Chilean Minister: Chile’s wine should ‘do in India what it’s done in China’

Aiming to replicate Chilean wine’s success in China, the country’s agricultural minister has called for the Chilean wine industry to step up efforts in other markets such as India, Southeast Asia and north Africa.

Speaking at a ceremony marking National Wine Day, Chile’s Agricultural Minister Antonio Walker stressed: “The future of Chile’s wine industry must aim at positioning itself more strongly in international markets such as China, India, Southeast Asia and north Africa,” as reported by Chinese state news agency Xinhua.

In 2017, China for the second year in a row ranked as the number one export destination for Chilean wines, importing roughly US$254 million worth of wines for around 8.2 million cases, up by 30% in value over 2016, according to the country’s trade association Wines of Chile.

To expand Chilean wine’s global share, the minister called for more concerted efforts between private and public sectors at the ceremony hosted by Santa Carolina Vineyard.

Currently, Chile is the world’s fourth-largest wine exporter.

The growth in China is largely a result of the two countries’ Free Trade Agreement and the competitive price points of Chilean wines.