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| Australian Ambassador Bill Paterson speaks during the Australian wine tasting event at the Westin Chosun Hotel in Seoul on Nov. 24. Over 170 premium Australian wines from 21 wineries were showcased during the Discover New Australian Wines 2014 event. / Courtesy of Australian Embassy |
By Kang Hyung-kyung
French wine has a luxury image. So what about Australian wine?
Australia needs to answer this question to better position its wines in the Korean market, a wine expert, who joined the Australian wine tasting event at the Westin Chosun Hotel in Seoul on Nov. 24, says.
"I think one of the key things we have to do is to work on the image of Australian wines," said Nicholas Heretiguian, general manager of Asia at Australian Vintage.
"I am thinking that right now we need to build more history around Australian wine," he said. "We have excellent wines, terrific winemakers in Australia."
Heretiguian, who was representing McGuigan Wines at the tasting, called on the Australian Trade Commission to team with its tourism board to build an image that Australian wines were high quality with a good price.
During the "Discover New Australian Wines 2014" event, 170 wines from 21 wineries, which are not yet available in Korea, were showcased.
It was the second time this year that the Australian Embassy in Seoul hosted a wine tasting event. Hundreds of Australian wines were showcased at a tasting in June.
"At a time when demand for quality international wines in Korea is growing, knowledge about Australia's renowned wines is also expanding," Australian Ambassador Bill Paterson said during a speech at the event.
"Australia's wines are more diverse than those from any other country. There are 65 major wine regions offering diversity in climate, soil and grape variety. The industry is over 150 years old, so the experience and expertise is equivalent to Europe. Indeed Australian winemakers now regularly make wines in Europe and elsewhere in the off-season."
A free trade agreement was finalized between Korea and Australia this year and is waiting for parliamentary ratification.
Once the pact takes effect, the 15 percent import tax on Australian wines will be eliminated, making the wines more competitive.
"The popularity of the event with importers and retail buyers reflects the renewed excitement around Australian wine in Korea, particularly with the new Korea-Australia FTA," the Australian Trade Commission in Seoul said.
"It is expected that Australian wines will be even more attractive to Korean consumers as a result of the elimination of the import tax and a weaker Australian dollar."
Last week, President Park Geun-hye called on senior lawmakers in the ruling Saenuri Party to work hard to ratify the trade pact within the year.
Her call came as Australia's FTAs with China and Japan are expected to take effect next year.
Automakers have voiced concerns about the delayed approval of the bill, putting pressure on lawmakers to pass it as soon as possible.
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