China gets a taste for Valencia wines

A TOTAL of 31 wineries from the Valencia region represented Spain in the prestigious German Prowein Exhibition, dedicated entirely to wine and the wine trade, which took place in Dusseldorf.

Participating were 3,600 companies from 50 countries, and some 38,000 visitors atended.

The participating wineries all belonged to the regulatory boards of the denominations origin of Valencia (Alicante, Utiel-Requena and Valencia), and the Council of the Denomination of Origin Cava. During 2011, within the agri-food industry, wines were one of the fastest growing sectors for Spain’s exports, with a 27 per cent increase for Valencian wines in sales for the year, amounting to €136 million.

This rare success story was achieved with the help of an increase in the Chinese market, by 84 per cent, which now ranks the emerging oriental market an incredible second in Valencian wine exports, worth €11 million.

Valencian wine exports to France also grew by a healthy 31 per cent.

However, the main buyer of Valencian wines remains Germany, which took 22 per cent more product than in 2010, with sales last year of €12.1 million.

By Paul Deed