China-Australia relations: tax on Aussie wine gives Rothschild family’s estate the chance of a lifetime to supplant Australia’s wine in tempting Chinese palates
- A 370-year-old vineyard of the legendary Chateau Mouton Rothschild aims to bring some 11,000 more bottles of wine to China, a quarter of its production from current 10 per cent
- China has officially slapped duties up to 218.4 per cent on Australian wines
The family of Baron Philippe de Rothschild, owner of one of the most sought-after great wines of Bordeaux, is allocating a record volume of its entry-level wine to China, as it sees the chance of a lifetime to sell more to the world’s fastest-growing population of wine drinkers.
Domaine de Baronarques, a 370-year-old vineyard owned by the family behind the legendary Chateau Mouton Rothschild, plans to ship about 11,000 bottles – or 25 per cent of annual production – to China, more than doubling its current allocation for the market, said its managing director Augustin Deschamps.
“Customers [in China] are looking for a bigger diversity of wine than before, with more curiosity and a high level of expectations,” Deschamps said in an interview with South China Morning Post from Limoux city in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France, about four hours drive from Bordeaux. “It’s now a very exciting competition, with more space for new quality wines.”
