Wine Conference and the Wisconsin Fruit and Vegetable Conference. Mark's articles about regional wine have appeared in Vineyard & Winery Management, WineMaker and several regional magazines. Mark is a Level One Sommelier in the Court of Master Sommeliers. He lives in Louisville, but also has a residence in Chicago.

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