Transnational Ventures, a Port Townsend-based marketing company focusing on the export of Washington wines to China, recently announced that a shipment of Prosser’s Kestrel Vintners' popular Lady in Red and Pure Platinum wines is going to Hangzhou Faniya Wine Co. Ltd. of Hangzhou, China.

This marked the first time that Kestrel wines have been exported to the Greater China region. The ancient Chinese city of about four million people is about 62 miles southwest of Shanghai.

Jonathan Ryweck, president of Transnational Ventures, said the Chinese were initially attracted to the unique labels of the two wines as well the relatively modest price point.

"Generally speaking, Chinese people really like the typical taste profile of fine Washington red wines, with its distinctive fruit forward attributes balanced with the acidity and structure generally associated with European wines. However, the price point is often troublesome, considering that Washington and its wine regions are little known to the Chinesem,," he said in a press release.

Noting that while the worldwide economic crisis had put expansion into Washington wines on hold for China importers and distributors, the relative quick recovery now under way in the region has added momentum to imports of Washington State wines.

"We just shipped an order of Reininger, Helix and Whitman Cellars wines to a new Hong Kong distributor, which is another sign of the economic climate improving in the region," Ryweck noted, adding, “We have at the end of this month an exciting lineup of promotional activities in Hong Kong, including a consumer oriented exhibition, a trade exhibition, a wine competition that these Washington wines are entering for the first time, and a wine tasting/food pairing event exclusively using Washington State wines with dishes prepared by Hong Kong Culinary Institute chefs and sponsored by the Hong Kong Sommelier Association. This unprecedented grouping of events will raise public awareness of Washington wine in Hong Kong to a level not previously seen."