WA reaps as China thirst grows

WA winemakers are celebrating a near 30 per cent surge in the value of the State's wine exports - driven by China's thirst for red wine.

The value of wine exports rose 27 per cent to $43.8 million in the past year and the volume increased by 736,000 litres, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

China is now WA's biggest wine customer, importing more than one million litres last financial year, followed by Britain, Hong Kong, Singapore and the US.

Agriculture Minister Terry Redman said industry and government campaigns had worked to arrest the decline in wine exports by targeting China and other leading Asian markets, as well as the more established markets of the US and Britain.

Wine Industry of WA general manager Aymee Mastaglia said anecdotal evidence pointed to red wine as the most popular in Asian markets.