China has become the biggest export market for the Côtes de Bourg after a 56% increase last year.

According to the director of the Syndicat des Côtes de Bourg, Didier Gontier, a concerted campaign at Asian wine fairs has led to China becoming the leading market in the last two years.

Speaking to the French newspaper Sud-Ouest, he said: “We had very good results in China over 2012 with exports up 56% to around 5,000 litres.

“In two years, China has become the leading export market for the Côtes de Bourg. We have also managed to compensate a little for the erosion of the European market by volume growth there.”

He said that the strategy had centred on attending trade shows, starting two years ago in Shanghai, and then spreading to Hong Kong and Peking.

This year he said that the syndicat would be attending Chengdu, Peking, Hong Kong and Tokyo throughout the year