Western Australia’s first government-supported, industry-led collective presentation in China has exceeded all expectations, as the inaugural Western Australia Fine Wine Showcase attracted close to 400 participants across two days of masterclasses, media engagement, market briefings and a packed grand tasting.
Organised by Wines of Western Australia (WoWA) in partnership with Vino Joy News and supported by Austrade and the Western Australian Government, the inaugural Western Australia Fine Wine Showcase marked a decisive entry for the 20+ represented producers into China.
“The inaugural Western Australian Fine Wine Shanghai Showcase has been an outstanding success—the first industry-led, government-supported initiative of its kind,” said John Madew, Deputy Consul General of Australia in Shanghai. “The strong engagement from China’s trade and hospitality sector was particularly impressive. The wines demonstrated exceptional quality and a distinct sense of place unique to Western Australia. Our producers are eager to build on this momentum and return to the market regularly in the years ahead to further strengthen these valuable new relationships.”
Masterclasses Highlight Precision & Diversity
Both sessions were led by acclaimed Chinese wine educator and KOL Xiao Pi, who, together with Western Australian winemakers, guided attendees through a curated selection of 18 wines that showcased both the region’s classic strengths and lesser-known expressions.
To illustrate Western Australia’s white wine credentials, the tasting opened with a lineup that moved from vibrant, mineral-driven styles to richer, more textured examples. Semillon–Sauvignon Blanc blends from Pierro set the tone, followed by a sequence of Rieslings from Ferngrove Wines, Duke’s Vineyard, Plantagenet and PLAN B!. The flight concluded with four expressions of Chardonnay, including Willoughby Park Ironrock, The Flying Winemaker, Cape Mentelle, and Rosenthal Richings.
The afternoon session shifted to reds, beginning with three contrasting interpretations of Syrah/Shiraz from The Next Hundred Years, Ampersand Estates and Duke’s Vineyard — a trio that allowed participants to taste Western Australia’s stylistic shift from former richness toward today’s more elegant, spice-driven profiles. From there, the masterclass moved into varieties not always associated with the region: a supple yet structured Grenache from Jarrah Ridge, and a perfumed, unusually refined Malbec from Ferngrove, both expanding attendees’ understanding of what Western Australia can deliver. The tasting concluded with four Cabernets — from Rosabrook, 3Oceans’s The Explorers, Cape Mentelle, and Xanadu — each expressing a different facet of Margaret River’s celebrated terroir, from lifted aromatics to deep, graphite-lined structure.
Throughout the masterclass, Xiao Pi summarised Western Australia’s appeal with three key qualities: high quality, diversity, and the individuality of family-owned estates. “What I feel from these wines is sharpness, power and definition — exactly what we expect from great wines,” he told the room.
Thanks to the targeted guest list of trade buyers and Xiao Pi’s lively yet precise commentary, both sessions maintained an almost reverent quietness — “the most engaged audience I’ve ever seen in Asia,” remarked Ben Cane, owner-winemaker of Duke’s Vineyard in Great Southern and co-presenter in the white wine session.
Market Intelligence and Visits
Beyond tastings, the Showcase delivered an unusually high level of market intelligence for producers navigating China’s rapidly changing landscape.
While the white wine masterclass was underway, Vino Joy News arranged a closed-door market briefing at the headquarters of ASC Fine Wines, one of China’s most influential wine operators. The session was led by Don St. Pierre Jr., ASC’s Co-Founder and CEO, widely regarded as one of the most authoritative voices on China’s wine market.
Don provided Western Australian winery owners with a rare, unfiltered analysis of current market dynamics, import trends, price pressures, channel shifts, and long-term opportunities—offering clarity that many producers described as “invaluable” for their commercial planning.
In the afternoon, following the red wine masterclass, Vino Joy News guided winery principals on a three-stop retail and channel tour, visiting: Pudao — a leading premium wine retailer, The Fine Wine Experience — one of Shanghai’s most influential fine-wine merchants and Enoteca — a prominent international wine chain operating across Asia.
Store managers provided firsthand insights into consumer behaviour, pricing strategies, and retail execution, helping producers map how their wines could realistically fit into China’s on-trade and off-trade ecosystems.
Grand Tasting Brings Surging Demand
The following day’s 5-hour Grand Tasting became the high point of the Showcase. More than 300 trade and channel visitors attended, representing importers, distributors, hospitality buyers, new retail channels, and selected wine enthusiasts.
The first 1.5-hour was dedicated to Dingdong Fresh, one of China’s largest on-demand instant-retail platforms for groceries. The closed session brought nearly 70 buyers, VIP customers and KOLs.
“Australian wine is the true representative of New World wine—diverse, fruit-forward, smooth, and exceptionally high in value,” said Rayna Hu, head of Dingdong’s Australia Direct program. “If there’s anything humans can still do better than AI, it’s appreciating good wine, good food and good company!”
From 14:00 to 17:00, the trade session continued with over 220 participants—so many that registration remained active for three full hours, with buyers still arriving in the final minutes.
A few producers saw immediate business results.
“It was easily one of the best wine shows and trade missions I’ve been involved with,” said Tom Wisdom, Managing Director of Plantagenet Wines in Great Southern. “Access to key customers and Austrade’s support were first class—and the partnership with Vino Joy News was a key success factor.”
“It was great—many people showed strong interest, and we added a lot of new contacts from all channels: on-trade, off-trade, online platforms, and even a few KOLs,” said Wayne Liu, China Market Manager for Rathbone Wine Group (owner of Xanadu in Margaret River). “I believe we should do more events like this to attract more attention and help people learn how different and unique wines from Western Australia are.”
Plantagenet’s China importer, Li Sining, Chairman of Guangzhou-based Mega Sourcing Limited, added: “This was the most successful tasting we’ve attended this year. Buyers came from across China—not just Shanghai—right before ProWine.”
“In just one month from concept to execution, Vino Joy and Wines of Western Australia delivered an event for Western Australian Wine producers that was nothing short of perfect – the kind of platform any Australian exhibitor would dream of. As someone from Western Australia who has already returned to China four times this year for trade events, this experience went far beyond ‘impressive’,” exclaimed Henry Xu of Ferngrove Wines from Frankland River of Great Southern.
“In only two days, it allowed China to see the true character of Western Australia’s niche, finely crafted wines. Even more valuable was the thoughtfully curated program of high-quality talks and interactions, which built a genuine bridge to help WA producers better understand the Chinese market. For brands and people who are truly sincere about what they do, this was an experience more enlightening than years of trying to figure things out on their own.”
VIP Dinner Cements Momentum
The event wrapped up with a VIP dinner attended by major importers—including ASC Fine Wines, Wajiu, COFCO Wine & Wine, EMW, Metro and Pran Cellars—along with sommeliers, restaurant buyers, consular officials and winery owners.
The dinner offered a final opportunity for producers and buyers to exchange views on the market and discuss possible cooperation.
The gathering closed on a steady, businesslike note, with wineries preparing follow-ups in the days ahead. Organisers made clear that the Showcase is not a one-off initiative: Western Australia will continue investing in the China market through regular trade visits, roadshows, masterclasses and consumer activations aimed at building sustainable, long-term growth for the region’s wines.
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