REMOVING the 15 to 30 per cent tariff on Australian wine in China within four years was the first piece of the puzzle for exporters, some Bendigo winemakers say.
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The Australian government signed a free trade agreement with China on Monday, meaning the price of Australian wine in China could reduce by up to 30 per cent.
At least six wineries in the Bendigo region currently export to China.
Turners Crossing Vineyard owner Paul Jenkins said reducing the price would help Australian exporters to compete with wine from low-cost competitors, such as Chile.
"The two most important things to support wine exports to China are the removal of the tariffs, and the devaluation of the Australian dollar," he said.
"It will make our wine more accessible to the middle class."
Mr Jenkins said the installation of the new Chinese president, Xi Jinping, in March last year had brought changes to the wine industry in China.
He said there was no longer a culture of buying expensive wine as gifts and holding lavish banquets within Communist Party circles.
The free trade agreement between the two countries was signed on Monday morning.
Blackjack Wines winemaker and owner Ken Pollock, who also exports to China, said free trade deals were often a "misnomer".
He said he would wait until more details emerged before he looked into his export volumes.
"It will be all in the detail and the time frame," Mr Pollock said.
"I hope labelling laws were part of the negotiations, and to allow us to use domestic labelling as part of the product.
"Labelling can be a nightmare."
Mandurang Valley Wines, Balgownie Estate and Sandhurst Ridge are also believed to export to China.
Mr Pollock said while removing the import tariff would be a positive, Bendigo-based exporters were often small scale in comparison to other large companies.
"The volumes that we export are nowhere near as large as larger winemakers in the Barossa Valley in South Australia," he said.