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Headlines DE CEMBER NEWS NEWS BY T ES I WIVI CENTRAL COAST ndustry experts will discuss issues af- fecting the Central Coast wine indus- Why China Needs Wine Imports H ong Kong—An international cad- re of professionals seeking a toe- hold in the Chinese wine market looked to professor Huiqin Ma for advice during the opening day of the Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Fair. Huiqin, who spoke at Sonoma State University in California earlier this year, is a wine and grape researcher and instructor at China Agricultural University in Beijing. Her presentation Nov. 8 in Hong Kong helped explain the importance of wine im- ports to the Chinese market and why do- mestic Chinese wine producers may be at a disadvantage. Grapegrowing challenges The agricultural regions of mainland Chi- na are located inland, in the continental climate of the north and northwest. Wine- growers in China must bury their vines for the winter to prevent freezing, as do some growers in the most northern parts of the United States and Canada. Ma said the process of getting winesandvines.com Learn more: Search keywords "China imports." the vines covered takes two to three weeks. Most challenging of all, burial must begin soon after harvest, elongating the already chaotic season. After the winter is over, winegrowers unearth the vines under similarly tight deadlines. "If you do it late, your grapes will start breaking in the soil," Ma said. She estimates that the entire burying and unearthing process represents 35%- 40% of the cost of practicing viticulture in China. 14 WINES & VINES DECEMBER 2012 try at the new WiVi Central Coast 2013 symposium. Sponsored by Wine Busi- At Hong Kong Wine Fair, ag professor explains the country's difficult grapegrowing conditions ness Monthly and Precision Ag Consult- ing, the symposium's name comes from the words "wine" and "viticulture." WiVi 2013 will take place March 19-20 in Paso Robles, Ca- lif.; visit wivicen- tralcoast for more information. winesandvines.com Learn more: Search keyword "WiVi." FUND SEEKS TO BUY VINEYARDS V Huiqin Ma discusses the climate for growing winegrapes Nov. 8 in Hong Kong. Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Fair John Tsang Chun-wah, financial secretary for the government of Hong Kong, told guests at the fair's opening ceremony that, "All the major wine regions of the world have a strong presence at the wine fair." This year's 957 exhibitors represented 37 winegrowing countries and regions at the fifth annual event, which includes first- time participants from Denmark, Russia and Azerbaijan. In 2011, the United States was the third- biggest exporter of wine to Hong Kong by volume, making up 11.9% of the market share. Historically also ranking No. 4 for exports to Hong Kong by value, the U.S. jumped to third place in 2011, besting Aus- tralia with 6% market share by value. In 2012 figures collected through September, the United States had fallen back to No. 4. Canada is the 23rd largest exporter of wine to Hong Kong by volume, but it ranks No. 19 in terms of value, owning 0.2% of the market share. —By Kate Lavin ineyard and winery investor Richard Wollack has formed a company to se- lect and manage high-end vineyard prop- erties with Chinese investors. Wollack, the founder and former managing principal of Premier Pacific Vineyards, is partnering with the Hina Group (a financial firm in Beijing, China, that has offices in San Francisco, Calif.) in creating the Hina Vineyard Fund. Wollack says that Hina hopes to raise $100 million with high- net-worth individuals in Beijing and other Chinese cities. Wollack said that the ini- tial targets are Napa and Sonoma, but the fund also will look at Mendocino and Santa Barbara. winesandvines.com Learn more: Search keywords "Richard Wollack." OLD SUGAR MILL RAMPS UP T he 10th winery has opened in a cav- ernous former sugar factory that is be- coming a hub of winemaking in the north- ern Central Valley. The Old Sugar Mill in Clarksburg, Calif., is a 300,000-square- foot complex with just under half of that area being used for wine production, bar- rel storage and tasting. The largest winery, Clarksburg Wine Co., is also a custom- crush operator that partly owns the building. winesandvines.com Learn more: Search keywords "Old Sugar Mill."