Buller Wines, which received $10,000, was one of 65 projects given a share in $1.8 million last year to increase local and international markets, boost wine tourism and overall grow wine business.
The Rutherglen winery had been exporting to the US but recognised China as a major market considering the growth taking place there in Australian wine due to changes in taxation.
Mr Squires, who will be heading off on March 15, said there has been a significant lift in enquiry and order since the first day of January as a result of the new free trade agreement.
“The china market is constantly expanding, we have significant amount of orders already in place that we’re currently fulfilling and we’re excited about the opportunity that is there,” he told The Free Press.
“One of the things that I’ve learnt (since exporting there) is that China is an incredibly vibrant country, the cities that I’ve visited so far have had an enormous amount of infrastructure.
“They’re extraordinarily clean, the market is becoming very, very knowledgeable very quickly in regards to wine quality and I guess one of the things we’ve learnt is that there is a strong appetite for our wines in the premium market which is something we didn’t anticipate.
“We thought we would be more at the entry level market. So the people there have been very welcoming and to date it’s been a very positive place to undertake business.”
Buller Wines is creeping up on its 100th birthday, which will occur in 2021.
“We’ve got lots of plans in place,” Mr Squires said. “We’re planning a year-long celebration that will probably start on New Year’s Eve and make its way through to the end of the year.”