Australian Grape and Wine is outraged by a social media campaign calling on Australians to boycott 41 Australian vineyards and wineries owned by Chinese-owned companies.
Image courtesy of: wineinfo.com
Australian Grape and Wine CEO Tony Battaglene says boycotting companies because of investor interest is bad for the economy and especially for Australia"s wine industry.
I am angry and disappointed with this campaign against Chinese sole proprietors," he said.
The Australian Chinese community is an important part of our wine industry, producing first class wines, employing local people and generating income for the local and national economy.
The social media boycott call was in response to the Chinese government's decision last month to impose punitive import tariffs on Australian wine as part of a preliminary anti-dumping investigation into all imports of Australian bottled wine into China.
Mr Battaglene said China's initial findings were disappointing, but anti-Chinese retaliation failed to acknowledge the contribution of all Australian grape producers, wineries and exporters to regional investment and employment.
