Media Alert: Provincial Government Will Support 20 Local Wine Exhibitors at the Fifth Yantai International Wine Festival

The Western Cape Province is a member of the Regional Leaders Forum, consisting of Bavaria (Federal Republic of Germany), Quebec (Canada), Upper Austria (Austria), Shandong (People's Republic of China), Georgia (United States of America) and Sao Paulo (Brazil).

The Western Cape also has a bilateral agreement with China's Shandong Province on areas such as agriculture, trade and investment and economic co-operation. During the last Regional Leader Summit, held in Cape Town in 2010, the Western Cape Province was invited by the Governor of Shandong Province to participate in the Yantai International Wine Festival.

This year is the fifth Yantai International Wine Festival (23 to 26 September 2011), which is one of the largest professional wine exhibitions in China. The event has grown from strength to strength and attracted major brands from wine-producing regions all over the world.

The Western Cape Department of Agriculture also has a dedicated Market Access Programme, which seeks to improve and expand market access for all agricultural producers in the Province. It is believed that opportunities exist for South African wines in China. Export opportunities for other Western Cape produce could follow suit if this regional relationship is developed further.

The support to the South African exhibitors is provided in collaboration with Wesgro, the Western Cape Province Investment agency, Wines of South Africa (WOSA) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).