The staggered removal of the China's import tariff on wine, combined with the introduction of 48-hour limits on customs processing, could mean significant gains for wine exporters, according to New Zealand Wine.
The organisation said in a press release the deal meant each country would accept the other's technical regulations as equivalent to their own.
Several Central Otago wineries already export to China.
Cromwell's Felton Road winery owner Nigel Greening said domestic Chinese taxes would dictate the amount of New Zealand wine sent to China.
‘‘What is the most exciting thing I have seen on my visits there [to China] is the enthusiasm that ordinary Chinese people have for learning about and trying different wines,'' Mr Greening said.
‘‘It's about the professional classes as opposed to the entrepreneurs, and that's a very exciting thing. There are thousands and thousands of those people with money who want to try new things.
‘‘It is very different from Russia, where you're selling wine to the very mega wealthy,'' he said.
While welcoming the lowering of tariffs, Mr Greening said Felton Road winery would not be looking to increase its exports into China immediately.
‘‘The problem we have is that worldwide demand is way in excess of of the production capabilities we have here, and China at present just gets what we can spare,'' he said.
‘‘ But for wineries ready to grow it's fantastic news. We are happy just how we are and we don't want to grow.''
