Although unable to fly to China himself due to COVID, Tony Carapetis, chief winemaker of the Monteperle Wines greeted the Chinese people in a video to be shown at the China International Import Expo (CIIE) starting this Friday.

"The CIIE offered great opportunities to expand markets in China," he told Xinhua.

Located in the renowned wine-producing region of Barossa Valley in South Australia, the Monteperle was a relatively young brand, founded in 2017. It is a small winery with an annual production of about 60,000 bottles.

It made debut in the CIIE in 2019, second year of the event, after local government of South Australia encouraged businesses to attend.

"The sheer size of the event allows us to present our wines to the maximum amount of interested people. The face to face contact meant we could discuss our products directly, taste with the potential customers, and answer their questions without delay," said Carapetis.

"It also allowed us to get the valuable feedback about our wines that we need," he continued. "It helps us understand our markets and customer to ensure that we are making the products that fit their requirements, in terms of styles, varieties, and price."

According to Vivian Zhang, general manager of the Jia Yuan Hua Wines which is owner of the Monteperle, the CIIE is a bridge between China and the rest of the world, where they managed to make their brand known. The previous CIIE events brought them about 100 clients and potential clients.

While living standard of the Chinese people kept rising, the demand for high-quality consumer products such as wine also grew.

"Chinese market has huge potential to tap," she said, adding that in the past years she knew other companies were also enthusiastic to go to the CIIE.

"The CIIE is an important platform for people-to-people exchanges," she said. "It boosts friendship between our two peoples and increases the understanding of Australians in China."

Relationship between China and Australia slipped in recent years but Zhang saw it as temporary. "Economies between China and Australia are complementary," she said. "The relationship will be back to normal sooner or later. After all, a sound and healthy relationship of the two countries benefits the ordinary people."

Sometimes owners of the wineries in Barossa Valley get together and talk about the future, and Zhang said they still had hope for the Chinese market.

"So this is also a reason why we are going to the CIIE," she said. "The Chinese market is always important and we would like to continue our business with Chinese clients."