The Winery at La Grange Commemorates First Export Shipment of Full Containers of Virginia Wine to China at Ceremony on Aug. 20

HAYMARKET, Va., Aug. 21, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- A ceremony to commemorate the first two full containers of Virginia Wine exported to China was held on Mon. Aug. 20 at the Winery at La Grange in Haymarket, Va.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120821/PH60380 )

Top Virginia and Chinese officials participated and witnessed the signing of the agreement exporting Virginia wine to China. A shipment container holds 1,200 cases of wine, or 14,400 bottles.

Delivering remarks were:

• Fletcher Henderson, representing the Winery at La Grange.
• Jing Xu, representing Beijing Yayin Fine Wines Company, Ltd., the Chinese wine marketing and distribution company. 
• Marty Nohe, Vice Chairman of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors.
• Roy Dahlquist, Managing Director for Asia of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership.
• Zhang Shaogang, Minister Counselor of Economic and Commercial Office at the Embassy of the People's Republic of China.

The export agreement was signed by Mr. Henderson of The Winery at La Grange and Mr. Jing with Beijing Yayin Fine Wines.  According to Wanzhong Zhang, Senior Vice President of Beida Jade Bird in charge of the group's U.S. investments, the firm's ownership of La Grange is just the first phase of more investments (and job creation) to come within the Virginia wine industry. 

The exportation of wine has been a priority of Virginia Governor McDonnell's Administration, especially the Departments of Agriculture and Forestry and Commerce and Trade.  According to Mr. Dahlquist, with the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, the La Grange/Beijing Fine Wines agreement represents the "success of another strong partnership between a Virginia facility and the China marketplace."

The Chinese wine market is a $10 billion industry, and is projected to reach $14 billion in 2013. In terms of volume, in 2011 China became the world's fifth largest wine consumption country. The U.S. currently ranks sixth among countries exporting wine to China, behind France, Australia, Italy, Chile, and Spain.

The Virginia Wine Industry has made great strides, with Wine Enthusiast Magazine recently naming Virginia as one of the 10 best wine travel destinations for 2012.

About The Winery at La Grange

The Winery at La Grange is Prince William County's premier winery nestled at the foot of Bull Run Mountain. La Grange is a restored three-story red brick manor house built in the 1790s. In September 2006, it opened as a winery. With 5,500 new Cabernet Sauvignon vines and a new winery building, the winery has made its mark on Prince William County. Production includes Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Viognier, Rose, Cuvee Blanc, Norton, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Tannat. The winery also produces Meritage (a Bordeaux-style blend), a sparkling wine, and port.

About Beijing Yayin Fine Wines Co. Ltd

Beijing Yayin Fine Wines is the exclusive distributor in the mainland China market for wineries in which Beida Jade Bird Group has invested. Yayin has retained the founding executives of China's largest IT education company, which has successfully developed hundreds of school operations across China. The company excels at developing marketing and distribution channels, with the goal of becoming the leading Chinese wine distributor specializing in imported wine.

SOURCE Winery at La Grange