Peconic Bay Winery strikes deal in China

Long Island wineries are cracking the Chinese market in a much bigger way these days.

After years of trying to interest the Chinese in Long Island wine, Peconic Bay Winery in Cutchogue and some other East End vineyards have succeeded in selling some of their products to an importer, the Beijing New Long Island Co., in Beijing.

The importer was actually formed in the offices of Peconic Bay during a visit earlier this year by Jing Li, who heads Beijing New Long Island. According to James Silver, Peconic Bay's general manager, Jing visited New York State seeking to import wine to the People's Republic. Silver said he told her that her company would stand out better with a high-end brand.

"We met for hours and hours," Silver said. "I tried to guide her to other wineries" on the Island. Silver said even as they spoke, he doubted any deal would happen because he had been trying for years to interest other Chinese importers, without success.

But this time, a deal was struck. Since July, Silver said, Peconic Bay has sold 1,300 bottles to China of its Nautique and Peconic Bay red products. He said the sale is worth about $19,000. Peconic Bay sells about 11,000 cases of wine annually. Silver said he expects to do more business with the Chinese.

James Christopher Tracy, winemaker and partner at Channing Daughters Winery in Bridgehampton, said the winery sold about 672 bottles of its 2008 Rosso Fresco and 2007 Sculpture Garden to the Chinese importer. "This doesn't seem like an anomaly," Tracy said. "This woman has set up a business" just for Long Island wine.

According to the Chinese company's website, the importer describes itself as "a start-up company established in early 2010, located in the heart of Beijing's San Yuan Qiao area." It says also it is "dedicated in introducing the best wines from [the] Long Island, New York region to the Chinese market."

The website says some others it bought from are Channing Daughters, Wolffer Estate and Sparkling Pointe, all on the East End.

In an e-mail, Jing said she had spent weekends in East Hampton while living in New York City during the last four years before returning to China in early 2010. Her curiosity about wine, she said, led her to the Island's vineyards. "It turned out to be a beautiful surprise," she said. She traveled to Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley in California to make comparisons.

Long Island wineries, she said, "stand out" in comparison "with California's industrialized wineries."

Wineries on the Island have been exporting for more than a decade. The first shipment to China was by Palmer Vineyards, in 1997.