West Australian winemaker Mike Calneggia was in a spot of bother when China announced it would impose wine tariffs on Australian exports late last year.was sitting on a heap of Margaret River shiraz destined for the Chinese market but those orders were suddenly useless after the country’s Ministry of Commerce imposed provisional tariffs on Australian wine imports last November.
While reaction was swift and brutal back home, it was nowhere near enough to persuade change in China. But in stepped Naked Wines Australia with $5 million to help winemakers combat the hit. “Australia’s independent winemakers have been caught between a rock and a hard place with the sudden tariff hikes, on top of an already tough year. The reality is that winemakers reliant on traditional channels are going to suffer the most over the next 12 to 18 months.”
Funds from Naked’s Stop The Squeeze helped 36,000 bottles of Mr Calneggia’s 2018 shiraz be rebranded Bloody Good Red for the Australian market, with part proceeds going to theMr Calneggia’s father Jim lost his battle with multiple myeloma, a very aggressive blood cancer. “They provide a route to market for a lot of smaller wineries that don’t have the resources and clout to deal with the bigger retailers,” he said.