The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government may draw on the experience of Australia in the possible setting up of a multi-purpose wine center in the free trade center, an official said Thursday.

Australia has a national wine center in the southern city of Adelaide that serves various purposes such as exhibition, dining, wine appreciation and education, among others, while Hong Kong will be putting up a heritage site for commercial use, including wine-related activities, said Rita Lau, secretary for commerce and economic development of the HKSAR government.

"The industry may consider using this venue for multiple wine- related purposes like the Australian wine center," Lau said at a ceremony in Hong Kong marking the signing of a memorandum of understanding on cooperation between the HKSAR government and the Australian government in wine-related businesses.

"If any industry players are interested in setting up a similar facility in Hong Kong, I am sure our friends from Australia will only be too ready to share their experience and expertise," she said.

Lau said the MOU between Hong Kong and Australia was the first of its kind Hong Kong has signed with a New World wine producing country, which marked a further key step in the city's development into a regional wine trading and distribution hub.

Wine imports to Hong Kong in 2008 grew 80 percent year on year to 2.9 billion HK dollars (371.8 million U.S. dollars). Companies were expanding their storage facilities, and two major international wine fairs and quite a number of wine auctions have been held since Hong Kong scrapped wine duties last February.

Training institutions are also strengthening their wine-related courses, and authorities were also taking measures to facilitate trade in the sector, Lau said, adding that international fairs will also be held later this year.

Australian exports of wine to Hong Kong grew 17.2 percent last year to 25.4 million U.S. dollars, while exports to the Chinese mainland surged 32 percent, according to statistics provided by the Australian Consulate-General Hong Kong.

Tony Burke, the Australian minister for agriculture, fisheries and forestry who represented Australia to sign the MOU on Thursday, said many wine producers were looking to Asia, China in particular, for hopes to fight the global downturn.