Chinese imposed tariffs

on our lamb,beef, timber, iron ore, barley and now wine have the alarm bells ringing.

The last - the wine - will have a massive impact on the economy of this state.  I am concerned for the vignerons involved and for our economy overall. 

"But why should it bother you Cat?" someone asked me yesterday, "You're a b.....wowser."  By that he was kindly referring to the fact that I am allergic to alcohol. (In case you are wondering it won't kill me but if I accidentally ingest some it feels a bit like having touched a stinging nettle.)

Now if other people want to have a glass or even two of wine that's entirely their affair and the same goes for any other alcohol. I am not going to stop other people enjoying it - if they do. All I would ask is that they don't drink to excess and that they don't drive afterwards. 

What bothers me is not that people drink alcohol but the apparently widespread belief that it is an essential part of a social occasion. The Senior Cat (another teetotal cat) has commented more than once on a photograph  in the paper, "Wine glasses  in  hand again." 

Wine gets written about. It gets written into the description of meals out in a way that water or juice or tea and coffee do not get written about - if they even rate a mention. People go on "wine tours" and to "tastings". We don't do that with orange juice.

Wine making is the subject of a degree  (in viticulture oenology) at one of our universities. It involves the study of things like chemistry and soil science and much more. It's a very serious business and a very big one. There are more than two hundred "cellar doors" within an hour's drive of the city in this state alone.

And now China has effectively wiped out the market by imposing tariffs  of 212%. They say it is because the wine made here is being "dumped" on them. The man I was talking to yesterday in the Post Office queue has been involved in teaching in the course for years and told me, "That's a b..... joke that is. They can't get enough of the stuff."

People are starting to look for other markets. They may find some but there will be vineyards and wineries which close. We need to find more than other markets. We need to find other things to grow - in more ways than one.