Leaked list of 41 Aussie vineyards owned by Chinese firms
Aussie wine lovers are being urged to steer clear of 41 Australian wineries after a viral list revealed that they were owned by Chinese companies.
The list was shared on social media following Beijing's escalating feud with Australia, which has led to restrictions to be imposed on Australian industries.
This includes the wine industry, which has been impacted with new import taxes of up to a shocking 212 per cent.
Other industries impacted include timber, lamb, lobster and barley, with fears their tactics could spread to other sectors.
The list was shared on the Vino e Amigos Facebook page and revealed that most of the Chinese-owned vineyards are in Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, WA and NSW.
The Facebook page has since been deleted.
Some pointed out that the percentage of each winery owned by Chinese companies was not on the list and that wineries owned by Australian-Chinese people weren't to blame.
Another pointed out some on the list were “run by Aussie workers though, and Aussie workers are still getting paid”, indicating a boycott may cause more harm than good.
“No wonder some Aussies always say the govt is selling the country to China,” one person posted, while another added: “Aussie winemakers have been teaching the Chinese how to make wine for years. For what, to screw us over?”
The unprecedented tariffs on Australian wine would destroy the sector which was already struggling due to bushfires.
“The wine production industry generated revenue of $7 billion in 2019-20. Of that amount,$2.9 billion was generated from exports,” IBISWorld Senior Industry Analyst Matthew Reeves said.
“China is the dominant market for Australian wines, accounting for 36.7% of export revenue last year.”
“Australia’s premium wine exports will have an easier time finding new buyers outside of China, supporting bigger players in the industry. On the other hand, exports of cheaper wines will likely face significant difficulty in the coming months.”