Virginia Winery Will Export Wine to China, McDonnell Says

A Virginia winery and a commodity exchange in China have agreed on a five-year wine export deal.

Gov. Bob McDonnell announced the agreement between Chateau Morrisette in Floyd County and the Tianjin Commodity Exchange Company on Monday. McDonnell is leading a job creation and economic development marketing mission to China, Japan and California.

McDonnell says in a news release that Chateau Morrisette's initial sale of more than 1,150 cases of wine is scheduled to arrive in Tianjin during the trade mission.

Chateau Morrisette general manager George Weldon says the agreement is part of a long-range strategy to increase both domestic and international distribution.

The commodity exchange's president and CEO, Chuanliu Ni, says the Chinese market for wine is growing rapidly.