SHANGHAI, China - An award-winning southwestern Ontario winery is breaking into a new market -- China.
Tens of thousands of bottles of wine and icewine from the Pelee Island Winery have been shipped to China and will be available in a Shanghai store.
Economic Development and Trade Minister Sandra Pupatello is in Shanghai as part of an Ontario trade mission and says it's a great opportunity.
Pupatello says the wine will be sold at Maple Leaf Stores -- a Chinese chain -- and getting into the Shanghai store could lead to sales across China.
Pupatello says it could also be a boost for tourism and promote Ontario as a wine destination for Chinese tourists.
Premier Dalton McGuinty, Pupatello and Minister of Tourism and Culture Michael Chan are in China to promote Ontario businesses and investment in the province.
"Our wines compete with any wine from any region in the world and I believe this is really putting their stamp on entering an emerging market with very high quality," Pupatello said in an interview.
"This is the perfect outlet in a province that services 100 million people," she said. "We foresee the opportunity to get our wines into multiple places across China."
Pupatello said if the wines sell as expected, the deal could be worth "millions" and there is the opportunity to expand across Asia.
